Chair and Board Attorney say that all Community College President need do is meet minimum requirements set by  state statute when making fiscal report; this minimum standard, they say,  is adopted Board policy; Chevalier says more could be provided

Written comments at the January 12 Board meeting by Third District Representative Paul Chevalier, in his response to what is called an “Executive Limitation” report, drew a somewhat fiery response from Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland whose views were  generally supported by the Governing Board Attorney.  Chevalier wrote in part in response to the report that “The College, while not required by the Board to do so, could provide a detailed transparent budget as [do] all the major public entities in our county.” He said because the Community College does not do this, “I am in the dark, so is the public,” about how the College allocates resources.

Chair Deb McCasland argued that Chevalier’s comments were not appropriate because  “we have addressed as a Board the budget format,” which was passed by a majority of the Board, and “we move forward with one voice.”  She also said she was reminding Chavlier “of [his] responsibility as a Board member.”

Chevalier said that the Governing Board policy regarding a financial data report “didn’t prohibit the College president from doing more” than required by the state statute.  He said his comments were an attempt to encourage the president “to do more” when sending the Governing Board a budget.

The Governing Board attorney, Ms. Lynn Adams, said Mr. Chevalier could make a suggestion but not a direction.  Chevalier said he was not making a direction.  Ms. Adams also said that she interpreted Mr. Chevalier’s remarks as meaning the College president did not meet the minimum requirements as set down by the Governing Board for this report. Finally, it appeared that from her perspective,  Mr. Chevalier had a criteria different from that of the Board policy for assessing this report and technically, if she was correct, he should not be using it. 

From the Blog’s perspective, the conversation seemed more about wordsmithing than anything else.  For example, had Mr. Chevalier said in his comments that the President met the state statutory requirements as set out by Governing Board policy, but he would have preferred more information, it would be difficult to challenge because he still has a right to state his own view on the issue. At the same time he is recognizing that the Community College president met the existing Governing Board policy.

In the end, the report was unanimously approved by the Governing Board.  You may view the eight minute back and forth on the issue of providing greater transparency on the College budget in the video clip below.

By a vote of  4-1, Governing Board says all the College need  do  is to meet minimal requirements set out by state statutes in public budgetary reporting

Paul Chevalier

Third District Yavapai Community College Representative  Paul Chevalier’s efforts to require a much more detailed, transparent College budget that is open to the public showing how taxes and other revenue supporting  the $80 million operation are used was rejected in a 4-1 vote at the October meeting.   Chevalier has urged the College on several occasions to provide much greater detailed information about its operation to the public.  However, it was the will of the Governing Board that the only public budget document the public need see is that set out by Arizona statutes. 

Chevalier pointed out that the Arizona   statutes set out the bare minimum requirements in terms of public information that must be provided.  They  do not prevent a College, if it chooses to do so, to include additional information for the public. The majority on the Governing Board appeared satisfied with keeping budgetary details away from a more robust   public requirement.

Chevalier has consistently  used as illustrations of better public budgetary documents those that are    prepared by the cities in Yavapai County  and the budget published by the Yavapai County Supervisors. He has also cited Coconino Community College’s financial  reports on its web site as another illustration of a community college providing greater public  transparency and budgetary details.    The Community College budget in contrast to those budgets is sparse in terms of  detailed information.

Yavapai Community College is not alone in Arizona in formally hiding detailed budgetary information from the public.  In fact, it appears that most of the Community Colleges in Arizona, with the exception of Coconino,  provide even less information about how they spend public funds than does Yavapai. Chavlier argued that this should not be a justification for Yavapai following the same path.

You may view a video clip of the approximate 15-minute discussion by the Governing Board on this issue below.  You may view the entire Board meeting  by clicking here.

No property tax increase, 3% faculty/staff compensation increase, no layoffs or furloughs (earlier approved 5% tuition increase)

The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board met on-line for its monthly general meeting and a public budget meeting Tuesday, May 12.  It unanimously approved the fiscal year 2021 budget, which  was proposed by the Community College administration.  The budget totals $82.7 million.

The adopted budget  is 4% less than the current fiscal year 2019-2020 budget. The smaller budget is due to a reduction in capital expenses and early payment on a portion of secondary taxes that were generated by a 2000 bond issue.

