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University System of Maryland highlights $3.2 billion backlog, shifts to outcome-based facility policy
Summary
The University System of Maryland testified to the Capital Budget Subcommittee about a $3.2 billion facility renewal backlog and a Board of Regents policy shift requiring institutions to report Facility Condition Index (FCI) outcomes and target 2 percent spending on facility renewal.
The University System of Maryland told the Capital Budget Subcommittee that institutions face a multibillion-dollar facility-renewal backlog and that the Board of Regents has adopted an outcomes-focused policy requiring reporting of a Facility Condition Index (FCI).
DLS budget analyst Sarah Baker summarized the system office’s projects and reporting changes. She said deferred maintenance projects total about $2.9 billion, with electrical and mechanical systems accounting for about 68 percent of the total. Programmatic improvements, including renovations and remodeling, total about $2.8 billion. Baker said the overall backlog the DLS shows is about $3.2 billion and that University of Maryland College Park accounts for 55 percent of the total renovation costs.
Baker described a significant shift in the Board of Regents’ facilities renewal policy adopted in November: the policy moves from inputs to outcomes and requires institutions to report an FCI over time to show whether conditions are improving. The system office clarified which operating and capital expenditures count toward an institution’s 2 percent target for facility renewal, and DLS presented exhibits showing how inclusion or exclusion of CIP projects affects the reported percentage of institutional spending.
Chancellor Jay Perman told the panel the system appreciates state support and warned that reductions in operating and renewal spending "will grow our deferred maintenance backlog, could increase our costs in outlying years as our campus buildings age," and might disrupt operations or student learning if critical systems fail. He said the capital requests focus on renovation and replacement projects and that maintaining capital funding is essential to address backlog risks.
DLS recommended approval of GO authorizations and amendments identified in the system office’s budget analysis; the transcript records discussion and Q&A but not a formal vote.
