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Idaho Liquor Division seeks modest staff pay increases and IT upgrades amid declining free fund balance
Summary
The Idaho State Liquor Division presented FY2026 requests including temporary staff pay increases, network security hardware, website accessibility upgrades and store replacement items while lawmakers questioned turnover and the cost of ADA work.
The Idaho State Liquor Division told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on the morning it is seeking modest ongoing and one-time appropriations in FY2026 to address high turnover among retail temporary staff, modernize store and IT infrastructure, and bring its public website into compliance with accessibility standards.
Why it matters: the liquor division distributes statutory revenues to courts, cities, counties and the general fund while operating a statewide retail network. Lawmakers pressed the division on whether requested increases will reduce turnover, how contract stores operate, and why a website upgrade was estimated at $100,000.
Kellen McGurkin, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, opened the agency briefing by summarizing the division’s statutory role under Idaho law and noting that FY2024 total distributions from the agency were $118,300,000. The division reported total FY2024 sales of $319,100,000 and reported net income of $116,600,000 used for statutory distributions and transfers.
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