Conference committee restricts UND property-sale proceeds to maintenance, removes ability to use proceeds for match
Summary
The committee agreed to language limiting proceeds from sales of certain University of North Dakota parcels to deferred maintenance and extraordinary maintenance, removing authority to use those proceeds as private-match for capital projects.
A House member explained committee amendments that remove legislative-authorized capital projects from the list of allowable uses for proceeds from two University of North Dakota parcels. "They wanted to ensure that, that would not be by deleting that language, it makes it very clear that they cannot use this for their 30% of private match," the House speaker said, and reported UND concurred with the change.
Why it matters: The change restricts how UND may spend proceeds from selling campus-adjacent parcels; limiting proceeds to deferred maintenance and extraordinary maintenance prevents the university from applying the funds as private match toward new capital projects.
Members discussed the nature of the property (described as parcels west and north of the main campus that had been home to small units and duplexes) and noted UND's concurrence with the deletion because the university did not intend to use the proceeds for private matching. The chair asked whether senators were agreeable; conferees indicated concurrence and the chair said the committee would record agreement on sections handling the UND property-sale language.
Next steps: The committee directed staff to carry the revised language forward in the conference draft; conferees said they would reconvene on remaining capital and residency definitions at a later meeting.
