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Months later, ACC's budget is approved - TheAlpenaNews.com | News ...

ALPENA - After months of dialogue between Alpena Community College's Strategic Planning and Budgeting Committee, the Board of Trustees, faculty, and President Olin Joynton, the board voted Thursday evening to approve the proposed budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year at its monthly meeting at the college.

A 4.3 percent decrease in state aid, decreased enrollment, lower property tax revenues, rising health care costs and an 18.4 percent increase to the state retirement system pressured the board to make tough decisions, including increasing tuition. In-district tuition will increase from $92 to $99 a credit hour and in-state from $138 to $154. ACC Board of Trustees Chairman John Briggs insisted that the increase was necessary and that ACC would still provide the best education in the area for the money.

"We are the best value for higher education in Northeast Michigan," he said. "We will not have the lowest tuition of any community college because we do not have the tax base, locally, to support that other leg up in the funding, but I think we're going to provide good value for people. My hope is that we have higher enrollment than we even project because we are still going to be a whole lot better, not only in quality but in price ... I think we all agreed that we'd like to keep tuition as reasonable as we can, but right now it's the only option we have in terms of the state pulling back their support for funding."

Other resolutions in the new budget include the purchase of 72 new PCs and 93 monitors to refurnish three of the college's dated computer labs, the purchase of 12 iMac computers for the graphic arts department, a 2.6 percent increase in administrative salaries to compensate for certain wage freezes in place since 2006, and the tentative renewal of the college president's contract. Briggs praised Dr. Joynton's resourcefulness and dedication as president of the college and said he seemed a good fit to help guide ACC through a rough patch in Michigan's economy.

"I think the president has brought some integrity and ethics, and he's done a good job for us," he said. "I think with the year ahead we're going to be pushing him to hold the institution together as we work through these difficult times."

Briggs expressed confidence in the approved budget's ability to see the school through another year, but worried about the next one.

"I'm not worried as much about this year's budget as I'm worried about what's going to happen ahead," he said. Dr. Joynton and the other board members shared his concern.

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