Tyler

By MEGAN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer

The Tyler Junior College Board of Trustees will consider today setting a tax rate and adopting the 2008-09 budget, which includes tuition and fee increases for the spring and summer of 2009 and a 2 percent cost-of-living raise for employees.

Trustees will meet at 11 a.m. in the board room of the White Administrative Services Center at TJC. A work session takes place at 10 a.m. in the board conference room.Ã?Â

TJC is proposing to keep the tax rate at its current level -- .127169 per $100 valuation. If it does, the rate will bring in to TJC more tax revenues -- a little more than $769,000 -- because of increases in property values.

The 2008-09 proposed budget is $57,498,474 -- � $3,854,425, or about 7.19 percent -- � more than the 2007-08 budget of� $53,644,049.

Expenditures that were major contributors to the increase in the budget include about $1.7 million for debt service for the new Ornelas Residential Complex, furniture and the satellite physical plant as well as about $1.09 million for an increase in the housing budget for the new dorm operation, according to information from Sarah Van Cleef, the director of business services at TJC.

Other major increases she noted include more than $560,000 for new positions, which are mostly faculty positions; more than $518,000 for part-time (adjunct) faculty salary increases; more than $440,000 for cost-of-living increases for employees; about� $274,000 for the minimum wage increase; and� more than $287,000 for an increase in utilities.

TJC officials said in late July they were not sure whether the budget they were working on would provide for raises for full-time employees, but this proposed budget does include a 2 percent raise.

"We just did not want to go and say after all your hard work and everything you've done and your loyalty and with the cost of living going up the way it is, we just did not want to say there would be no increase," TJC President Mike Metke said Wednesday of the inclusion of the raises in the budget.

He added that if enrollment is strong and funds are available, there could be an additional pay increase in January.

The proposed budget also increases adjunct (part-time faculty) pay by about $150 for a three-credit lecture course. Metke has said the pay rate for adjunct faculty has not changed in 25 years.

The increase in the budget also includes additional revenue such as that resulting from bringing online the new Ornelas Residential Complex, according to TJC information. The projected additional revenue from the complex is budgeted at more than $1.37 million.

The college will receive about $16.5 million in state revenue for 2008-09, making up about 29 percent of its budget. That's the same amount of state revenue it received this year.

Metke and Ms. Van Cleef agreed the proposed budget is conservative.Ã?Â

"We don't try to overestimate what our revenues are going to be," Ms. Van Cleef said Wednesday. "We did toe the line on all our budgets. People had to go back in and reevaluate ... I think there was a real concerted effort to be as conservative as we could and yet keep all our programs where they are to service the students in the community."

Metke said in late July that this was a difficult budget to put together, noting the cost of living going up 5 percent.

"Part of the mission of community college is to be affordable, close to home, to provide a pathway to a better life, higher education � so we don't want to raise tuition and fees, but we're going to be forced to look at increasing tuition and fees just to make it next year," he said at that time.

The proposed budget does include tuition and fee increases.

Under the proposal, tuition would increase $2 per semester credit hour in the spring for all students and then in the summer there would be an additional $3 per semester credit hour increase in tuition.

The general education fee is proposed to increase $1 per semester credit hour in the spring and another $4 per semester credit hour in the summer.

That means for an "in-district"� student taking 12 hours, by the end of the summer when all the increases are in place, he or she would feel a total increase of $120.

If the student is considered "out of district," under the proposal, the student would also pay an increased out-of-district fee. It would be a $3 per semester credit hour increase in the spring and another $2 per semester credit hour increase in the summer. So, for out-of-district students taking 12 hours, they would see a total increase of about $180 once all the increases are in place.

As part of the proposal, there are also "high cost courses" lab fee increases. According to TJC information, nursing, automotive and welding were the courses where it became evident a higher lab fee would be prudent. Those course lab fees are increasing from $25 to $75.

Metke said Wednesday, when asked about the tuition and fee increases, that as the state has pulled back, in order to maintain operations and provide the kind of quality needed, "We've had to charge more, and we've sometimes had to do more with less."

"TJC is still going to be the best bargain and the best value for anybody in this region," he added.

According to TJC, the taxable values for the college in 2007-08 were about $8.1 billion, while the taxable values for 2008-09 will be about $8.6 billion, an increase of about $500 million, or about a 6.2-percent increase. Those numbers do not include Van Zandt County taxable values.

Property tax revenues for TJC for 2007-08 were about $12.261 million, which includes delinquent taxes and penalties. That number is based on about a 96 percent collection rate. About $13.138 million is projected for 2008-09, an expected increase of $877,000, or 7.2 percent.

The average home value in the TJC district in 2007 was $122,525, according to the Smith County Appraisal District. The average home value for 2008 is $127,285. That's an increase of $4,760 or about 3.9 percent.

If the TJC board sets the tax rate the same, taxes on an average home in the TJC district would be about $162, as opposed to last year's taxes, which were about $156. That's a $6, or about 3.8 percent increase.

Also Thursday during its 11 a.m. meeting the board will: consider a resolution in memory of Jeri Loper; recognize an outgoing TJC board member; recognize the Indoor Drumline and TJC Forensics Team; consider minutes; consider renewal of investment policy; consider 2008-09 salaries; consider monthly financial reports; consider changes to the 2008-09 College Catalog; consider purchase of properties on Porter; consider an agreement between TJC and East Texas Symphony Orchestra to collaboratively perform the "Nutcracker" ballet; consider renewal of agreement between TJC and D.A.P. Delivery Service; and consider establishing additional college standing committees (Academic Standards Committee and Assessment Committee).