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BGS urges support for major maintenance as House reallocations shift capital projects
Summary
At a Senate Institutions briefing April 8, Commissioner Wanda Manoli told the committee the House largely kept the governor's total cash for the capital bill but realigned some projects; she praised an increase in major maintenance funding and warned that some cuts will delay ongoing contracts and work.
Wanda Manoli, commissioner of the Department of Buildings and General Services, told the Senate Institutions committee on April 8 that the House generally concurred with the governor’s total cash recommendation for the capital bill but had realigned funding among projects.
Manoli front‑loaded the committee’s discussion with one clear ask: sustain the recently increased major maintenance allocation. "Major maintenance is one of the most critical funding sources that we get as a department," she said, noting the fund had been reduced after COVID and that prior to the pandemic it received "a little over $12 million a year." Manoli said the House raised the major maintenance fund and BGS welcomed that change.
Why it matters: BGS said the major maintenance appropriation pays preventive and urgent repairs across state facilities and that underfunding forced staff to prioritize immediate breakdowns over preventive work. BGS staff described district facility managers as maintaining local priority lists that feed into a statewide design and construction prioritization process; that pipeline remains constrained by staff capacity and rising construction costs.
Committee members pressed BGS on whether the cash numbers in section two were adequate to meet next year’s obligations. Manoli said BGS focuses on total project cost and will work with administration budget staff on whether projects should be cash‑funded or bonded, and she directed detailed cash questions to Nick Kramer, who handles cash flow for the department.
Clarifications and process points: BGS said it improved internal tracking to ensure managers draw older appropriations first and to better reconcile cash and bonded funds in the department’s working spreadsheets with the state’s accounting system. Manoli credited that fix with reducing the amount of unspent 'old' money and improving contract payments.
What’s next: BGS will supply the committee with slides and a one‑page spend/status update for several projects (including a three‑acre parcel) and will return for a more detailed review of cash questions. The committee adjourned with an agreement that BGS will provide updated language and documentation before the next appearance.
The hearing did not include a formal vote on any capital bill provision; members requested additional documents and testimony for upcoming sessions.
