FY19 highlights, budget, employee recognition
highlight board’s October meeting next week

A summary of FY19 highway projects, annual report review, budget revisions, and employee recognition will highlight the October 17 Idaho Transportation Board Meeting in Boise.

The board is scheduled to meet at Headquarters until next spring. The meeting on October 17 will start at 8 a.m. in the auditorium.

FY 2019 End-of-Year Highway Projects Summary
Staff will provide a summary on the FY19 State Highway System projects. More than $258 million in federal funds and almost $196 million in state funds were obligated. The funds were obligated for pavement and bridge preservation and restoration, safety, capacity, freight, traffic operations, emergency relief, board unallocated, and GARVEE programs.

Sixty-one contracts were awarded for construction projects. Funds were also obligated for project development, right-of-way acquisition, and utility work.
 
FY19 Annual Report
The draft FY19 annual report will be presented to the board for discussion and comment. Idaho Code requires a yearly report on the financial condition and management of the department.

The document includes such information as innovations, returns on investment, growth rates, accomplishments, performance measures, revenue, and expenditures. Regarding growth, from 2015 to mid-2019, Idaho’s population grew 6.1% to 1.75 million. Between 2014 and 2018, traffic increased on the state highway system by double-digit percentages in at least six counties - Canyon (20.9%), Ada (18.5%), Bonneville (17.5%), Bannock (16.5%), Kootenai (13.7%), and Twin Falls (11.6%).

Another fact in the report: the number of DMV transactions processed on the internet increased from 266,300 in 2015 to 305,500 in 2018. According to the report, it took an average of three days to process a vehicle title in 2018, the state’s highways were clear of ice and snow 86% of the time during the 2018-2019 winter, and more than half of ITD’s 1,835 bridges will be beyond their design life of 50 to 60 years by 2021.

Budget Revisions
The board will be asked to approve a revision to the FY21 appropriation request. The main change eliminates the $12.5 million request for a new District 4 office building and replaces it with a request for $860,000 for short-term repairs and modifications to the existing building. This would allow additional time to refine the plans to relocate the building to Jerome County. Other state agencies have expressed a desire to co-locate at the proposed Jerome County site and share costs. Delaying ITD’s building request provides additional time to coordinate with the other parties. The approximate $11 million difference would be re-directed to the construction program.

Recognitions: Innovations and Service Awards
Winners of the 2019 Best of the Best Innovate ITD effort will be announced to the board, along with a summary of the pizza party last month to recognize employees’ innovations.

The board will also participate in the Fall Employee Service Awards program. The Maintenance Crew of the Year and the Safety Team of the Year will also be recognized during the ceremony at 10 a.m. in the auditorium.

Published 10-11-19