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Baltimore City Community College presses for deferred maintenance and land acquisition funding; college requests GO bonds for timely delivery
Summary
Baltimore City Community College told the subcommittee it supports the governor’s FY26 capital budget request for $9 million in deferred maintenance and $9 million for property acquisition but urged GO bond funding for deferred maintenance, arguing special funds and PAYGO have been delayed historically.
DLS analyst Subhadra Puja presented the FY26 capital budget for Baltimore City Community College (BCCC). The FY26 capital budget totals $18 million and funds two items: $9 million in special funds for deferred maintenance and $9 million in GO bonds for land acquisition adjacent to the Liberty Heights campus, intended to expand parking and host student programming.
DLS noted vacancies in the college’s facilities leadership (assistant vice president for facilities and assistant director for capital) and asked BCCC for status updates on recruitment. DLS also recommended using GO bonds for deferred maintenance to improve delivery timing and suggested BCCC use fund balance for property acquisition, because the college can deploy special funds at its discretion when a suitable property is identified.
BCCC President Deborah McCurdy testified in support of the governor’s capital recommendation but disagreed with DLS’s suggestion to use fund balance for property acquisition. McCurdy said BCCC agrees deferred maintenance should be funded with GO bonds but argued the college’s fund balance is restricted and largely not available for capital acquisition. Controller Eileen Waitzman told the committee BCCC’s estimated fund balance is about $89.6 million but most funds are restricted (capital assets, leases, donor funds); available unrestricted balance after obligations is roughly $10.7 million. Waitzman said using $9 million from fund balance for land acquisition would leave a small reserve that could raise auditor and oversight concerns.
McCurdy described the college’s recent fire in the main instructional building and said three floors remained offline. She also said enrollment has rebounded from the pandemic with recent semester growth, reporting a total headcount in the low‑40,000s (the transcript records varying figures; college officials stated enrollment increases semester over semester). The college said it is actively recruiting for the vacant facilities positions and receiving DGS support for capital management. BCCC also requested the committee visit campus to review conditions.
DLS recommended changing the FY26 funding source for deferred maintenance to GO bonds and deleting the $9 million GO bond proposed for land acquisition; BCCC concurred for deferred maintenance but opposed deleting acquisition funding from GO bonds. DLS recommended approving the governor’s allowance as proposed pending further information, and the hearing record shows no formal committee vote during the presentation.
