BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota Senate and House negotiators working on the higher education budget are delving into a proposal that would beef up funding to fix crumbling buildings on college campuses.
Representative Mark Sanford says a new deferred maintenance schedule that cobbles together money from various sources and includes a 2-for-1 match by each institution could result in a pool of about $70 to $85 million meant for capital projects.
A report released last summer showed the total deferred maintenance liability for the state's 11 colleges and universities to be more than $800 million. Sen. Larry Robinson says not everyone agrees with that dollar amount, but most lawmakers see the need for a new plan to maintain the facilities.
Robinson says it's important to "get the ball rolling" on deferred maintenance.