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Board appoints college trustee; finance officer outlines $20 million budget and staffing costs
Summary
Greene County approved a trustee appointment for the sponsoring college and heard a budget overview from the college finance representative: the $20 million budget is heavily personnel-driven, with roughly 50% in salaries and another 25% in fringe, reserves near $1.9 million, and uncertainty tied to the state budget.
The Greene County committee approved the appointment of a new trustee to the college board and then heard a budget briefing from the college finance representative, Dr. Morgan. The board took the appointment motion, received a second and carried the appointment by voice vote.
Dr. Morgan told the committee the college’s operating budget is about $20 million and that about 50% of expenditures are salaries and wages, with fringe benefits adding roughly 25%, meaning "about three quarters of the budget is devoted to people and their benefits," she said. On the revenue side, she said roughly a third of operating revenue comes from the sponsoring counties (Green and Columbia), the college receives nearly $3 million from New York State and about $5 million from student fees, with smaller revenue streams filling out the rest.
The current adopted budget assumed a $1 million deficit, Dr. Morgan said, and that deficit is being covered by accumulated reserves from prior years; she estimated the reserve balance at about $1.9 million. She described the college’s budget calendar: departments have submitted requests, preliminary budget work is underway, committee and constituent meetings will continue through June and July, and the college aims for a final budget to the board and state later in August, though the state budget outcome remains uncertain.
Board members pressed for details about prior capital work. In response to a question about remaining rehabilitation funds from past capital phases, Dr. Morgan said roughly $1.8 million remains in phase 4 and the college expects to complete that work this year and incorporate future phases into the 2027–28 planning process.
The finance representative also flagged pressures the college is watching: enrollment (projected similar to the current year), rising health insurance costs driven by recent catastrophic claims experience, and utilities. Dr. Morgan quantified operating tradeoffs: "each one percentage point of increase in the tuition rate is approximately $55,000" and "each one percentage point of increase for salaries and wages would be about $95,000," giving the board a sense of the dollar impact of rate or pay changes.
The committee requested a more detailed budget document, and Dr. Morgan said the college will return with additional detail as the preliminary budget is refined.
Next steps: staff and the board’s finance committee will continue budget review meetings; the college expects to bring a refined budget for final action toward the end of August.
