The Idaho Spending Index serves to provide a fiscally conservative perspective on state budgeting while providing an unbiased measurement of how Idaho lawmakers apply these values to their voting behavior on appropriations bills. Each bill is analyzed within the context of the metrics below. They receive one (+1) point for each metric that is satisfied by freedom-focused policymaking and lose one (-1) point for each instance in which the inverse is true. The sum of these points composes the score for the bill.
Rating: (-2)
Bill Description: Senate Bill 1193 is an enhancement of $11,134,000 and 22.0 new full-time positions (transferred from other agencies) for the Office of Information Technology Services for fiscal year 2026. This legislation appropriates a total of $46,203,500 and 243.00 full-time positions to the agency.
Does this budget incur any wasteful spending among discretionary funds, including new line items? Conversely, does this budget contain any provisions that serve to reduce spending where possible (i.e. base reductions, debt reconciliation, etc.)?
Senate Bill 1193 includes a particularly problematic line. The legislation requests about $2.5 million for new offices in the Chinden campus of which over $420,000 is ongoing. This includes $2 million in one-time moving costs and capital from one location to another at the same campus. That is roughly $8,500 per employee. Additionally, Senate Bill 1193 includes a supplemental request of $81,700 for FY25 for extra office equipment for employees that start in the upcoming fiscal year. It would make more sense to wrap this into the move then to use a supplemental in FY25.
(-1)
Is the continuation or growth in ongoing spending, if any, inappropriate for the changes in circumstances, scope of the agency, or current economic environment? Conversely, is the continuation or growth in ongoing spending appropriate given any change in circumstances or economic pressures?
This legislation funds ongoing spending for the Office of Information Technology Services at over $35 million, growing from the base by over 120% in the last three years. This rate is significantly faster than what would be prescribed by inflationary pressures and growth.
Because of the accelerated growth in this budget the last three years, a truly fiscally responsible enhancement budget for FY2026 would reverse the growth with a negative appropriation — a reduction to the base budget.
(-1)
Does the budget grow government through the addition of new permanent FTPs or through funding unlegislated efforts to create new or expanded entitlement programs? Conversely, does this budget reduce the size of government staff and programs except where compelled by new legislation?
Senate Bill 1193 adds the transfer of 22.0 new full-time positions — including IT personnel from the Idaho State Police and the Department of Juvenile Corrections — as part of OITS modernization efforts. It appears that this is a consolidation from 23 positions to 22 new ones for FY26. But one would expect more synergies for an IT consolidation.
(0)
