Finance committee approves Columbia‑Greene 2025–26 budget; tuition to remain flat

The Columbia County Finance Committee voted to approve the proposed 2025–26 operating budget for Columbia‑Greene Community College, a roughly $19,000,000 spending plan that keeps tuition flat and relies less on the college’s fund balance. The committee recorded one opposed vote before carrying the measure.

College finance staff presented the budget and a line‑by‑line review at the July committee meeting. “The tuition will remain flat for this year,” the presenter said, and added that the college has “not touched the fund balance for this year. And as of today, our balance in our checking accounts is 9,100,000.0.”

The presenter described the budget’s revenue mix as 33% county support, 28% tuition and fees, 14% state aid, 11% county chargebacks and the remaining 14% from fund balance, grants, contracts and other revenue sources. The college projects a 2.5% reduction in total expenditures, which the presenter said equates to approximately $500,000 in year‑over‑year savings. The full budget figure presented to the committee was about $19 million.

Why it matters: the budget funds payroll (about 70% of the total), targeted program investments and IT upgrades while attempting to restore reserve levels after prior declines. Committee members pressed staff on assumptions for tuition, fee changes, grants and how the college manages unpaid tuition and bad debt.

Key provisions and discussion points

- Tuition and fees: Staff said tuition will remain unchanged for in‑district…