Deferred maintenance at Kansas universities will be costly. This bill may help pay for it.

A Senate bill to boost higher education funding could help Kansas universities fund pricey projects to address deferred maintenance.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday passed SB 203, which would enact a "campus restoration act" and create a fund dedicated to deferred maintenance at state higher education institutions.

The bill includes a one-time transfer of $240 million to a newly created fund, which is intended to cover 12 years worth of work.

The Kansas Board of Regents estimates the current liability at $1.2 billion for the deferred maintenance backlog. That figure is for the 498 mission-critical facilities, totaling 21.6 million gross square feet. State universities have 1,147 buildings of 38.6 million gross square feet.

"We appreciate this proposal for the creation of a campus restoration fund and would support this approach or continued annual appropriations to finance the Board’s initiative," Regents president and CEO Blake Flanders said last month in written testimony.

Regents: Lack of sustained efforts has led to deferred maintenance woes

The Regents have a new facilities renewal initiative of their own.

"Past deferred maintenance initiatives were unsuccessful for lack of sustained efforts," Flanders said.

Committee chair Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, introduced the bill.

"I've been talking to Regents for the last two years trying to figure out a program for them, to make sure that this would work for them," he said.

Billinger's bill originally started at $350 million, but he later amended it to $240 million to correspond to other recent state funding for deferred maintenance. He said the math shows the additional state funding on top of an existing mill levy should come close to covering the entire backlog.

"Plus these funds will be your earning interest over the 12-year period of time, and when we figure that in, it more than takes care of the total funding," he said.

Billinger said the $240 million includes $30 million that Gov. Laura Kelly had in her budget proposal.

The money will be used to match other institution funding $1-to-$1. It couldn't be used on auxiliary or athletic facilities. Schools and the Regents would be required to develop campus restoration plans, and reducing the campus building footprint is encouraged.'

Kansas State has highest renewal cost at $425 million

The Regents' annual facilities report shows Kansas State University has the most mission critical buildings by far at 206 and the highest total renewal cost at $425 million.

The University of Kansas has 69 mission critical building with a renewal cost of $184 million, the KU Medical Center has 50 at a cost of $160 million, Wichita State University has 58 at a cost of $208 million, Emporia State University has 37 at a cost of $34 million, Pittsburg State University has 32 at a cost of $79 million and Fort Hays State University has 46 at a cost of $113 million.

Of the 498 mission critical buildings systemwide, 241 are at least 50 years old.

Billinger also added community and technical colleges plus Washburn University, which would each get $100,000 a year for 12 years to address deferred maintenance. Their portions apparently would not require the $1-to-$1 match, but they would come out of the $240 million pot of money.