Capital Development Committee fails to recommend Fort Lyon heating-design supplemental

The Capital Development Committee on Oct. 12, 2025, voted 3-3 and failed to recommend a supplemental request of $796,840 to fund the design phase of a heating-system replacement at Fort Lyon, a state-run residential facility that program staff said houses more than 200 vulnerable residents.

Deputy Director Kristin Toombs of the Department of Local Affairs’ Division of Housing told the committee the heating system presents an emergency risk: "This is an emergency situation for the risk of the boiler system going down and having over 200 vulnerable individuals living there that have nowhere else to go," she said, asking the committee to approve design funding so construction could move forward sooner.

If the committee had recommended the supplemental, the request would have been removed from level 1 controlled maintenance and forwarded to the Joint Budget Committee for consideration as part of the long bill, legislative staff said. Beau Pogue, legislative council staff, told members the JBC still balances supplementals before the long bill and that approval by CDC would give the project more time to proceed through the budget process.

Committee chair Story defended using the supplemental route for urgent projects and described precedent for making midstream adjustments when circumstances change. Story recounted prior examples — including work during the COVID budget period and use of certificates of participation to keep construction moving — to explain why CDC sometimes shifts project lines to address immediate needs. "They consider it an emergency, and we have an opportunity right now to provide the money to get the design phase going right now and be able to move forward with this project," Story said.

Members asked about process and whether approving the supplemental would set a precedent for other institutions to shift projects between budget categories. Toombs said moving the design-phase funding as a supplemental would expedite the design timeline by a few months and allow the department to order major equipment earlier.

Sen. Henriksen moved that the committee recommend the Department of Local Affairs’ supplemental request of $796,840 for the Fort Lyon design phase. The motion did not record a second in the transcript. The roll call recorded the following votes: Sen. Henriksen — yes; Rep. Lindsay — yes; Rep. Elton — no; Rep. Winter — no; Sen. Mullica — no; Chair Story — yes. The 3-3 tie meant the committee did not recommend the supplemental.

Because the committee did not approve the recommendation, the request will remain under the level 1 controlled maintenance list pending any future action and would not be forwarded by CDC to JBC as a committee recommendation at this time. The meeting adjourned after the vote.