Public Safety Commission hears urgent facilities report citing $231 million backlog

The Public Safety Commission on April heard a detailed facilities briefing showing an extensive deferred‑maintenance backlog across the Department of Public Safety portfolio.

Jason Hester, chief of infrastructure operations for the Texas Department of Public Safety, told commissioners the agency manages about 2,500,000 owned square feet across 270 owned buildings and an additional nearly 800,000 square feet in leased space. He said the average building age is 41 years and many systems are at or beyond expected life.

"We run things to failure, and then we gotta fix it," Hester said, describing the department's current approach when funding and capital authority are constrained. He said the department requested $40 million for the 2026–27 biennium but currently estimates $231 million would be needed to address all known deferred maintenance.

Hester showed photos of leaking roofs, aging chillers and cast‑iron sewer pots, and described recurring short‑term fixes such as rented temporary chillers. He said renting a chiller after a 2023 failure has cost about $240,000 to date and that repairs ran about $714,000.

Commissioner Long called the backlog "a pretty sobering slide," urging the department to press the legislature for funding and to consider building maintenance into base budgets for new facilities. Hester said the department will ask for capital authority from the Legislature and must secure delegation from the Texas Facilities Commission for projects over $250,000.

Hester reviewed active projects and partnerships with the Texas Facilities Commission, noting roughly $81.4 million in pending delegated projects dating from 2014 to 2024. He described a crash‑rated perimeter fence under construction at headquarters that will add controlled entry points, new screening, and expanded parking; he also presented renderings and a phased plan for the Williamson County training academy in Florence, including dorms, a cafeteria and a water treatment plant. Hester said bringing water to that site could cost up to about $9 million.

The briefing identified several regionally specific needs, including proposed regional office replacements for El Paso and San Antonio and multiple HVAC and pipe‑replacement projects across West Texas, North Texas and San Antonio.

Hester said a facilities condition assessment is planned to provide an updated snapshot and better support legislative requests. Commissioners emphasized long‑term budgeting for maintenance to avoid repeating cycles of constructing facilities that later deteriorate.

The commission did not take separate action on the facilities briefing but directed continued engagement with the Texas Facilities Commission and legislative outreach.