06:39 PM CDT on Tuesday, June 17, 2008
By ELISE HU
KVUE News

Historical renovation experts have not yet estimated the cost of rebuilding the fire-gutted Texas Governor's Mansion, but whatever the number, Texas taxpayers will likely foot the bill.

State-owned buildings don't carry private insurance -- they are essentially self-insured.

"A determination is made that it ends up saving money to be self-insured. And you see that in a variety of industries not just state government," said State Senator Kirk Watson, D-Austin.

Because of the number of state-owned buildings, the cost to taxpayers to buy insurance on all of them is believed to be more than the risk.

That leaves the Texas Legislature with the job of appropriating money for maintenance and repair of state buildings, including historical landmarks like the Governor's Mansion.

"We'll restore this house. We'll renew this property, we'll rebuild this magnificent structure," Governor Rick Perry said last Wednesday.

Senator Watson believes the Legislature is likely to back the idea.

"I do think the Legislature will do what we need to do to make sure that this piece of Texas history is restored," he said.

Last session, lawmakers OK'd $10 million for the renovation of the Governor's Mansion, which was in progress when an arsonist set fire to it on June 8.

So far, only $1.8 million of that was spent, leaving millions that Texas is now putting to use in the immediate clean up and shoring up of the structure.

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