College adopts budget

The Daily Inter Lake

Flathead Valley Community College trustees Monday adopted a budget for 2007 without changes to the document advanced in June.

General-fund expenses add up to $10.2 million for the Kalispell campus and $710,986 for the Lincoln County campus. The budget includes Continuing Education allocations of about $1.1 million for Kalispell and $50,356 for Lincoln County.

For 2007, general-fund expenses increased about 8 percent because of increases in utilities and health care, as well as the addition of salaries previously covered by grant funding.

Taxpayers will see an increase in the debt service mill levy from 5.07 to 8.40 because of buildings under construction. Levies for general, audit, retirement and continuing education decreased slightly for 2007, from 12.21 to 12.09.

A 7 percent increase in the value of one mill in Flathead County allowed the budget to rise without pushing up the levy. For example, the general mill levy of 8.20 raises $1,462,624 in 2007 compared with $1,366,939 in 2006.

In other action, the board approved the second reading of a resolution that allows the college to treat all students equally who attend accredited high schools in Flathead and Lincoln counties. As a result, students who live in Lake County but attend Bigfork High School will pay in-district rates for running start classes, for which students earn college and high-school credit.

Jane Karas said during the president's report that the structural steel was on-site for the Occupational Trades and the Arts and Technology buildings.

"Next week, the structure will start to go up," she said.

Karas said both buildings were on track to be finished by their scheduled completion dates.

The Early Childhood Education and Care Building is in the design phase, with bidding scheduled for fall.

Lincoln County Campus Director Pat Pezzelle also submitted a written report announcing that he met with representatives from mine management and the local Job Service regarding training needs as mine development proceeds in Lincoln County. He also noted that he has met with high school officials in Eureka to bring the building trades program to the community.