March 27, 2009
Legislature
JFAC approves ITD's budget, authorizes bond
The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee Wednesday approved ITD’s Fiscal Year 2010 funding request, authorized the sale of additional GARVEE (Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle) bonds and approved a supplemental budget that clears the way for using federal stimulus funds. JFAC is responsible for setting the budgets of state agencies and forwarding the requests to the full House and Senate.
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Efficiencies
Practical Design savings estimated to exceed $70 million by 2012
Savings achieved through implementation of a new highway design standard by the Idaho Transportation Department are nearly five times greater than initially expected, reaching $27.2 million in just the first year of the program, ITD announced. Adoption of the Practical Design management approach initially was expected to produce savings of about $5.6 million in state fiscal year 2008, explains ITD Director Pamela Lowe. That projection was revised to $18.4 million in December.
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Board
Board approves participation in career/job fairs
ITD joins a number of other public organizations in applying for discretionary funding from the Federal Highway Administration for On the Job Training/Supportive Services Program activities. Partners include the Idaho Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Labor – Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, local school districts, the Associated General Contractors, FHWA, and other agencies and groups.
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Organ donors
ITD to participate in organ donor ceremony Wednesday
In the midst of tragedy, Jake Calton-Hughes gave life. Jake, age 16, died in 2006 from an automobile accident. But because he was one of the 60 percent of Idahoans who decided to donate their organs, he saved four people’s lives and restored sight to two others.
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Stimulus funding
Funds will address infrastructure needs, but falls short
From TRIP
The Road Information Program
The approval of the federal stimulus package will provide a welcome down payment toward meeting Idaho’s funding shortfall for projects to address the deficiencies on its roads, highways and bridges, but will not be adequate to allow the rapidly growing state to proceed with numerous projects needed to modernize its surface transportation system and allow for long- term economic development.
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Design
National authority to talk about context sensitive design
Anne Canby, a national authority on the use of context sensitive design will be among the speakers featured at ITD’s bi-annual Project Development Conference April 7, 8 in Boise. She also will give a presentation as part of an education series sponsored by the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) Wednesday, April 8 at the ITD Headquarters auditorium.
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Highways
Jim Cherry praised for quick response on I-84
An Idaho driver recently contacted the governor’s office commending the quick response ITD’s Jim Cherry, literally describing him as a lifesaver on Interstate 84. Cherry, who operates one of the Incident Response trucks in District 3, assisted Katie Omado after the car she was driving hit debris on the highway.
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Employees
State to begin direct deposit of employee pay
As a cost-savings initiative, the State Controller’s Office expects to implement a new policy that requires direct deposit of paychecks for all state employees, effective this July. State Controller Donna M. Jones announced the new policy earlier this month after informing the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee of its intent in January.
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Document security
Free shredding event planned at Headquarters
What should you do with five-year old bank and credit card statements and tax return documents? Reports from your stock broker? Correspondence with your attorney? Shred it. Even if you don’t have an industrial-strength shredder, you can safely and securely dispose of personal records at a free event April 18 in the ITD Headquarters parking lot.
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News to Share
Spring weather brings out plows
In Idaho’s warmer climates, where spring weather and the first day of spring are sometimes closely related, farmers are busy plowing their fields to prepare them for seeding. Many ITD maintenance crews are engaged in another rite of spring, brooming highway shoulders and repairing potholes.
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Legislature
JFAC orders 3 percent across-the-board salary reductions
In response to the continuing economic recession, the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC) today voted 14-5 to reduce the salaries of all state workers by 3 percent, effective July 1, and ordered state agencies to reduce other personnel costs by 2 percent.
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Executive order
Gov. Otter outlines plans for audit compliance
Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter issued an executive order late Wednesday detailing how the Idaho Transportation Department will comply over the next three years with the major findings of a recent audit of its operations by the Legislature’s Office of Performance Evaluations.
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Governor’s Executive Order