Administration warns governor's housing fund will run out by August 2026; asks JFAC for general‑fund support

The Idaho Department of Administration told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Feb. 17 that the governor's housing fund will be depleted by August 2026 unless the Legislature provides new general‑fund support.

Frances Lippett, budget and policy analyst with the Legislature's Office of Budget and Policy Analysis, briefed the committee on the Department of Administration's budget and the governor's housing fund, saying the fund "provides a monthly housing stipend to the governor currently set at 4,551" and that the fund "has no consistent source of revenue." Lippett told the committee the department had previously requested an appropriation for the fund but that the Legislature did not fund that earlier request. Without new money, she said, "the fund will be fully depleted by August 2026."

The department asked JFAC to include an appropriation in FY2026 to restore the fund; the transcript contains inconsistent figures for the requested amount and does not make a single, definitive dollar figure clear. The record shows earlier discussion of a $30,000 request for FY2025 and later references to differing amounts. Because the transcript does not specify one clear FY2026 appropriation amount, that sum is not reported here.

Why it matters: the governor's housing fund pays the monthly housing stipend and supports the acquisition, construction and maintenance of a governor's residence if one is used. Committee members pressed the department on whether the state intends to pursue a Governor's Mansion project and on the statutory basis for the fund.

Department director Steve Bailey, who answered members' questions, described the Governor's Housing Committee as a standing advisory group that "meets once a year" and said the group last summer had "discussion about potentially revisiting a Governor's mansion, but we haven't really gained any traction on those discussions." He noted the state still holds property that had been set aside for a mansion and said that parcel is in a revocable easement with the City of Boise.

Committee members raised statutory and policy questions. Representative Petzke asked whether statute requires a mansion or a stipend; Director Bailey said he did not believe the department was in violation of statute and offered to provide the committee with the historical report tracing the housing program back several decades. Lippett said she would provide the committee additional documentation and the governor's housing committee report for review.

The discussion also touched on the Department of Administration's broader budget. Lippett summarized the agency as housing public works, purchasing, document services, insurance and management services; she said roughly two‑thirds of the department's appropriation is funded by an "administration and accounting services fund" sourced by payments from other agencies and that about 10% of its overall appropriation comes from the general fund. Lippett said the department is requesting several personnel additions and modest one‑time equipment items across programs but emphasized the separate, continuous appropriation status of some funds.

Director Bailey and analyst Lippett said they would provide the committee supplemental materials on the statutory history and the precise composition of continuously appropriated funds supporting the department. Bailey closed by noting the committee's oversight role and thanking members for time spent reviewing the agency's budget.