Permanent Building Fund proposes $122 million in projects; lawmakers press Division of Public Works on timelines and deferred maintenance

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee heard a presentation from Legislative Services analyst Frances Lippett on the permanent building fund and the Division of Public Works, which together manage state capital and deferred maintenance projects funded by the permanent building fund.

Lippett told the committee that the permanent building fund is structured for multi-year projects and that unexpended balances often become continuously appropriated pursuant to the statute cited in the presentation. She reported the total value of active public works projects is about $1.9 billion, of which roughly $1.4 billion is capital projects and about 42% of capital funding is committed. Lippett said the division typically expends $50 million to $70 million of appropriation in a project’s first year; in fiscal 2024 the division expended approximately $11 million of an original appropriation.

Why it matters: the permanent…