Kevin Cook — Called during roll call and responds present.
Kevin Cook — Senator Cook questioned Mr. Peterson about why the patrol program and dedicated fund amounts increased, noting the jump in patrol funding from about $58.8 million to $65.3–$65.4 million and asking him to explain the reason for the increase. Mr. Peterson responded by clarifying the patrol program’s role and concentration of commissioned officers.
Kevin Cook — Senator Kevin Cook identified himself as representing District 6 in Idaho Falls and noted that local agencies pay less than the state patrol. He then asked why Idaho Falls still has vacancies despite that pay difference. Later, the Colonel referenced a drug-smuggling pursuit in Idaho Falls while directly addressing Senator Cook, tying the discussion back to the city and continuing the same exchange.
Phil Hart — Phil Hart was called during roll call.
Cindy Carlson — Cindy Carlson was called during roll call.
Noah Peterson — Identified himself as a budget policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office and introduced the Brand Inspection Division overview.
Colonel Gardner — Colonel Gardner is introduced and invited to provide remarks, then explains the ISP staffing and retention problem as fundamentally a pay issue. He describes the department’s two funding streams, how current CEC increases apply only to part of troopers’ wages, and how that creates long-term pay erosion. Using staffing comparisons and academy attrition examples, he shows that ISP is competitive at entry level but falls behind after several years, leading officers to leave for county agencies and making recruitment harder. He then presents the new pay plan as the solution, saying it would apply the full CEC to troopers’ entire wages, improve sustainability, and better recognize and retain personnel. He also praises troopers’ public service and notes the importance of maintaining a merit-based compensation approach.
Mr. Peterson — Concluded his prepared remarks and stood for questions.
Mr. Peterson — Responded by asking which slide Senator Cook was referencing.
Mr. Peterson — Clarified that he was referring to the first page of the budget book by program.
Mr. Peterson — Explained that the increases are tied to the commission pay plan and the Law Enforcement Project Choice Fund.
Mr. Peterson — Confirmed that the 27 patrol vehicles would all be funded by the general fund.
Mr. Peterson — Confirmed that the commission pay plan appropriation was included in the governor's budget.
Mr. Peterson — Referenced as having mentioned the two funding streams.
Edward Hill — Asked how much of the 27 patrol vehicles request comes from the general fund.
Judy Boyle — The transcript says 'Representative Price'; likely intended to refer to Representative Judy Boyle, who is listed in the expected members.
Ms. Otto — Asked to come forward and provide more specific numbers on unspent personnel dollars.
Ms. Otto — The speaker directs questions to Ms. Otto about trooper training and retention, asking whether there is or could be an agreement requiring trained troopers to remain on duty for two years after training, and whether such a requirement is already part of the curriculum.
Christine Otto — Financial executive officer at Idaho State Police; explained comp time payouts and monthly 30-hour payout practice.
Christine Otto — Christine Otto explains Idaho State Police trooper training costs, estimating about $231,600 per trooper. She clarifies that POST does not pay for ISP training costs, so those expenses are separate, and notes that while shared resources such as dorms and cafeteria facilities are used, they are not necessarily directly paid for. The estimate reflects the trooper’s costs at that stage, including related training and facility expenses.
Christine Otto — Described as the brains of the operation and praised for her budget work after being taken from LSO.
Brian Lenney — Senator Brian Lenney discussed law enforcement retention and compensation, noting that officers may consider leaving after four to five years and again at 10 to 15 years. He then raised concerns that pay increases could trigger a wage war and asked sheriffs and the Colonel what salary level would actually solve the staffing problem and be enough to retain personnel.
Jordan Redman — The Colonel responds to Representative Harris, indicating Harris is the questioner in this exchange.
Jordan Redman — Representative Harris asked whether brand inspectors are fully certified troopers and commented favorably on fiscal responsibility. The inspector responded to his question, and Harris’s follow-up was also addressed, continuing the same discussion about the inspectors’ certification and related fiscal considerations.
Carrie Semmelroth — The transcript appears to misrecognize a senator's name as 'Senator Board Ango King'; likely a garbled reference to a senator being recognized next.
Jason Monks — The speaker refers generally to legislators as the support system for troopers, though no specific legislator is named in this excerpt.
— Noah Peterson identifies himself as a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office and introduces the POST budget review.
David Cannon — Administrator Brad Johnson is repeatedly identified as the person best able to answer POST-related and cost questions, then is invited to come forward and introduces himself as the division administrator of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), indicating his availability to answer committee questions.
Bruce Skaug — Bruce Skaug asks for the total cost of training from start to finish, including related expenses, and follows up to clarify whether POST expenses are included in that figure. The discussion uses the Patrol Academy as an example, cites a 14-week academy cost of $10,700 per student, and then clarifies that the trooper training costs being discussed are separate from the Patrol Academy costs for sheriffs, cities, and counties.
Bruce Skaug — Indicated he had no further questions.
Administrator — Responded that the Patrol Academy is a 14-week academy and introduced the cost discussion.
Administrator — Stated that the Patrol Academy cost per student is $10,700.
Administrator — Begins answering the question about expenditures versus appropriation and dedicated fund revenue.
Administrator — Explains that expenditures and reversions vary because dedicated fund revenue varies year to year.
Administrator — Is asked whether the total cost of training a qualified trooper was previously presented.
Administrator — Explains POST only trains officers and deputies employed by other agencies and can only provide training cost, not the broader agency cost.
Administrator — Referenced as the person who will address Patrol Academy training costs for outside agencies.
Rod Furniss — Representative Furniss is addressed in a discussion about the agreement length, with the speaker initially referencing a three-year term before correcting it to a two-year agreement.
Joe Palmer — The administrator appears to address Representative Harris, though the intended member reference is unclear.
Heather Scott — Representative Bruce asked how separately authorized training programs differ from POST Academy training, and the administrator responded that such programs must at minimum teach the curriculum prescribed by POST.
Ms. Cristinato — Referred to as the 'brains of the operation' and identified as someone many members know.
Russ Wheatley — Russ Wheatley is introduced as a longtime agency employee and behind-the-scenes deputy director, with additional praise for his exceptional work handling key operational areas such as HR, finances, and IT.
Laurie Hicks — Identified as a longtime POST employee and business operations specialist.
Cody Burlisle — Cody Burlisle is identified and introduces himself as the executive director of the Idaho Brand Board and the state brand inspector.
Glenneda Zuiderveld — Glenneda Zuiderveld was called during roll call.
Codi Galloway — Codi Galloway was called during roll call.
Codi Galloway — The chair asks whether Senator Galloway's questions have been answered.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Called during roll call.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Thanked the Colonel and praised Sergeant Kegel for helping her last week.