Senate advances proposal to create State Agency Capital Development Fund with multi-year projects

Salt Lake City — First substitute Senate Bill 168 would create a State Agency Capital Development Fund to coordinate capital projects identified in the legislature’s five-year master plan and to provide a systematic process for state agency building renovations, new regional centers and demolition of outdated facilities.

Sponsor Sen. Buxton told the Senate the measure would gather agency needs into a formal fund and planning process overseen by the governor’s Office of Planning and Budget and the Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM), with legislative approval required before money is spent. Buxton estimated roughly $254 million of projects in the next sequencing of work and projected long-term gross savings of about $1.04 billion over 50 years, yielding an asserted net savings figure his floor remarks placed at roughly $750 million.

After a short procedural exchange a technical amendment correcting a sectional reference (Amendment 1) was moved and adopted. The amended bill was then moved to the third-reading calendar; roll-call recorded 22 yeas, 1 nay and 6 absences for third-reading placement in the transcript.

What it does: Establishes a capital development fund and a process for prioritizing and funding state agency renovation and construction projects, with required approvals from the governor’s planning office, DFCM and the legislature prior to expenditures.

What to watch: The sponsor’s long-range savings figures are estimates presented on the floor and should be verified against agency cost-benefit analyses and the DFCM five-year plan when available. Any appropriation from the fund will require separate legislative action.

Quote from the floor: "This project will save the state $1,040,000,000 in the next 50 years," Sen. Buxton said while explaining projected savings and the fund’s goals.