Idaho Parks requests consolidation, higher seasonal pay and funding for Heyburn docks in JFAC briefing

The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation told the Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday that it plans to merge two administrative programs, raise seasonal wages and use dedicated and federal funds for several large capital projects, including replacement of two marinas at Heyburn State Park.

Janet Jessup, a budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, opened the department’s presentation and said the agency administers Idaho’s 30 state parks and trail systems and is funded with a mix of dedicated, federal and some general funds. Director Susan Buxton and staff stood for questions after the presentation.

The department asked the committee to consolidate its management services and park operations programs into a single budgeted program, a move Buxton described as “ministerial” and intended to make internal accounting and oversight easier while retaining visibility into revenues and expenditures. “It really is a ministerial request,” Buxton said.

Buxton and Human Resources Officer Jennifer Quindell Miller described targeted salary adjustments to address pay compression among long‑term staff and managers. Buxton said many park managers and bureau chiefs perform complex duties—from sewer and water system maintenance to law‑enforcement and public safety—and that pay scales lag other natural‑resource agencies. “When you see what they have to do…you see the complexity of what they do,” Buxton said, arguing the department needs step differences so long‑tenured employees are not paid the same as new hires.

The department also requested a phased increase in seasonal pay. The enhancement would move seasonal compensation from $12 to $15 per hour; Buxton and Miller said that dedicated funds have been used to step wages up over several years and that in some resort and remote locations market conditions already require hourly rates of $17–$18 to recruit staff. “Fifteen is probably gonna be more the floor anymore…in some places we’re having to go to 17 or so,” Buxton said. Jennifer Quindell Miller added that park managers have discretion to pay within a range and the agency plans to push the range higher for the coming season to improve recruitment.

Committee members pressed the department on the arithmetic and the multi‑year nature of the seasonal pay increases. Representative Tanner said the cumulative appropriations over multiple years make the advertised $12-to-$15 jump appear inaccurate when aggregated; Buxton and Miller acknowledged the point and agreed the effective market floor for some locations is now above $15.

Committee members also asked about equipment and capital requests. Troy Elmore, operations administrator, said the department plans to purchase a compact wheel loader funded from the snowmobile sticker fund to improve groomer parking lots used by snowmobile programs and that the department partners with about 27 county programs for grooming operations.

On capital projects, Jessup highlighted large outlays requested by the agency, including improvements at Bear Lake Fish Haven and Lake Cascade. Buxton added that the agency plans to replace two aging marinas at Heyburn State Park—Rocky Point and Chocolate Bay—work that the Coeur d’Alene Tribe has supported with early design funding and a pledge of at least $1 million toward replacements. Buxton said the new docks will be reconfigured to increase the number of slips.

Jessup’s fiscal presentation showed the department’s 2024 expenditures were concentrated in capital outlay (about 41%) and personnel/trustee and benefit payments (roughly 17.5%). She and Buxton explained that many appropriations are one‑time capital or federal funds that may span multiple fiscal years, and that dedicated funding sources (vehicle registrations, boat or snowmobile permits, OHV fees and similar receipts) are statutorily restricted to specific uses.

Buxton closed by thanking the committee and confirming staff are available to provide additional detail, including a deferred‑maintenance list and project status documents committee members requested.

The committee did not take formal action on the department’s requests during the hearing; the governor’s recommendation, Jessup said, included the agency’s full capital requests with no deviations.