[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6376077,"mediaKeyId","2140572-f8860392d5a995e0994a71e181c7275a","parentId",2140572,"title","Aeronautics budget hearing highlights $120 million proposal for three generational airport projects; Peace Garden carryover approved","audioSeconds",1779,"startMs",3870000,"endMs",5649000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2140572-f8860392d5a995e0994a71e181c7275a&start=3870&end=5649","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2140572-f8860392d5a995e0994a71e181c7275a/thumbnail_3870000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6376077/North-Dakota/Aeronautics-budget-hearing-highlights-120-million-proposal-for-three-generational-airport-projects-Peace-Garden-carryover-approved","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6376077-e51c5333394659813c664c8f66f87353/orig.mp4?Expires=1771165920&Signature=clkH~Jaujfyq7Blbdn27puBO32ZBsFVJDekPp1XqdzTbK5Olj9bXUVCHhoB0qfBDZAQ2yLAoVKFi4MqePo66gy-h3gCxMt8B6qUWFauO1nUwFYjTc4ZTI81t7zja6vPah6c51uj8t7BHLtiA79slsWB8VrzWFORslnVzvuW~HsQw2M~etFbU~zO6rj3Ih-zbgIR5ATTu6Zf2VV66LjBmO5d4rgp3bqSjh0GlN42Bwu26vgQ0LDGGEpFczNi2qg4DrZgEr7zR1f~9IdSRPnzRigpox2EEw49mJgI0Ndged3KdAV9PFaHVj4VAH3I4ajUXMbdCNBiYvwD45n-u~x1tWg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Appropriations - Education and Environment Division, ND","date","2025-01-22T00:00:00Z","article","Grant Gater of the Legislative Council and Kyle Wanner, director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, briefed the Senate Appropriations — Education and Environment Division on aeronautics budget proposals that include ongoing grant authority, an Airport Infrastructure Fund line and a proposed $120 million one‑time package for three large airport projects.

Gater said the purple sheet summarizes the Armstrong executive recommendation and the green sheet reflects the Burgum recommendation; the main practical differences were a change to the salary increase and whether one‑time Airport Infrastructure Fund dollars are bonded or drawn from the Strategic Investment and Improvement Fund. He noted carryover authority is commonly included when revenue timing and project schedules do not align with the biennium.

Wanner described agency operations and the grants line item, noting seven full‑time equivalents and roughly $3.3 million in operating expenses. He told the committee that the grants line includes $475,000 from the general fund, the Aeronautics Commission special fund and an anticipated $20 million from the Airport Infrastructure Fund; the proposed $120 million package would be one‑time funding for three generational projects. “We have shovel ready projects,” Wanner said, and urged that carryover authority be included so awarded grants can be reimbursed when federal and local matches arrive.

Wanner and members described the three projects in the $120 million proposal and typical federal matches:

- Fargo: estimated terminal expansion cost about $156 million; federal funding was estimated at roughly $60 million to $80 million; Fargo is also planning a $40 million to $45 million parking garage and has sought debt through the Bank of North Dakota.

- Grand Forks: primary runway rehabilitation estimated about $75 million total, with an estimated federal share in the $30 million to $37 million range. Officials said the airport has done planning and land purchases and that the runway project has been on the horizon for years.

- Dickinson: a new terminal on a green site was estimated at roughly $48 million, with a potential federal share of $10 million to $15 million; testimony noted Dickinson currently cannot accommodate larger regional aircraft and needs a modern terminal to preserve airline service.

Wanner told the committee that some federal funding opportunities from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Airport Terminal Program are time‑limited and run through 2026, creating urgency for projects that are already planned and environmentally cleared. He also described the agency’s preference that the Legislature provide carryover authority for projects such as the International Peace Garden Airport, where federal grants arrived after the ongoing biennium and construction is scheduled for the upcoming summer.

