The Statewide Master Plan guides investments in existing state office space and supports the new construction of carefully planned rural centers. The first master plan for state buildings was completed in January 2021 by the Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM). The plan evaluated 215 state-owned and state-leased office spaces and laid out multiple consolidation scenarios that would allow the state to exit 91 locations. The plan estimates $569 million saved in operational costs and eliminates an $429 million in new building expenses over 50 years.
Salt Lake County projects focus on renovating state-owned office buildings to better support modern business operations, including remote work. Outside the Wasatch Front, DFCM identified a need to renovate four existing regional centers and construct seven new regional centers. These investments allow state agencies to provide services to residents in centralized locations, while increasing support for state employees in rural areas through local drop-in workspaces with amenities such as high-speed internet and conferencing areas.
Creating the Plan
In January of 2018, as directed by the Infrastructure and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, DFCM kicked off a utilization study of 23 existing state-owned buildings across Salt Lake County. The study intended to provide a backdrop for DFCM to address several state facility concerns, such as the aging inventory, increased space needs, and the rising cost of construction. The study found that the buildings were inefficient and were not designed for the current programmatic needs nor to assist agencies with attracting and retaining workers. The study also uncovered opportunities for consolidation and savings. While state agencies have updated spaces over time, they don’t have reliable, adequate funding for remodels, leading to small projects with no emphasis on efficient space usage or big picture planning.
During the 2019 General Session, the Legislature appropriated funding for a Statewide Master Plan. The project was broken into two phases: Phase I to study the agencies in Salt Lake County (including the Capitol complex), and Phase II to look at rural Utah and the balance of the state. DFCM completed Phase I in January 2020, later updating it to capture the pandemic-related increase in teleworking (which increased the number of employees per desk). DFCM completed Phase II of the master plan in late 2020.
Prioritizing Projects
Prior to the passage of S.B. 82, “State Facilities Management Amendments” (2022 General Session), the State Building Board was tasked with ensuring the State’s capital facility programs were efficiently managed. The Building Board met with state agencies and higher education institutions to evaluate project requests and recommend a “Five-Year Book” that accurately reflects present State building needs and those within a 5-year time horizon. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2024, DFCM assumed the duties previously assigned to the Building Board, to compile capital development requests from agencies and institutions of higher education that compete for state funding. DFCM publishes these requests, ranking each project based on the current statewide need and publishes it into the Five-Year Building Book. The cost to implement the Statewide Master Plan, also called the ‘Renovation Fund’, was included as the top priority in the FY 2024 and FY 2025 Five-Year Building Books.
Funding the Plan
During the 2023 General Session, the Legislature appropriated $125.0 million in high-risk revenue to the State Agency Capital Development Fund for the Statewide Master Plan (S.B. 3, Item 565). The appropriation, which was contingent on FY 2023 revenue collections and FY 2024 revenue projections, was later rescinded due to insufficient revenue collections. An additional $35.0 million was appropriated to the State Agency Capital Development Fund for the Richfield and Farmington Regional Centers (S.B. 3, Item 564).
During the 2024 General Session, the Legislature prioritized specific state agency and higher education project requests, and appropriated $100.0 million in high-risk revenue for the Statewide Master Plan. Like FY 2023, this appropriation is contingent on FY 2024 revenue collections and FY 2025 revenue projections.
DFCM and the Legislature continue to work together on how to best provide long term, sustainable funding for state buildings which will save money and improve services for Utah’s taxpayers.