In just a few days, Idaho will begin its annual budget process with agencies submitting their initial proposals for the upcoming budget year. But already, the state is working on how to spend and manage a federal windfall from federal COVID-19 payments of over $1.4 billion.

A working group has already started on how the money can best be leveraged for the best long-term goals. Some on the left want to see increases in salaries for teacher pay and a long list of social welfare programs. They see the new money as a “need” which never ends.

Looking further ahead, others think the money would best be invested in Idaho’s many infrastructure needs, including community sewer systems, broadband, water purification and similar projects.

They make a good case. Social service spending is always going to be part of Idaho’s budget, and there has rarely been money beyond routine state revenues to deal with infrastructure. That’s why it makes sense to direct this windfall to capital projects that will benefit Idahoans for years to come.

Put simply, it’s either now or piecemeal later. Take transportation, for example. Idaho is a huge state (over 80,000 square miles) with long stretches of highways, important bridges and increasing traffic volume. While the state roads have ranked relatively well in national surveys, there’s much to be done, particularly on secondary and county roads.

Take a drive anywhere this month in southern Idaho and you’ll see numerous agricultural trucks and heavy farm equipment moving about the highways to bring in the harvest. A good transportation system is essential for Idaho products to move, from then production to processing to shipping to a hungry world.

Against this rapid growth, many Idaho communities, particularly small ones, are relying on water and sewer systems that are obsolete. These systems often date back to when the towns were first founded more than 100 years ago. They are badly in need of upgrades virtually everywhere and many are under the watchful eyes of new federal water and sewer regulations on contaminants like arsenic. Using the federal money to work on reducing these federal mandates would also give taxpayers relief from having to fund them out of property taxes, a welcome change indeed.

The same is true with broadband expansion. If we want a vibrant rural economy, we need to provide the broadband infrastructure to deliver it. This is similar to the 1920s and early 1930s, when farsighted lawmakers first approved rural electrification across America. That decades-long initiative brought electricity to rural users and thus brought rural prosperity to much of the country.

Wisely, legislators and the office of Gov. Brad Little have put together working groups to prioritize uses across this far-flung state. Additional money is expected on the transportation side through the state’s plan to increase roads and bridges funding from a growing portion of online sales.

And that’s before the recently-passed federal infrastructure money comes down to the states. Projects like the third bridge over the Snake River near Twin Falls and Jerome, as well as improvements to roads and highways in the Treasure Valley, are high on the radar of needed work. So are improvements to Highway 95, Idaho’s primary “goat path” corridor connecting North Idaho with the rest of Idaho.

There are those who think Idaho should reject all federal money as a way of asserting our so-called state sovereignty. These legislators, led by arch-conservatives like Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, and backed by the Idaho Slavery Foundation, want to keep Idaho a backward and ignorant state in which their out-of-state monied interests can dominate governmental affairs.

But failure to invest in our future needs is indeed short sighted. Nate and others want to dismantle government at every level. The state they envision would indeed be a backward place.

A recent article points in a better direction. Led by Gov. Little, and including key legislators, agencies and outside groups, these working groups are planning ahead. They want to build a better state, not one that wallows in conspiracy theories, archaic economic notions and cherry-picked constitutional clauses. (Idaho Press, 7/30).

Advocates for spending on social programs and pay raises typically overlook where Idaho’s revenue really comes from, which is from hard-working folks in industries like natural resources such as agriculture, forest products, mining and energy research. Without these, we’d be a state of recreationalists crowded onto limited rivers and waterways. We’d still be a beautiful state in the travel brochures, but not so much for people living and working here.

There’s nothing wrong inherently with recreation activities nor industries like tourism and retail shopping. These are important features of a mixed economy. But without investment in the basics, Idaho’s appeal would be certainly lessened. There are lots of national parks in America and open spaces, and people don’t want to drive on inadequate roads to get there.

As with other common-sense issues, the Idaho Legislature is likely to focus on these infrastructure needs, along with aquifer replenishment and water storage. Many legislators know how important their local economies are. It’s a matter of keeping things in balance.

With money now available to make important improvements, Idaho would be foolish indeed to turn away from these essential tasks.

Stephen Hartgen of Twin Falls is a retired five-term Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives, where he served as chairman of the Commerce & Human Resources Committee. Previously, he was editor and publisher of The Times-News (1982-2005). He can be reached at Stephen_Hartgen@hotmail.com.