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Baltimore DGS: citywide facilities need about $1.2 billion to fix deferred maintenance; average FCI 51%
Summary
The Department of General Services told the Baltimore City Council its portfolio of about 53 facilities (roughly 5 million square feet) has an average facilities condition index of about 51% and an estimated $1.2 billion in deferred maintenance, while city annual capital funding for building repairs remains roughly $18 million.
The director of the Department of General Services told the Baltimore City Council that the city's portfolio of buildings has an average facilities condition index of about 51% and that fully fixing the resulting deferred-maintenance backlog would cost roughly $1.2 billion.
The revelation came during a DGS presentation to the council on facilities, capital projects and operations. The director said the average FCI—an industry ratio of repair cost to replacement value—puts the city in a range that typically requires “comprehensive remediation” rather than routine fixes.
Why it matters: an FCI on the order of 50% implies extensive renovations or full replacements for many buildings, and DGS reported it receives roughly $18 million a year for capital maintenance—far below the estimated backlog. The agency said this gap forces staff to spend more time on corrective, emergency repairs instead of preventative maintenance that would lower long-term costs.
DGS explained the FCI concept to council members, saying a building with $8,000 in repairs on a $10,000 valuation would have an 80% FCI—an indicator that deep renovation or replacement is warranted. The department said its portfolio assessment covers roughly 53 facilities and about 5 million square feet.
The agency framed three parallel approaches to reduce the backlog: increase capital funding; reduce the city’s overall footprint through “right-sizing” (consolidating or disposing of underused properties); and prioritize capital replacements that reduce future corrective maintenance. The director said the city’s recent increases in GEObonds and ARPA funding improve DGS’s ability to pursue full-scope renovations rather than piecemeal fixes.
DGS also described internal steps to support long-range decision-making: creation of a space-allocation model and a “space playbook” that standardizes office-size and use criteria; monthly check-ins between DGS and council offices to surface local priorities before capital prioritization; and a portfolio-based analysis to estimate the operating and capital tradeoffs of holding, selling or leasing individual buildings.
Council members asked for follow-ups and noted the scale of the problem. DGS said it will use the improved data and the 10-year financial-planning process to present tradeoffs (for example, one-time proceeds from a sale versus ongoing capital obligations) to help policy-makers decide whether to invest in or divest particular properties.
The presentation concluded with a reminder that, while increased bonding and one-time funds help, DGS said the backlog cannot be erased immediately and that strategic, data-driven choices will be required to manage the city’s building portfolio over a multiyear horizon.
