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General Services seeks building-use revenue and staffing; committee accepts LFC recommendation
Summary
GSD Secretary-designate Anna Silva told the committee GSD needs program support and staff to operate growing office space and facilities (800+ facilities); committee accepted the LFC recommendation and discussed building use fees, a proposed public building repair appropriation and continuing risk management concerns.
Secretary-designate Anna Silva and DFA analysts briefed HAFC subcommittee D on the General Services Department’s operating needs, facilities management challenges and audit findings.
Silva said GSD manages more than 800 facilities and supports dozens of agencies and that the department has term positions tied to newly acquired buildings; GSD requested converting term positions to permanent ones and additional program support to address utilities and operational costs. The department highlighted repeated audit findings (land/parcel accounting, reconciling project status with the statewide accounting system SHARE, and invoice processing tied to a transfers-to-HCA transition) and described steps taken to remediate those findings.
DFA staff and Silva described two revenue and appropriation choices to stabilize facilities management funding: a pilot for building use fees (LFC recommended $1,000,000 per year pilot in a government results and opportunity fund) and an executive recommendation for a $2,000,000 special appropriation to the public building repair fund. Committee members discussed using building use fees to better align operating costs with facilities usage; staff noted statutory authority exists but the model has not been used consistently.
On risk management, GSD noted that actuarial and claims uncertainty can produce occasional negative fund balances and requested continued legislative attention. Vice Chair Silva moved to adopt the LFC recommendation for GSD; the motion passed with no opposition.
