Idaho Kept the Governor’s $54,600 Housing Stipend Flat While the Fund Runs Dry
Idaho’s Governor Housing Committee voted on July 17, 2026, to hold Gov. Brad Little’s monthly housing stipend at $4,551, or roughly $54,600 per year. The decision came during a session the panel nearly couldn’t conduct because two of its four lawmakers didn’t show up.
$54,600 Idaho’s annual governor housing stipend, held flat as the fund that pays it is projected to run nearly empty within one to two years.
The fund that covers the stipend is on track to be nearly depleted by 2027 or 2028, which would require a new legislative appropriation. Steve Bailey, director of the Idaho Department of Administration and the committee’s chair, said requesting more money from a Legislature already bracing for a tight budget year “may be the prudent thing to do” to avoid. Little, who earns $151,400 annually as governor, owns a home in Emmett and a condo in downtown Boise.
Republican Lawmakers Skipped the Meeting That Set the Governor’s Pay
The two Republican members of the panel, Rep. Jaron Crane and Sen. Todd Lakey, both of Nampa, did not attend. That left Bailey and two Boise Democrats, Sen. Ali Rabe and Rep. Brooke Green, to form a quorum. Green joined virtually, and Bailey’s audible relief at her presence underscored how close the meeting came to falling apart entirely.
The committee’s next scheduled meeting is May 27, 2027.
The Mansion Question Didn’t Die, It Was Postponed
Idaho is one of only five states without an official governor’s residence. The state has paid a housing stipend for more than two decades instead. The mansion question returned at last year’s August 2025 meeting, when Crane asked the Department of Administration to identify state properties that could be remodeled for a governor’s residence.
Bailey’s response identified one viable option: the Alexander House, a property near the Idaho State Capitol that Crane himself had proposed. A seven-page history of Idaho governor residencies accompanied the report. The committee did not revisit the question at Thursday’s meeting, but it has not been taken off the table.
The contrast is notable. During the same period Idaho cut agency budgets and signaled more reductions ahead, lawmakers considered committing state dollars to an executive residence. No formal vote on a mansion has been taken.
What You Can Do Now
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Contact Idaho’s House and Senate leadership by calling the Idaho Legislature’s main line at (208) 332-1000. Ask them to require a full public cost analysis before any governor’s mansion proposal advances to a floor vote.
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Reach out to your own Idaho state representative and senator through the Idaho Legislature’s Find Your Legislator tool. Tell them that during a self-described tight budget year, executive housing upgrades should not be a priority.
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Submit a public comment to the Idaho Department of Administration, which manages the Governor’s Housing Committee and the state property list, at adm.idaho.gov. Ask that any mansion proposal include a full 20-year cost comparison against continuing the stipend.
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Follow the committee’s next meeting on May 27, 2027. Request the agenda and any property reports in advance by contacting the Department of Administration directly. Public records from the 2025 meeting, including Bailey’s seven-page history, were already obtained by the Idaho Capital Sun and are available through a public records request.
Sources
Idaho Capital Sun: Idaho Keeps Governor Housing Stipend Flat, Mansion Discussion Deferred
Idaho Department of Administration: Agency Overview and Contracts
Idaho Legislature: Governor Housing Committee and Member Directory