TCL and USCB present budget and workforce plans; USCB asks to raise millage to fund new programs and faculty

Representatives from the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) and the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) presented budget requests and workforce-development updates during the April 20 workshop.

TCL said it is requesting continuation of its historical millage allocation (no increase) and highlighted workforce training outcomes: roughly 80% of workforce programs are free to South Carolina residents, large demand for HVAC, plumbing and electrical programs, waiting lists for trade programs, and about 900 high-school students enrolled in dual-enrollment programs across the service region.

USCB representatives described enrollment growth (freshman growth ~31–32%), new grants (including an HRSA award of about $3.8 million over four years supporting nursing pipeline work), and campus plans that include environmental engineering and additional student housing. USCB’s presenters said the university requests a millage increase from 1.1 to 1.4 to support faculty hires and program startup costs; a figure cited in the discussion was $3,000,015.05 in requested support tied to the millage change.

Council members pressed USCB on alternatives, parity with other institutions that share the millage, and whether incremental tuition or state funding could cover program costs. Councilman Glover urged the university to stay within anticipated mill growth and to avoid asking the county to prioritize one institution over another; USCB said it would continue to pursue state funding and other sources if the county did not increase millage.

Next steps: the colleges’ requests will be incorporated into county budget deliberations and compared with other outside-agency asks as staff prepares the administrators’ recommended budget.