February 4, 2011

Legislature
Director to present budget recommendation to JFAC
ITD Director Brian Ness will provide an overview of the governor’s FY12 budget request for the transportation department when he speaks to members of the Legislature’s Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee Tuesday. The proposed FY12 budget is $507.9 million. With a GARVEE request of $162 million and annual debt service $50 million, the total FY12 governor’s recommended budget is $719.9 million.
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Human Resources
Performance management makes organizations stronger
From Mary Harker, Chief Human Resource Officer
Performance Management is a broad topic and has several components to it. The Executive Leadership team is committed to making the most of performance management in order to align the department top to bottom and ensure that we all focusing on the same goals: improving safety, enhancing mobility and supporting the economy.
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Affirmative Action Plan on Intranet for easy access
ITD’s five-year Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) is available on the department’s Intranet site for easy access. The AAP focuses on the hiring, training and promoting of individuals in protected classes that are under-represented within ITD’s workforce. The plan establishes employment goals for minorities and women whose representation in the workforce is less than would be reasonably expected by availability estimates of the qualified labor pool.
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Information
Survey shows how Treasure Valley residents learn of projects
Reaching the public with road construction information – how traffic might be impacted and how businesses and patrons will be affected by what we’re doing – has been a vital part of ITD’s project plans for decades. Recently we conducted a survey to see how drivers generally receive – or would like to get – their construction information. The results were very encouraging. Respondents were overwhelmingly positive about the construction bulletins they received by e-mail from ITD.
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Employees
Rosti appointed to chair internal review subcommittee
Carolyn (Carri) Rosti recently was appointed to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials subcommittee on Internal/External Audits. AASHTO president Susan Martinovich announced the appointment last week. Rosti, ITD’s manager of internal review, has been selected to serve a two-year term as the subcommittee's chairwoman.
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AAHSTO
Report offers options for closing funding gap
According a congressional commission, the gap between current revenues available for surface transportation and capital needs each year is $137 billion. In recognition of the need to discuss a broad range of tools to address this "funding gap," a new report from the AASHTO Center for Excellence in Project Finance outlines a number of options for meeting revenue needs.
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ITD Mailbox
• Helton's testimony crucial to court case
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Encore
 Published January 28, 2011

Future City
Students design cities with eye on healthy living
People who want to live in a progressive community that has conquered many of the social and health problems other Idaho cities face might consider moving to Dynamis. But you won’t find the city on an Idaho map. It’s still on the drawing board, a creation of students from Homedale Middle School. Their project to design a model community emerged on top of judging in the seventh annual Idaho Regional Future City competition at Boise State University.
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ITD, LHTAC present award for 'Accessible City'
ITD and volunteers from the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council joined in creating a special “Accessible City Award”. It was presented to the project with “the most accessible design for people with disabilities, the elderly and others with mobility impairments. Designs that accommodate the most innovative systems (such as transportation, public rights of way, accessible services) for a community.”
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Specialty plates
Proposed plate hopes to make smooth landing
Do you want to show your support for aviation in Idaho without leaving the ground? Legislation has been introduced that would create a new specialty vehicle license plate -- the "Fly Idaho." Proceeds from the proposed plate would be used to improve and maintain Idaho's unique backcountry and recreational airstrips.
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Employees
New password rules planned for AMS-Advantage log-ons
ITD employees will notice several increased security measures the next time they reset their passwords for the AMS-Advantage financial system. AMS is used for recording and submitting timesheets and for a number of financial applications.
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Clarification offered on private internal sales
An announcement recently about a policy governing personal sales at ITD warrants clarification. Some employees interpreted the policy as prohibiting all internal sales by ITD colleagues and family members. That is not the case, explains Kathy Chase, manager of Business & Support Services.
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Credit union to present session on personal finance
Icon Credit Union is sponsoring a great new class called Money and Motivation. It will be held at the University of Phoenix in Meridian on Tuesday, Feb. 8. National motivational and inspirational speaker Joan Endicott and new local children’s book author and Icon’s own Account Relationship Manager, Mandy Wood, will present an entertaining open forum that will encourage and inspire each person no matter what their relationship with money currently is.
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Reauthorization
AASHTO president takes message to Congress
Federal transportation funding is crucial to states, the economy, and job creation and must be continued at nothing less than current levels, according to Susan Martinovich, president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and director of the Nevada Department of Transportation.
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