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JFAC funds Office of Information Technology Services modernization, adds 22 IT staff
Summary
The committee approved ITS supplemental and FY2026 enhancement funding including office space, enterprise security, IT infrastructure and 22 full‑time positions to support consolidation and modernization of state IT services.
Christopher Lahoset, a budget and policy analyst, presented the Office of Information Technology Services (OITS) budgets, including a FY2025 supplemental and multiple FY2026 enhancements tied to the Idaho IT Modernization Initiative.
For FY2025, OITS requested $81,700 one‑time from the general fund to purchase temporary office equipment to bridge onboarding of consolidated staff. For FY2026, the agency requested $11.6 million and the governor proposed $15.4 million; JFAC approved the agency request of roughly $11.13 million and added 22 full‑time equivalent positions.
Approved enhancements include funding for office space to move employees into state buildings, enterprise security hardware and software (including improved backup and anti‑ransomware capabilities), emergency connectivity network hardware, IT infrastructure purchases and an AppDev QA toolkit, conversion of phone systems to internet‑based connections, ServiceNow project management software, and IT replacement items. The package also included 22 positions to complete the consolidation of Idaho State Police and the Department of Juvenile Corrections IT staff into OITS.
Representative Petzke moved the motion and members described the decision to fund agency requests rather than a separate cyber security and resilience fund the governor recommended; the committee noted the House Appropriations process had unresolved questions about the proposed resiliency fund and therefore funded the projects directly in this cycle.
The committee adopted the motion on a roll call that produced a combined total of 14 ayes, 5 nays and 1 absent/excused (Senate: 6 aye, 3 nay, 1 absent; House: 8 aye, 2 nay). The motion carried and will be forwarded with a due‑pass recommendation. Language accompanying the motion requires OITS and the Division of Financial Management to report on cost efficiencies related to IT equipment and services to JFAC and LSO by Dec. 1.