College proposes no increase in property tax, 3% faculty/staff compensation increase, no layoffs or furloughs (earlier approved 5% tuition increase), Board has final word

The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board will meet on-line for its monthly general meeting and a public budget meeting this Tuesday, May 12 beginning at 1 p.m.  The first order of business will involve presentation of the College’s proposed 2020-2021 Budget. (See earlier Blog post with  links to meeting and how to register if you want to participate.)

Other than additional Property Tax revenues from new construction, the College is not requesting an increase in the property tax levy for the coming fiscal year. The Budget is posted on the Yavapai College website (www.yc.edu/budget ), which you can reach by clicking here. 

Earlier in the year the Governing Board approved a 5% increase in student tuition.  The proposed budget anticipates a 3% increase in faculty/staff compensation.  It also anticipates no faculty/staff layoffs or furloughs.  The Board will vote on the final budget at this meeting.

Includes 5% tuition hike but no primary property tax increase; secondary tax levy drops by 14.2 percent

The Yavapai Community College Governing Board unanimously approved the budget for the 2020 academic year at its meeting May 14.  This was the last meeting for three months of  the Board.

The budget included a 5% tuition increase but no primary tax increase.  Because the Community College applied $4 million dollars it received from selling its facilities in the Prescott Valley Town Hall, it was able to reduce the secondary primary property tax levy by 14.2 percent.  (Recall that the secondary property tax is used to pay off the 2000 $69.5 million bond issue approved by voters that year.)

There was no serious public opposition to the budget. Only three persons spoke at the call to the public about it.

Funding in the approved budget included revenue for Building “L” on the Verde Campus to  expand the nursing and allied health programs, while adding new programs in emergency medical services, paramedicine, and home health care. Building “L” is expected to be finished by the fall 2020 semester.

Figures issued by College suggest decline of $624,000 in tuition revenue in 2018 when compared to four years earlier despite tuition increases every year

The tuition data released by the Community College at the March 2019 Governing Board meeting should be worrying to the Governing Board and Administration.  According to the data, the College took in about $624,000 less in tuition than it did four years ago.  This is despite tuition increase in every year over the past decade.

According to the data, four years ago students on the west side of the County took 35,504 credit hours in the fall.  However, in the 2017-18 academic year they took only 32,737, a decline of 2,767 credits.  Students in the east region took in the same period took 8,900 credit hours four years earlier and 9,603 credit hours in the 2017-18 academic year; an increase of 703 credit hours.  The net loss to the College in the fall was 2,064 credit hours.

In the spring semester four years ago, students on the west side of the County took 36,568 credit hours.  However, in the 2017-18 spring semester they took only 32,345 credit hours.  This was a decline of 4,225 credit hours.  Students in the east region took 8,897 credit hours four years and 8,938 in the spring 2018.  This is an increase of 41 credit hours.  The net loss to the College in this period (4225 – 41 =.4,184.)

The overall loss of credit hours in 2018 when compared to four years earlier appears to be 6,248 credit hours.  If these figures are correct, the Community College tuition revenue in the past academic year was down by $624,800 dollars when compared to four years earlier (using $100 tuition x 6248 credit hours) (tuition runs from $87, $100, $110, market).

A few years ago, the College announced it has lost about a million dollars in revenue from problems with enrolling students in its aviation program.  The College has not recently reported the status of that program or compared it with years earlier. That information should be included in the next tuition report.  It may have skewed this data, to some extent.

With 769,000 gross square feet and 51 buildings, College fixed maintenance costs over next ten years may reach $32 million dollars

Community College Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services, Dr. Clint Ewell, outlined in detail to the Governing Board at the March meeting the anticipated maintenance costs the Community College was facing in the District over the next three to ten years.  According to information supplied Dr. Ewell by consultants, the College will need at least $19 million dollars over the next three years to maintain and repair existing facilities.

The District currently has 769,000 of gross square feet in 51 buildings.  Most of the $19 million will go into maintaining the Prescott Campus because it has the largest number of  buildings.  The greatest needs are in the electrical and HVAC areas.

Dr. Ewell also reported that the consultants anticipated the College will need at least $32 million over the next ten years to ensure proper maintenance of the buildings on its campuses and centers in the District.

You may view Dr. Ewell’s five minute report to the Board on this subject below.