A $12 per credit hour increase in tuition for next year and a 2 percent salary increases for employees were approved Tuesday by members of the Harford Community College Board of Trustees, who agreed on a proposed operating and capital budget request to send to the county and state.
The college's proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2016, which begins July 1, is $47,258,490, a 1.77 percent decrease from the budget of $48,112,202 approved for this fiscal year. The trustees voted, 7-1, at their meeting Tuesday to submit the proposed operating budget to the county and state. Trustee John Haggerty cast the lone vote against.
Haggerty said later that even though what was approved is a proposed funding request to the county, he voted against the budget in principle because he opposes the $12 per credit hour tuition increase.
The trustees voted unanimously to approve a $12,943,344 capital budget request.
The proposed operating budget includes 2 percent increases in funding for FY2016 from the county ($15,260,844 up from $14,961,612)) and the state ($11,2586,458 up from $11,035,743).
The operating budget request includes a 2 percent salary increase for all full- and part-time employees, which would cost $558,297.
The $12 per credit hour tuition increase will raise the cost to $116 per credit hour from $104. Tuition has increased four times, by a combined $27, since 2010. If the anticipated new increase takes place, in-county students will pay $39, or 51 percent, more per credit hour than five years earlier.
Out-of-county and out-of-state tuition will increase to $203 and $290.
The increase in tuition as well as fees charged will bring in an additional $1,077,807, or 5.68 percent, in revenue.
HCC President Dennis Golladay said he has discussed the budget with new Harford County Executive Barry Glassman.
"I got the idea we might not expect much in capital, but they will look upon our request made in operating, but he made no promises or firm figures," Golladay said. "We have given him our firm figures, but we got no firm figures in response."
This is also the first time since fiscal year 2008 that HCC has a balanced operating budget without taking money from its fund balance, which Rick Johnson, vice president of finance and operations, set as one of his goals when he joined the HCC staff a few years ago. He had hoped to do it by fiscal year 2017, he said Tuesday, but was able to do it a year earlier.
The fund balance is $9,737,506, according to documents provided.
The capital budget request includes more than $10.5 million in building additions and renovations, $1.2 million in campus infrastructure improvements, $790,000 in technology investment and $350,000 in recreation and wellness facilities.
"We need to make sure our physical assets are sustained. That's the frugal thing to do at this point," trustee vice chairman Richard Norling said.
Among the long-term plans HCC is considering is a regional workforce development center that is estimated to cost more than $29.4 million. Next year's capital budget includes $2.5 million in planning with construction costs of nearly $25 million in the FY2017 budget and $2 million for equipment and furnishings in the FY2018 budget.
More than 44,000 square feet in classroom and laboratory space will be needed by FY 2019 to complete the college's STEM needs, according to budget documents. The building, planned to be funded for construction in FY2021 and equipment in FY2022, is proposed to be south of Fallston Hall across the grand lawn and next to the new Nursing & Allied Health building.
Other long-term plans include:
• Student center renovation and expansion: updating all life safety systems, replacement of building's chiller and boilers, refurbishing the elevator, updating technology, interior wall and door reconfiguration and small addition to the southeast side of the building. Engineering and design funding of $210,700 in FY2020 and $3 million in construction in FY2021.
• Chesapeake Theater renovation: two story addition on the south side of the building; a scene shop on the lower level with storage and technical space; replacing seating, stage, carpeting, lighting systems, sound systems, increasing the size of electrical systems, replacing rigging systems and improving the catwalk and HVAC systems. Engineering and design funding of $217,000 in FY2019, construction of $3.1 million in FY2020 and $310,000 in equipment in furnishing in FY2021.
• Library renovation: $227,500 in FY2019 for engineering and design; $3.25 million for construction in FY2020; and $325,000 for equipment and furnishings in FY2021.
• Fallston Hall renovation: $585,000 in engineering and design in FY2017; $5.85 million for construction in FY2018; and $700,000 for equipment and furnishings in FY2019.