Buildings & Grounds: $12.3M 2026 budget presented; preventive maintenance cut to quarterly

Joe Butler, representing Buildings & Grounds, told council members the department’s proposed 2026 operating budget is $12,316,000, an 11% reduction from the prior year meant to help meet parishwide budget targets.

Butler said about $1,565,000 in cuts were required; the department reduced maintenance accounts on average by 21% and decreased the total allotment from 65 to 63 without planned layoffs. He highlighted the department’s reliance on contractual electricians, HVAC technicians and plumbers and said preventive maintenance will be scaled back to quarterly PMs while staff and contractors prioritize critical systems.

Butler credited a new computerized maintenance-management system (MaintainX) with a current work‑order completion rate above 92% and said the department has focused on HVAC work this year to reduce callouts. He warned that with fewer contract crews the response and work‑order turnaround times for lower‑priority items will lengthen, though life‑safety systems and high‑priority repairs will remain a focus.

On capital priorities Butler listed waterproofing needs at the juvenile detention center (JDC), security upgrades for the B2 parking garage, city hall window seals and elevator improvements, and noted a pending FEMA project and pending bids for a new roof on the Q building at the prison.

Butler said the department plans on staff training, targeted preventive work and contractor partnerships to limit service degradation and will seek to roll out the CMMS more broadly across parish agencies.