Committee members asked whether the $120 million must be provided in full and whether projects can be prioritized or phased; Wanner replied that each project is justified and that additional state funding improves competitiveness for discretionary federal grants. The committee approved, by consensus, including carryover authority for the International Peace Garden Airport funds in the current budget language. No final appropriation was adopted for the $120 million package; members said the request will be considered within the larger budget picture.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Appropriations - Education and Environment Division Jan 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Appropriations — Education and Environment Division reviewed aeronautics budget language including a $120 million one‑time package for generational airport projects (Fargo, Grand Forks, Dickinson) and carryover authority for Peace Garden Airport grants; staff outlined grant timing, federal programs and funding matches.","taxTitle","Appropriations - Education and Environment Division, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28899,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6376081,"Senate committee hears bill to let campuses bank capital funds, ease matches for smaller institutions",1503,118000,1621000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2140572-f8860392d5a995e0994a71e181c7275a&start=118&end=1621","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2140572-f8860392d5a995e0994a71e181c7275a/thumbnail_118000.jpg","/articles/6376081/North-Dakota/Senate-committee-hears-bill-to-let-campuses-bank-capital-funds-ease-matches-for-smaller-institutions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6376081-3a981f5c37c66d513330eade55cf644c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771165920&Signature=okZapavHGkPu9~5DmvBp~uTeK-52zCzJFJmccwd~~oB4jDM02DufsrOmdOSvs1ASW5uJ~21lkP1d5fLSs7P0LlJX6iqsiNVV~vzUUvZUUgCsCMwQTnPI7o6PF89SouAfHkzW~46AMf2G48NHsJKLa3r6sTyVpkqVm2Z6HjqQczjEOqgWH-v-oxYDNS8lpq5PcAsfK0r1LGcb2Z27CJV-LneDmANQZ5O40aNGOviLHCxUrrCDLI~IhBZ3iu5vve6S5qzumI9v8l0Jh-qJvCn7~ONuKqPnsIvOKmQRuNpM-YC6cZGO~jVbhhy7uaPb7IZk7FGRQLqb1CqsSS6NhPokhQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Jonathan Sickler, District 17 of Grand Forks, told the Senate Appropriations — Education and Environment Division that Senate Bill 2212 would allow public higher-education campuses to bank capital building funds across biennia and alter matching requirements to reflect institutional capacity.

Sickler said the bill would change the current “use it or lose it” approach under tiers 2 and 3 so campuses could save and plan for larger capital and remodeling projects over multiple biennia. “The idea is to help make this a more, say, more organized process, perhaps, or maybe a more thoughtful process in terms of giving campuses the ability to look ahead more than just a couple years,” Senator Sickler said during the hearing.

Why it matters: supporters said the change would help campuses plan and address long‑term deferred maintenance rather than repeatedly asking the Legislature for discrete projects. Witnesses from the university system and several campuses told the committee that some institutions cannot readily provide local matching funds at the same levels as UND and NDSU, and they asked for flexibility in match rules and expanded uses of tier 3 funds.

North Dakota University System staff member Jamie Wilkie asked the committee to adopt an amendment to let tier 3 capital building funds be used for the same deferred‑maintenance purposes as tier 2 where appropriate. “The State Board of Higher Education has not taken an official position on this bill, but does support the capital building fund and increases to it, as well as reduced matching requirements,” Wilkie testified, and later asked the committee for a “do pass” with the amendment.

Campus leaders described persistent maintenance backlogs. Rod Flanagan, president of North Dakota State College of Science, said NDSCS has nearly 1,500,000 square feet of building space and that maintenance obligations run about $4,000,000 each year just to hold the campus at its current condition. Mike Ellingsen, director of facilities at North Dakota State University, told the committee that a 2014 third‑party review put NDSU’s deferred maintenance at about $243 million; the university’s current estimate is about $323 million. Ellingsen said the university’s general‑fund deferred‑maintenance allocation rose from roughly $2.7 million in 2010 to about $9.3 million today and that a proposed additional $10 million would help “turn the corner” on the backlog.

The bill would also increase the total tier funding available in the proposed structure. Legislative counsel explained the current biennium total for tiers 2 and 3 is about $24 million, up from an original $19 million, and that the bill proposes raising available funding to roughly $65 million. Counsel reviewed how tiers were created and allocated: tier 1 historically covered extraordinary repairs and deferred maintenance, was initially determined by the Office of Management and Budget based on square footage and property value and later folded into the funding formula; tiers 2 and 3 were added by the House Appropriations Committee in 2019, with tier 2 allocations tied to student credit hours and tier 3 allocations based on institutional type/size.

Committee members and witnesses noted tradeoffs and open questions: how quickly a new savings mechanism could reduce pressure for ad hoc capital requests; what an appropriate starting dollar amount would be; and how to phase in the approach without undermining ongoing capital appropriations. The committee chair said the bill will remain part of broader higher‑education budget discussions and is unlikely to move to final action immediately.

No formal action or vote was taken in the hearing; the committee closed testimony and indicated the bill would be discussed further as part of the higher‑education budget process.","Senate Bill 2212 would let public campuses save tiered capital funds across biennia and reduce matching requirements for smaller institutions; testimony emphasized deferred-maintenance needs, differing campus capacities to raise local match and a proposed increase in tier funding.","actionData","errors"]

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Aeronautics budget hearing highlights $120 million proposal for three generational airport projects; Peace Garden carryover approved

Senate committee hears bill to let campuses bank capital funds, ease matches for smaller institutions