The state of Kansas doesn’t have a very good record as a landlord. In fact, it may have earned the slang title Lawrence residents have for landlords who don’t take care of their property: slumlords.

Earlier this month, state legislators approved a five-year plan that they hope will provide about $380 million for repairs and maintenance work at state universities and community colleges. The package actually provides only $90 million in state revenue over the next five years and $100 million in bonds to fund no-interest loans to Washburn University, community colleges and vocational technical schools. Legislators hope to raise the rest of the $380 million by giving tax credits to private donors who fund maintenance projects and through other sources, perhaps new casino gambling operations.

Unfortunately, leaving the maintenance of state buildings to chance seems to be an ongoing strategy for state officials.

After many years of neglect, the state Capitol building now is in the midst of a huge renovation project that has far exceeded initial estimates. The cost now stands at $173 million and rising.

Then there are the aging Docking and Landon state office buildings, which house many state government operations. The terra cotta and brick facade of the 97-year-old Landon building has many cracks. The state has been forced to place chain-link fencing along the sides of the building to protect pedestrians from falling debris. Heating and air conditioning systems in the building also are decades beyond their expected service lives, and other upgrades are pressing. The story is much the same at the 51-year-old Docking building.

A legislative committee studying the issue has been told that needed repairs will cost about $83.1 million for the Landon building and $77 million for the Docking building. Or the state could just demolish the two buildings and build a new one for $114 million. That seems like a bargain except that it covers just construction costs, not demolition or other expenses.

If you’re keeping score at home, you might write down those figures. Considering that the cost of renovating the Capitol has about doubled since initial figures were floated, don’t be surprised if similar increases occur for the office buildings.

It is costly to maintain the state’s infrastructure, but one can’t help but wonder whether the buildings on university campuses as well as in Topeka would be in the shape they’re in if maintenance had been an ongoing priority for the state. It seems likely that timely repairs would have prevented buildings from reaching their current state of disrepair and saved taxpayers money in the long run.

A member of the legislative committee looking at repairs to the state office buildings said last week, “Those two buildings are extremely valuable to the state.”

The treatment they are receiving from the state certainly doesn’t support that claim. Lawmakers need to learn a lesson from the current situation and take more seriously their role as stewards of state-owned property.