Board approves revenue-study scope, authorizes funding steps and delegates interim authority

The Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians on Nov. 18 approved a scope of work for a revenue and fee study and authorized staff to pursue related budget actions.

Mark Guido, the board’s acting AEO, told members the board is projecting $24.9 million in annual revenue — largely from license renewals and application fees — against roughly $19.8 million in projected expenditures, leaving a projected fund balance of about $28.8 million, or approximately 16.9 months in reserve. Guido said the projections are early and that the governor’s Jan. 10 budget release may change retirement-cost assumptions and other appropriations.

The board voted unanimously to approve a drafted request for proposals that would commission an outside vendor to study fees and revenue structure. Executive Officer Yamaguchi said the goal is to have findings and recommendations the board can use ahead of its 2028 sunset review.

Because the study may require additional funding, the board also approved a separate motion authorizing the executive officer and the assistant executive officer to work with the Department on potential budget change proposals to pay for the work. That motion passed on an 8-0 recorded vote.

Finally, the board delegated interim authority to the executive committee to review and determine next steps on the procurement timeline and make time-sensitive decisions that will later be ratified by the full board. Yamaguchi said delegating interim authority is intended to keep the procurement on a practical schedule while preserving full-board oversight.

What’s next: staff will finalize the RFP and, once a vendor is selected, will return to the board with a timeline for the study’s deliverables and any recommended fee changes.

Quote: "Right now it looks like we are going to bring in $24,900,000," Mark Guido said in the presentation on the board’s revenue and expenditure projections.