Southwest Mississippi Community College trustees approved an overall budget of just more than $26 million Tuesday for the 2022-2023 fiscal year that starts July 1.
Andrew Alford, the school’s vice president for finance, said that includes $19.6 million for the general fund; $3.1 million for auxiliary services, including housing, cafeteria and the bookstore; and $3,3 million for physical plant.
The general fund increased about $442,000, or 2.3% over the current year, though that is only about half of the $854,000 increase in state funding to the school. A little more than $10 million of the general fund, or operating budget, comes from the state.
Included in the state funding is $344,000 earmarked for employee raises. SMCC is providing $1,500 for all employees with those funds and some other local funding.
That gives increases ranging from 6% to employees making $25,000 to 2.5% for employees making $60,000.
The general fund budget also includes expected income from a tuition increase from $1,490 to $1,600, which was approved earlier in the spring.
The auxiliaries budget increased $13,000, or 0.4%, and includes an increase in the student meal plan from $1,000 to $1,250.
Because of the inflation in prices for many items, including food, the school will transfer $300,000 from the general fund to the auxiliaries budget. Housing and the bookstore will get some of those funds, but most of the transfer will go to food service, Alford said.
The physical plant budget was increased by more than $1.1 million, due to more planned projects in the coming year, Alford said. The includes improvements to the wastewater treatment plant estimated to cost $833,000, which will be funded by federal American Rescue Plan Act monies.
The plant budget also includes $315,000 in state capital improvement funding for roof and ceiling repairs and replacement on College Hall and boiler replacement and exterior repairs on the Horace Holmes Student Union.
The budget also includes close to $1 million in debt service for Alford-Conerly Hall, sewer renovation, baseball field lighting and a campuswide energy efficiency project.
“We draw up conservative budgets,” Alford told board members. “We try to overestimate expenses so we don’t come up short later.”
