Otter slashes request for radio funding

BOISE – Gov. Butch Otter settled Wednesday for $3 million in state money to boost emergency communications, down from his original request of $40 million.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee approved the amount, which still must clear the full House and Senate.

Otter had insisted the issue be resolved before the 2007 session adjourns.

In January, the governor had asked for $40 million to help local, state and federal emergency services and law-enforcement agencies upgrade their radio equipment and towers to improve communication between departments in the event of a terror attack or disaster.

Last week, Otter asked for $12 million, saying it was needed as a 20 percent match for Idaho to be eligible for up to $48 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Lawmakers rejected that plan, but he came back this week with a new $3 million request.

William “Bill” Bishop, director of the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security, told budget writers that after he’d discussed the issue with U.S. government officials, they told him the most Idaho can expect to receive from the federal grant is $12 million, because the state is considered less of a target for terrorism than places such as New York.

Lawmakers were bemused by the rapidly changing request for money.

“It certainly has been scaled down from last week,” said Rep. Jim Hammond, R-Post Falls.

Bishop said confusion over the amount resulted partly because federal officials have yet to define how states will qualify for $1 billion in grants being overseen by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

If Idaho doesn’t get any federal money by Dec. 31, the $3 million would be returned to the state general fund.