Department of Lands highlights growing fire costs, requests staff and funding; governor recommends large transfers to suppression fund

The Idaho Department of Lands told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Tuesday that wildfire costs and complexity have risen, prompting budget requests for additional fire staff, equipment and one-time projects. Director Dustin Miller and Legislative Services analyst Janet Jessup walked the committee through the department's budget, the fire suppression deficiency fund and related policy issues.

Why it matters: The Department of Lands oversees trust lands, wildfire response on those lands, and distributes assessments and funds used for fire protection. The committee heard that suppression costs are variable and can be large; the governor recommended multi-million-dollar transfers to the fire suppression deficiency fund and one-time firefighter bonuses.

Key budget items and governor recommendations

Janet Jessup summarized the Department of Lands budget and dedicated funds, noting the department runs six programs and that much of its spending is personnel. She explained the fire suppression deficiency fund is continuously appropriated and historically receives transfers from the general fund. "It is like a credit card," she said, describing how agencies may spend into a deficiency and later be reimbursed.

The governor's proposed budget included a $40 million transfer from the general fund into the fire suppression deficiency fund and a prior supplemental recommendation of $60 million for the current year. The governor also proposed $1,000,000 in firefighter bonuses for Department of Lands employees and recommended a CEC (cost-of-living equivalent) for Timber Protective Association (TPA) personnel alongside an existing 5% CEC for state employees.

Timber Protective Associations and parity questions

Jessup and committee members discussed TPAs, which the analyst described as "quasi state agencies" that receive funds through the Department of Lands to fight fires but are not state employees. Senator Wintrow and others asked whether the CEC state employees received would flow to TPA employees; Jessup said it would not automatically apply, and that the enhancement would provide a comparable personnel dollar allocation to the TPAs because "the TPA employees are not state employees, so this holds them with a degree of parity to our state employees that are firefighters." After the governor's recommendation, the TPAs requested an additional $250,000 specifically for TPA firefighter bonuses so both state and TPA firefighters would receive bonuses.

Operational and program requests

Director Dustin Miller described operational requests tied to fire program modernization: several new positions (fire emergency support program manager, fire aviation section manager, statewide forest assessment program manager, assistant fire warden for Ponderosa, and a fiscal specialist) and one-time equipment and build-out costs for the East Idaho (formerly Cottonwood) district. Miller said Good Neighbor Authority timber receipts have helped fund on-the-ground restoration work: "About $40,000,000 is what's been generated to date," he told the committee, describing how timber sale receipts fund personnel, operating costs, and restoration contracts within the GNA program.

Funding timing and reimbursement risks

Miller warned the committee that reimbursements from federal partners can be slow and that outstanding invoices affect the suppression account. Without the governor's recommended transfers, Miller said the suppression fund could drop to about $13 million in FY2026, a level that would cause challenges given invoices yet to be processed. The department noted past years have ranged widely in total suppression expenditures, sometimes nearing $100 million and other years closer to $30 million, depending on fire activity.

Abandoned mines and other dedicated funds

Committee members asked about the abandoned mine lands (AML) fund. Miller said the state faces roughly 9,000 abandoned mine sites and that the AML fund derives from a portion of the mine license tax; he described the fund as insufficient to meet the scale of closures and water-quality work needed.

What comes next

Committee members asked for historical suppression-cost data and details on timing of reimbursements. Director Miller said the department is implementing improved electronic billing that should accelerate reimbursements once fully integrated. The committee did not take formal action during the hearing; the department's requests and the governor's recommended transfers will be considered in the committee's budget deliberations.

Ending note

Director Miller closed by thanking staff and emphasizing the department's work to protect life and property. "We have amazing land managers, an amazing team of wildland firefighters, and I really appreciate what they do for us," he said.