JFAC hears ITD plea to ease reappropriation cap as multi‑year road contracts hit payout wave

The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee (JFAC) heard Friday that the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) needs more flexibility to pay contractors on long‑running road projects and avoid cash‑flow interruptions.

ITD Chief Administrative Officer Dave Tolman told the committee that ITD had “a little over $600,000,000” in obligated but unspent construction commitments at the end of fiscal 2024 and said the department’s current appropriation and carryover limits do not match the multi‑year, multi‑fund nature of many projects. “There’s a sizable amount of projects committed under contract that there is no appropriation for,” Tolman said.

The department and its legislative analyst framed the problem as a timing and appropriation issue rather than a failure to obtain funding. Director Scott Stokes said ITD has large…