Permanent Building Fund: committee hears $1.9B in active projects, FY2026 recommendation of $122.9M

The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee heard Feb. 17 that Idaho has roughly $1.9 billion in active public‑works projects and that the Division of Public Works' FY2026 recommendation from the Permanent Building Fund totals $122,861,900.

Frances Lippett, legislative budget analyst, told the committee that the "total value of active public works projects is 1,900,000,000.0," with capital projects accounting for about $1.4 billion of that total and 42% of capital project funding already committed. She said the division typically expends $50–70 million of an appropriation in the first year and that large capital projects are multi‑year efforts.

Dale Reynolds, administrator for the Division of Public Works, described recent and planned work at the Chinden Campus and elsewhere. He told the committee the division has completed about $70 million in work at Chinden, has $30 million in progress, and estimates another $145–160 million in deferred‑maintenance work and upgrades ahead of additional building acquisitions. Reynolds said the campus is "for the most part" fully occupied and that Building 3 remains vacant while the…