Idaho lawmakers back $52 million in emergency funds to fix roads from harsh winter

BOISE – Idaho lawmakers approved $52 million in emergency road funding on Wednesday, sweeping virtually the entire state budget surplus that’s been developing during the current year into emergency repairs.

“This is an effort to be fast, get the money on the ground,” said Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, co-chair of the Legislature’s joint budget committee. “There’s immediate needs.”

The bill, approved on a series of unanimous, 20-0 votes in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, includes an emergency clause, making it effective immediately once the governor signs it into law.

Keough joined her co-chair, Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, and the House and Senate vice-chairs of JFAC to craft the emergency funding bill. It followed several weeks of behind-the-scenes consultations the four had with legislative leaders and the transportation chairs in both houses.

“It seemed like a need and it seemed like an opportunity to try to do something to try to help our citizens,” Keough said.

Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, gave the plan his unqualified support Wednesday, saying lawmakers needed to act, with a harsh winter causing extensive damage and flooding, particularly across southern Idaho.

House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, said he supports the concept, though he might have designed it a little differently. “I expect it to pass,” he said. “That was not on anyone’s radar at the beginning of the session – it is now. I think that the state is stepping up responsibly to address that.”

JFAC held a special hearing on Wednesday morning on disaster damage to Idaho’s roads from the harsh winter. Brigadier Gen. Brad Richy, director of the state Office of Emergency Management, described the devastation across southern Idaho from the heavy snowfall that began Dec. 22 and lasted through Jan. 19, and the flooding that followed as temperatures rose and snow melted.

“The amazing devastation that’s happening in this area is just incredible,” Richy said, as photos were displayed on the screens in the JFAC chamber. “It’s hard to imagine until you actually have the opportunity to see it from the air, to look down at some of these roads and the damage that’s happened to some of the infrastructure.”

Richy said, “The counties are still in a response mode – they’re trying to figure out how to respond, to protect property, to protect lives of the citizens in their communities, while trying to figure out what kind of damages exactly is out there and what needs to be taken care of.” But he said flooding damage in the Magic Valley area already is estimated at close to $17 million.

“There is no way of knowing what the actual cost will be once this whole thing is over with,” Richy told the lawmakers. “We anticipate that we’ll request another presidential declaration for this winter flood. … As temperatures begin to rise over the next 10 days, I would anticipate the snow line will continue to rise. And some of the areas that haven’t experienced flooding will experience flooding.”

Bell told Richy, “I’m grateful that we’re in a position to work with you.”

The budget committee’s action swept all the accumulating surplus in the current year’s budget, including money from a $7.5 million consumer protection settlement with Moody’s and more than $39 million in state tax revenues that have come in over projections, into emergency relief. That’s about $50 million, on top of the $2 million that Gov. Butch Otter already recommended, for a total of $52 million.

The move prompted some grumbling that the figure is the same as the cost of a House-passed income tax cut bill that hasn’t come up for a hearing in the Senate; that could reduce the state’s ability to afford the tax cut.

Sen. Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, said he was concerned about moving so quickly, and asked for unanimous consent to hold off for one day. There was an objection; he then declined to make a motion to delay the decision.

Rep. Rick Youngblood, R-Nampa, the House vice-chair of JFAC, said, “We have hundreds of citizens who are concerned about public infrastructure and how we are going to repair that infrastructure.”

Bell told the committee, “The intent is to take this action this morning so that help can get out there.”

Sen. Fred Martin, R-Boise, said, “I think this is an emergency, that we need to act at this time.”

The winter weather has been so extreme, Richy reported, that 250 buildings have collapsed in southern Idaho. The town of Weiser lost a fire station and a grocery store, and the onion industry suffered $100 million in damages.

Federal disaster declarations have been requested. For repair projects that qualify for FEMA funding, the federal government would pay 75 percent; the emergency funds would help make up the 25 percent state and local match. Volunteer hours and other in-kind contributions can count toward the local match. For projects that don’t qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency aid, the state would use the emergency funds to cover 90 percent of the costs, with a 10 percent local match.