Gov. Butch Otter, talking with reporters after two bill signing ceremonies this morning, didn't come right out and say the conditional, economically-triggered general fund shift proposal is unacceptable to him as a means of funding transportation, but he sure threw cold water on the idea. "Hope springs eternal, and I hope we can come up with something," said Otter, who had just met with Speaker Lawerence Denney and others to hear about the proposal. But, he said, "You have to have certainty in how much money you're going to have in order to plan for maintenance." He said he sees two needs for transportation funding: Certainty, and new revenues. Asked how he views the idea of using state general funds for transportation - something Idaho doesn't now do, relying instead on gas taxes and vehicle registration fees - Otter said, "At first blush ... I would say be careful. As you know, I'm a user-pay guy."

He said of the House GOP leadership, "I applaud their efforts to come up with new ideas." Denney said he'd met only briefly with the governor, after an Arbor Day tree-planting ceremony and before the bill-signings, before Otter had to leave for the bill signings. "We really didn't get to discuss it," Denney said. "We just presented it, and that was it." Denney said he still expected to meet further with the governor today.