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Idaho Parks seeks seasonal pay increases, staff consolidation and capital funding for docks and parks maintenance
Summary
The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee it needs ongoing and one-time funding to address seasonal pay, staff pay compression, deferred maintenance and several capital projects, including replacement of two marinas at Heyburn State Park.
At a Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee hearing, Director Susan Buxton of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation summarized the agency's 2026 budget requests, including a proposal to consolidate two internal programs, raise seasonal employee pay from $12 to $15 an hour, implement a tiered ranger pay program and fund several one-time capital projects.
The department, which administers Idaho's 30 state parks and trail systems and is funded largely with dedicated and federal revenue, is allocated 190.8 full-time positions in the current base. Analyst Janet Jessup of the legislative services office told the committee that capital development currently has no FTP in the base because those projects are funded as one-time capital outlays.
Jessup said the department's requests include additional park personnel and statewide operating increases to cover rising utility and maintenance costs. "We're going to be starting off with the Department of Parks and Recreation," she told the committee when opening the agency presentation, noting…
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