Kempthorne parks plan on hold

BOISE – Money for Gov. Dirk Kempthorne’s $34 million plan to improve six state parks and build a new one in eastern Idaho was delayed Thursday, as legislative budget writers instead put the package into a collection of other requests that are competing for the money.

Members of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee also said there’s not enough money in the budget this year for Kempthorne’s $63 million plan to give every Idaho resident a $50 check for energy relief.

Kempthorne had asked for a share of the state’s $214 million budget surplus for his “Experience Idaho” parks proposal. Budget panel members said other priorities have emerged that will vie for the money as part of an omnibus spending bill next week.

They include a Republican-backed, $25 million package to address an Idaho Supreme Court ruling on how the state pays for school buildings; a plan from House Speaker Bruce Newcomb, R-Burley, to subsidize faster communication networks in rural communities; and money to battle the milfoil weed infestation advancing in northern Idaho rivers and lakes.

This is the second time this week the budget committee hasn’t gone along with a Kempthorne request.

On Tuesday, it approved a $200 million bonding package to build Idaho roads, less than the governor had wanted.

Colliding priorities are piling up in a month when lawmakers hope the session will wind down so they can go home and campaign during an election year.

This will add to competition for remaining budget money, said Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, co-chairman of the budget panel, “But I think this is where we focus on our negotiation skills.”

The panel was considering Kempthorne’s parks request as part of the budget for building projects across the state.