Property Management says county faces roughly $35 million annual backlog to catch up on building replacements

Property Management Division of the Office of Budget and Finance told the Planning Board subcommittee that Baltimore County needs roughly $35 million in the current year to begin catching up on deferred capital replacement and that the same baseline will be needed annually under a 10‑year plan.

The presentation by Deborah Shindle, Property Management, laid out the scale of county facilities and recent capital spending. "We currently have over 6,600,000 square feet of building space," Shindle said, and the division maintains "over 260 primary buildings, and another 675 ancillary buildings and structures." She told the committee that a recent assessment of 191 large facilities showed the county is "probably 20 years behind on ... replacement plan" and that the assessment's year‑one need is about $35,000,000, with an estimated $40,000,000 needed in the following year.

Why it matters: those replacement needs are separate from new construction and are intended to cover roofs, HVAC, and other major building systems. Shindle described the FY24 capital commitment as $79.8 million from the prior county executive, with FY25 anticipated funding of about $48,000,000. She said those amounts were "above and beyond the $35,000,000" baseline the assessment identified.

Details and supporting items: Shindle said net new square footage in FY25 is projected at about 150,000 square feet, driven by projects such as 8212 Liberty Road, Meadow Creek Park, new Wilkins and Essex police precincts, Woodlawn Senior Center and Rosedale RAC. She described routine cleaning of roughly 5,600,000 square feet (a mix of in‑house and contracted services) and corrected an earlier count to note the county has 28 artificial turf fields. Property Management reported 346 open capital projects: 104 renovations or new equipment projects, 15 new construction projects, 34 office moves or furniture projects, 161 repair or routine maintenance projects, and 8 in design or study.

On how projects are identified, Shindle said the division uses master plans, community input, public health and safety considerations, and a strategic replacement schedule. She also emphasized sustainability and the potential to shift to more energy‑efficient HVAC when systems are replaced. The division aims to leverage outside funding sources where possible.

Questions from board members focused on funding sources and what a steady baseline would look like. Commissioner Halepka asked whether the FY24 and FY25 increases included the baseline replacement needs; Shindle replied they were in addition to the $35 million baseline identified by the consultant. When asked where the large one‑year infusion had come from, county staff (Matt Carpenter, county budget staff) said those funds were primarily pay‑go from the county's fund balance.

Ending: Shindle closed by listing near‑term project milestones and said property management will continue to coordinate with sister agencies to align capital projects and operational needs.