Chances are, if you’ve bought and lived in a house for 10 years or more, you’ve run into some maintenance and repair issues. A new water heater, maybe. A furnace, perhaps. A new roof.

So, too, have our resident political leaders in Raleigh. Only they haven’t eagerly embraced the idea of making repairs.

Gov. Pat McCrory already has underscored some of the infrastructure issues he’s seen since arriving in town as North Carolina’s new governor. He has noted inefficiencies that come with outdated computer systems. He inspected firsthand the damage caused by a fire a few weeks ago in a makeshift server room at the N.C. Administrative Building. The “room” was little more than a closet that didn’t provide adequate ventilation for a stack of computer equipment.

And McCrory has looked beyond his immediate surroundings to note that roads, sewer systems, bridges and other buildings need repairs or upkeep all over the state.

North Carolina isn’t exactly flush with cash right now, and legislators too often defer maintenance in the face of other budget challenges. But pushing back the upkeep of a building or highway doesn’t make the needs go away. Give McCrory credit for not only paying attention to some of the more pressing maintenance concerns, but for reminding us that we can’t continue to ignore them.

The consequences of doing so will only grow more serious – and more expensive.

McCrory has proposed a 25-year infrastructure plan that would address such needs incrementally but regularly. Persuading his fellow Republican leaders in the N.C. General Assembly to embrace the proposal might pose an early test in diplomacy.

We wish the new governor luck. North Carolina can ill afford to drag its feet on this important issue.