BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The head of Idaho’s Department of Administration says he’s requesting more time to decide if the agency will try to recover money paid out under the illegal $60 million broadband contract.
In early March, the Idaho Supreme Court agreed that a statewide contract for broadband in public schools was void. The justices said the law required the state to try to recover the money already paid out under the voided contract, but held off from officially ordering state officials to seek repayment.
Department of Administration spokeswoman Diane Blume said Tuesday that Attorney General Lawrence Wasden asked the department to submit a decision by April 6.
However, Blume says that Director Bob Geddes is still reviewing the ruling.
“He needs time to fully understand the ramifications on both sides,” she said.
Wasden’s spokesman declined to comment because of client-attorney privilege, but added that Wasden’s office had not heard from the agency as of Wednesday morning.
In the court’s ruling, the justices did not say when the state should collect those repayments.
“If the appropriate State officer fails to perform this statutory obligation, the State’s chief legal officer can step forward to make the state whole for these unfortunate violations of state law,” the justices wrote.
The broadband repayment debate comes at the same time Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter just signed off on a request to allocate $8 million for a possible settlement with former vendors of the Idaho Education Network.
House Speaker Scott Bedke and Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill have been negotiating with Education Networks of America and Qwest to come up with a fair dollar amount to cover the work the companies did under the contract but were not yet paid for because the state halted payments once a lower court voided the contract.
Geddes’ request for a delay was not related to the possible settlement, Blume said.
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