|
WISCONSIN RAPIDS – During the Mid-State Technical College (MSTC) Board of Directors meeting held Monday evening at the Wisconsin Rapids campus, the board reviewed the proposed 2006-07 budget. Dr. John Clark, MSTC President, and Nelson Dahl, Vice President of Finance, presented an overview with highlights in the general operational budget. According to Dahl, tax rates are expected to be slightly less than the current fiscal year. He said the focus of the 2006-07 budget proposal is to maintain programs and services to meet student, employer and community expectations. Dahl said the $38.7 million proposed budget contains the financial, human and capital resources necessary to maintain the college’s strategic directions and accomplish its annual goals.
With property tax as MSTC's major source of funding, Dahl said the college is estimating an overall tax rate of $1.53, assuming a 6% increase in equalized valuation. "The proposed budget's real dollar impact on area taxpayers is expected to be relatively minor as the annual tax on a $100,000 home will be $152.81 for MSTC services, a reduction in the previous year’s tax bill of $1.46. This is the fifth consecutive year that MSTC has created a tax rate decline.” He added that MSTC will maintain a considerably lower impact than other taxing jurisdictions because the college serves a broader tax-base consisting of 97 municipalities.
Dr. Clark said the proposed budget was prepared with the assumption of generating 2,110 full-time equivalent students (FTEs). “This estimate represents an increase of 25 FTEs over the adjusted current year estimate of 2,085.” He said factors projected to positively influence enrollment include alternative delivery course expansions to further meet the demands of today’s student, the development of a marketing and recruitment strategy to address the growing market segment of 25-55 year olds, planned program and facility changes and enhanced student recruitment and retention efforts.
The Board authorized administration to publish a public notice to announce a public hearing on the
2006-07 budget. The public hearing will be held Monday, June 19 at the Wisconsin Rapids campus, 500 32nd Street North, Wisconsin Rapids, and will begin at 5:00 p.m.
In other action, the board also approved a 3.25% merit pool increase for union-exempt employees.
In other news, the board, heard a brief presentation from a group of MSTC students and Business Administration Instructor, Diane Wolf, who recently returned from Hessen, Germany as part of the college’s Student & Faculty Exchange program. On March 7, Wolf accompanied five students in transportation-related programs to Germany and spent eleven days attending classes at the Max-Eyth Schule Technical College in Offenbach; touring Frankfurt and Heidelberg; visiting the Opel Car plant along with the BMW, Mercedes and other German production sites; meeting with local county officials and learning German culture through the kind generosity of their host families.
The MSTC students who participated in the Student Exchange include Jessica Sajdik, Diesel & Heavy Equipment program; Wayne Schlapper, Industrial Mechanical program; Luke Sparhawk, Machine Tool and Industrial Mechanical programs; Jeremy Mann, Automotive Technician program and Ryan Fencil, Welding and Automotive Technician programs. The Student & Faculty Exchange is a shared learning program established by the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) and the Max-Eyth Schule Technical College. This is the fourth year MSTC has participated in the program. This fall, MSTC will host a group from the Max-Eyth Schule Technical College.
The next Mid-State Technical College Board of Directors meeting will be held on Monday, June 19, at the Wisconsin Rapids campus. Committee meetings are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m., a public hearing on the proposed 2006-07 budget at 5:00 p.m., with the regular board meeting immediately following the public hearing.
|
|
