{"id":421283,"date":"2026-08-30T21:34:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T21:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/421283\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T21:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T21:34:08","slug":"houston-city-college-faces-107-million-deferred-maintenance-backlog-new-reports-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/421283\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston City College faces $107 million deferred maintenance backlog, new reports shows"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston City College says it has invested over $100 million in deferred maintenance since 2020, but a new report shows the college system still has about $107 million in maintenance needs across its aging facilities.<\/a><\/p>\n

The issue comes as HCC reports record enrollment and academic achievements. The college recently surpassed 100,000 students across 19 campuses in the Houston area.<\/p>\n

HCC says its facilities are currently in good condition, but the system’s audit committee is examining how to keep up with repairs to elevators, roofs and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n

“Many of those campuses have been there for a while,” Sean Cheben, vice chairman of the HCC Board of Trustees, said.<\/p>\n

The college’s facilities report warns that if HCC falls behind on deferred maintenance, the overall condition of its facilities could decline from “good” to “average” by 2030.<\/p>\n

Cheben said HCC typically puts about $15 million a year toward deferred maintenance as part of its annual budget. He said the college also tries to put surplus revenue back into maintaining its buildings.<\/p>\n

Students say they generally are satisfied with HCC’s facilities, though some improvements are still needed.<\/p>\n

Melvis Maduagwu, an HCC student, said he uses the fitness center but believes the college could improve its Wi-Fi network.<\/p>\n

HCC has also received additional state funding through House Bill 8, a 2023 law that allocated $684 million to Texas’ 50 public community colleges based on performance and student outcomes.<\/p>\n

Cheben said community colleges across the state have exceeded expectations tied to that funding.<\/p>\n

“The good news is that community colleges really responded well to that incentive,” Cheben said, adding that performance has outpaced projections from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.<\/p>\n

Cheben said state funding makes up about 15% of HCC’s roughly $500 million annual budget.<\/p>\n

He said lawmakers could have an opportunity during the next legislative session, which begins in January, to adjust funding as HCC anticipates a $5 million to $8 million revenue loss in the next academic year.<\/p>\n

HCC reported 23 facility interruptions over the past year, two of which were considered major.<\/p>\n

Cheben said the college’s efforts to address deferred maintenance will not affect taxpayers.<\/p>\n

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