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Forsyth Tech requests $2.5 million reallocation and additional FY25 salary appropriation
Summary
Forsyth Technical Community College asked the county to reallocate $2.5 million from two completed bond projects to the Oak Grove Center renovation and to increase FY25 contingency appropriations for salary increases, raising county support to match updated college figures.
Forsyth Technical Community College representatives asked the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners to reallocate $2.5 million among 2016 bond referendum projects and to increase the county's FY25 appropriation to cover updated salary and benefits costs.
Budget Director Kyle Wolf said Forsyth Tech requested savings of $1,492,729.79 from the Aviation Center project and $1,007,270.21 from the Learning Commons project be reallocated to the Oak Grove Center main campus renovation, increasing that project's budget from $21,000,000 to $23,500,000. Kizzy Lee and Scott Booth of Forsyth Tech attended the briefing; Booth told commissioners the Aviation Center is complete and the Oak Grove project is in its final stages. "We're getting ready to close it out, but we needed to move some funds over from the learning commons and, hopefully when the project is finished out we'll be able to move some funds back in there as well," Booth said.
Wolf also briefed an FY25 budget amendment requested by the college to increase the county appropriation for salary increases. He said the county had set aside $82,166 of contingency in the adopted FY25 budget for Forsyth Tech based on an earlier personnel request, but the college later submitted higher numbers. Wolf said the college's updated request increases the county allocation to a total of $387,457 and that sufficient contingency funds remain, leaving a balance of a little over $400,000.
Commissioners asked whether the projects being reduced had been completed or had sufficient projected savings; Booth said the Aviation Center is complete and the Learning Commons project will be closed out and funds may be moved back when final costs are known. No formal vote was taken during the briefing; staff said the items would be presented for action at the board's April 10 meeting.
Background and context: The reallocation request stems from savings and project-stage adjustments among bond-funded capital projects authorized by a 2016 Forsyth Tech capital projects ordinance. The FY25 salary request reflects the county's practice of holding contingency funds for the college pending state budget outcomes and updated college staffing cost submissions.
