Topeka ? Lawmakers on Monday were given a hefty bill, and like restaurant customers hit with a larger-than-expected tab, they eyed it carefully and said little. The subject was repair and renovation projects at state universities that will cost $584 million.

“This is the kind of problem that only gets worse if you don’t address it,” Kansas Board of Regents President and Chief Executive Officer Reggie Robinson told the House Higher Education Committee.

The regents have proposed a one-tenth-cent statewide sales tax, a one-mill increase in the property tax and the issuance of $150 million in bonds to take care of the backlog and to fund repairs for the next 15 years.

But legislators and higher education officials admit that prospects are slim that the Legislature would approve a tax increase during an election year.

Referring to the regents proposal, Rep. Jo Ann Pottorff, R-Wichita, said, “People don’t like the way it is funded, but at least there is a plan out there.

“I hope we can get to this shortly,” she said.

The committee, however, took no action on the issue.

Higher education officials and state auditors have identified $584 million worth of projects to clear a long list of repair and maintenance problems at state universities.

The backlog grew over time because of inadequate annual funding for maintenance, and because of the aging of college campuses, higher education officials say.

Eighty percent of state university buildings are 20 years old or older.