State architect briefs committee on short‑term pause for controlled maintenance projects

The Office of the State Architect (OSA) told the Capital Development Committee it asked agency delegates to pause additional encumbrances on controlled maintenance projects so the administration can evaluate budget impacts.
Tana Lane, State Architect, said the Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) requested OSA review controlled‑maintenance spending given potential effects from federal revenue changes. Lane described the request as a reporting pause—agencies were asked to report project status and consider whether they could slow or stop encumbrances without cancelling or halting active construction.
Lane told the committee that most controlled maintenance line items had not been fully encumbered; about $5.5 million was already encumbered or spent, primarily for design, and two transfers were approved for urgent needs (including a roof repair at Colorado Mesa University). She said the total controlled maintenance line item was about $86 million (excluding a separate emergency allocation of $3 million).
Several committee members expressed concern that the pause was not communicated to legislators in advance. Lane said the pause did not de‑appropriate funds and that, under OSA statutory authority, OSA can direct delegates to pause encumbrances; she agreed to provide a status update to the committee at its September 15 meeting and noted mid‑September would be a key point before six‑month encumbrance deadlines could be jeopardized.
The committee asked for clearer communication channels between OSA and the legislature for similar actions in the future; staff acknowledged the committee’s interest in improved notice and suggested legislative staff could advise on preferred notification methods.