Idaho JFAC Whips Through ITD Budget

By Sharon Fisher, 3-07-08

After taking two days to slog through the public school budget, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee sizzled through the Idaho Transportation Department budget, getting through the whole thing in 38 minutes.

Perhaps it was just the knowledge that it was the last major budget to be set for the session.

Co-Chair Senator Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, did suggest to ITD Director Pam Lowe, if the department was short of money for maintenance after the heavy snow year, that the department look at its $20 million allocated for replacement items rather than in deferring summer maintenance work such as sealcoat, and she assured him that was the case. “Removing projects is a last resort,” she said.

Even the discussion on Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle (GARVEE) funding, a source of contention in previous years, was swift and cordial. The new bonding supports three major projects: I84 between Meridian and Caldwell, including the 10-Mile Interchange; I84 at Orchard and Vista, including interchange work; and Highway 30 at Lava Hot Springs, including construction of a new bridge. While discussion went on for some time, it was primarily a validation of the three years of GARVEE, the decision to put final authority in the hands of ITD, and of the projects chosen thus far. The biggest discussion was whether “shall” in the motion should actually be “may.”

Co-Chair Representative Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, acknowledged the importance of the three new projects listed while expressing regret that projects in her area were not being completed. Vice Chair Representative Darrell Bolz, R-Caldwell – a critic of GARVEE funding in the past – said he had come around to appreciating the use of GARVEE as a tool to fix the roads, and that while it was difficult to see all the money spent in the Treasure Valley, the population there did generate most of the gas tax money. Representative Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, also pointed out that some projects—such as one in her district—had been removed from State Transportation Improvement Plan to be put on the GARVEE list, and then didn’t make GARVEE, leaving those projects in limbo. “However, to prove my statewide perspective, I will still vote for this bill,” she said.

It was a giddy day in JFAC, with Senator James Hammond, R- Post Falls, who made the majority of the transportation motions, repeatedly saying “thousand” when he meant to say “million,” with Bell patiently correcting him each time. “I’m sorry, Madame Chair, I just don’t want to spend that much money!” he replied. He had his revenge later, when introducing the maintenance budget, by declaring that “this is where the rubber meets the road,” drawing loud groans from the committee. “You had to do it,” Bell said.