BOISE, Idaho — With Idaho facing a projected $56.6 million budget deficit, a state task force is reviewing ways to streamline operations and evaluate potential government consolidations ahead of the 2026 legislative session.
The DOGE Task Force, created earlier this year by Gov. Brad Little, met Tuesday at the Idaho State Capitol for its fifth meeting and advanced several proposals for lawmakers to consider when they return in January.
The meeting focused on what members referred to as “low-hanging fruit,” as the group voted to advance provisions and proposals for recommendation or discussion.
WATCH: How state leaders say they’re approaching cost savings and government efficiency.
Among the recommendations were proposals to merge the Bingo-Raffle Advisory Board with the Idaho Lottery Commission, relocate the STEM Action Center to the Workforce Development Council, and integrate the Soil and Water Conservation Commission into the Idaho Department of Water Resources.
Task Force Co-Chair Representative Jeff Ehlers, who serves on the task force, said public feedback has been a significant factor in shaping proposals. “We’ve had a lot of public input, close to 700 comments now through our DOGE portal, which is great. I appreciate the public input – they’re seeing things out there that we might not see. There’s only eight of us,” Ehlers said.
Ehlers said the group’s work is focused on identifying cost-saving opportunities. “With the budget deficit, there’s two sides to balancing a budget. There’s the revenue side and then the cost side. And DOGE is particularly looking at the cost side and things that we might be able to do there to help with savings,” he said.
He said proposals involving larger agencies will require more time and additional stakeholder involvement. “Some of these other ideas, they’re bigger, they’re harder to move, it’s going to take longer. So we will get to those, and we will focus on those, but yeah, we started with the low-hanging fruit,” Ehlers said.
Ehlers acknowledged public concern about whether major departments, including education, could be considered in the future. “Education in particular hasn’t really come up yet, and the governor’s been really strong on protecting the education budget,” he said.
The work is expected to continue into next year. “This is a multi-year project. We’re taking steps forward and we’ll continue to do so,” Ehlers said.
Any consolidation or repeal proposals would still require approval from the full Legislature.
