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Military Division Seeks Supplemental to Address Communications, Vehicle Backlog and Hazmat Gear
Summary
Adjutant General Tim Donilon and analysts told the committee a supplemental is needed to clear a vehicle-installation backlog for public-safety radios, establish independent public-safety networking hardware, and replace decades-old hazardous-materials equipment across seven regional teams.
Officials from the Idaho Military Division briefed the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on the division's fiscal 2026 requests, emphasizing supplemental funding to clear an installation backlog and a governor-recommended cash transfer to modernize hazardous-materials response gear.
Budget analyst Frances Lippett summarized appropriations and said the governor recommended a supplemental for public-safety communication support and related IT hardware, funding to convert 40 idle Dodge Durangos owned by Idaho State Police (ISP) so their critical communications equipment can be installed, and construction work to add installation bays. The supplemental includes an estimated $240,000 private-contract cost to clear the backlog and $300,000 in construction to add four installation bays. Lippett also said the recommendation included $759,200 for IT infrastructure and licensing to establish a network for public-safety communications separate from the state's ITS network for improved security.
Major General Tim Donilon, the adjutant general, said the vehicle backlog resulted from supply-chain and microchip shortages that delayed vehicle procurement; when vehicles and radios became available at once, the division and ISP lacked installation capacity. Donilon told the committee the split funding would pay a contractor to clear the backlog and create additional on-site capacity to prevent future backlogs.
Representative members questioned whether the IT work and licensing could be executed quickly; Donilon said modernization included both server/hardware upgrades and separating the microwave-based public-safety network from ITS, and that work was necessary to secure the network and to modernize aging equipment.
On hazardous-materials response, Donilon said Idaho's seven regional hazmat teams are operating with equipment that is more than 20 years old. The governor recommended an $8.6 million appropriation through a cash transfer from the state emergency relief fund to allow regional hazmat teams to purchase new gear. Donilon said the funding would be executed through the Idaho Office of Emergency Management and distributed to the seven teams.
Lippett also noted the division's fiscal 2025 deficiency-warrant request of $34,200 related to hazardous-substance incidents that could not be recouped from incident originators. The governor recommended all requested items and supplemental funding; committee members asked detailed timing and implementation questions and were shown earlier site visits documenting the backlog.
