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OMB asks lawmakers for new equipment, lab utilities and carryover for boiler and window projects
Summary
At an Appropriations Committee hearing, Office of Management and Budget officials requested funding for snow removal equipment and facility maintenance, estimated utility costs for a new state lab, a new systems mechanic position, and carryover authority to complete boiler and window projects on the Capitol complex.
At a hearing of the Appropriations Committee’s Government Operations Division, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials outlined a package of facility and deferred-maintenance requests, including a $192,000 placeholder for snow-removal equipment, an estimate of $1.2 million for utilities tied to a new state laboratory, and a request to carry remaining funds into the next biennium to finish boiler and window projects.
OMB budget presenter Joel Morrissett said the snow-removal request is “for 2 machines” of a multifunction type and a replacement floor scrubber, and that the $192,000 figure is a placeholder that would be subject to procurement. He told the committee the $1.2 million request is an estimate of additional utilities associated with the new state lab, which is expected to be completed in early 2026: “We’re paying the electricity now during construction. This is our estimate of what those additional costs will be.”
The nut graf: the items are intended to keep state facilities on the Capitol complex safe and operable and to ensure the new state lab can be heated, cooled and staffed to technical specifications once it is put into service.
Most of the committee’s questions focused on scope and timing. Morrissett said the utility estimate covers the partial biennium after the lab goes into service. On staffing and technical support for the lab, OMB requested one new systems mechanic position to operate the lab’s advanced HVAC and building systems. Morrissett said the position would likely be hired before the building’s completion so the worker could help with setup and commissioning.
Facilities director Brandon Solberg said a large portion of the committee’s deferred-maintenance discussion concerned an earlier boiler and window program. Solberg told members that, based on preliminary numbers, completing those projects would require additional carryover authority: roughly $4.0 million to finish the boiler work and about $4.1 million to finish windows and doors, for a combined carryover request in the neighborhood of $8.1 million. Solberg also said he would provide more exact expenditure figures before the committee’s planned site tour.
Committee members pressed for detail about what would be spent this biennium versus what would be carried forward. Morrissett and Solberg agreed to provide a more detailed break‑out of costs, and to arrange a field trip so members can inspect the systems and the scope of remaining work.
Ending: OMB officials asked the committee to consider the requests as part of their agency long sheet and agreed to supply updated cost breakdowns and to host a site visit to the boiler plant and other affected facilities before the committee finalizes decisions.
