[Call to Order]
[00:00:03]
WANT TO TELL IDOLS. OKAY, SO IT'S STILL GOING TO CALL THE HEALTH. YEAH, YEAH. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM COMMITTEE TO ORDER. GOT TWO ITEMS OF BUSINESS TONIGHT, MARY.
[a. 2025-1707 – MVCC RE: APPROVAL OF THE 2025-2026 MOHAWK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE OPERATING BUDGET ]
THE FIRST ONE IS THE PROPOSAL FROM MOHAWK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND APPROVAL OF THEIR BUDGET. WE'VE GOT QUITE A CREW WITH US. RANDY, IF YOU WOULD COME ON UP TO THE MIC THERE A MINUTE. THIS BUDGET CALLS FOR LOCAL SHARE OF $9.18 MILLION, AN INCREASE OF 180,000, OR 2%, FROM PREVIOUS YEAR. BUDGET ALSO CALLS FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE ACHIEVING THE DREAM NETWORK, AND ALSO IN. THERE IS 150,000 FOR THE THINKUBATOR, SAME AS THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS. MVCC PROPOSED AN INCREASE OF 2% TUITION FOR THIS YEAR AND ALSO A SMALL UPTICK IN ENROLLMENT. THE COLLEGE INVITED US BACK IN MAY AT THE CAMPUS THERE TO DO A VERY EXTENSIVE PRESENTATION. BUT, RANDY, IF YOU WOULD, FOR THOSE THAT MAY NOT HAVE HEARD THAT OR REPEAT IT OF KIND OF A HIGHLIGHT OF SOME OF YOUR NUMBERS AND WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET, SO TO SPEAK. YEAH, SURE. SO THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO ATTEND THE SESSION IN MAY. THE IT'S A LOT EASIER TO PRESENT WHEN ENROLLMENT IS UP AND GRADUATION RATES ARE UP, AND ALL THOSE THINGS ARE POINTING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. SO ENROLLMENTS CREDIT ENROLLMENTS BEEN UP ONE, TWO, 3% EACH OF THE LAST THREE YEARS RUNNING THIS BUDGET. WE'RE ACTUALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN, MY GOSH, PROBABLY CLOSE TO A DECADE. WE'RE ACTUALLY PROJECTING THE BUDGET TO BE UP 1%. WE'RE VERY CONCERNED. WE TRY TO WITH TOM SQUIRES HERE AS OUR CFO, TRY TO GO CONSERVATIVE ON REVENUE. AND RATHER CONSERVATIVE AS WELL ON OUR EXPENDITURES TO KIND OF SEE WHAT HAPPENS AS WE RESPOND TO THE COMMUNITY. AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT EACH YEAR IS GOING TO BRING. SO THINGS HAVE BEEN TRENDING UPWARD THE LAST THREE YEARS ON THE CREDIT SIDE. AND THEN THE NONCREDIT SIDE. MANY OF YOU ARE PROBABLY QUITE FAMILIAR WITH OUR FREE FAST TRACK MODEL.ON THE NONCREDIT WORKFORCE SIDE THAT LET'S SEE, WE'RE 2032 MONTHS IN NOW. I THINK SINCE JANUARY OF 23, 100 PEOPLE A MONTH. PRETTY CONSISTENT ALL THE WAY THROUGH WITH A 70% COMPLETION RATE AND EMPLOYER INVOLVEMENT ON THE FRONT END, BASICALLY A HIRING FAIR AT THE END OF EVERY CLASS. AND VERY EXCITED ABOUT OUR ON RAMP DESIGNATION, WHERE WE GOT ONE OF THE FOUR DESIGNATIONS, REGIONAL DESIGNATIONS IN THE GOVERNOR'S $200 MILLION ON RAMP INITIATIVE.
THAT BASICALLY IS GOING TO LET US SCALE FREE, FAST TRACK IN WAYS THAT WE PROBABLY COULDN'T EVEN IMAGINE. WHEN YOU HAVE $20 MILLION IN OPERATING, $20 MILLION IN CAPITAL TO SPEND THAT OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS, AND THIS BUDGET SUPPORTS THAT, AND WE'RE FILLING VACANCIES AND BUDGET CALLS FOR ADDITIONAL POSITIONS. ONE IN IT, ONE IN HR AND THEN TWO IN STUDENT SUPPORTS. SO APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT. THE AS I SHARED IN MAY, THE SUPPORT THE COUNTY PROVIDED US THROUGH THE PANDEMIC WERE IN THE BEST FINANCIAL POSITION IN TERMS OF THE FUND BALANCE RATIO, PERCENTAGE OF BUDGET. WE'RE ABOUT THE SAME RATIO AS THE COUNTY HAS, AND THE COLLEGE HASN'T BEEN IN THAT POSITION IN 40 YEARS. SO DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP AND THE SUPPORT. AND YOU MENTIONED TIME WITH WHEN YOU DO A COMPARISON OF MV AND THE OTHER COMMUNITY COLLEGES. I KNOW BACK IN MAY YOU RAN SOME NUMBERS BACK AND FORTH IN COMPARISON, IF YOU WOULD MAYBE. SURE. YEAH, A COUPLE OF COUPLE OF PERCENTAGES THAT I KEEP IN MY PRESIDENTIAL POCKET WERE THE 10TH LARGEST COMMUNITY COLLEGE AMONG THE 30 SERVED THE SECOND POOREST STUDENT POPULATION IN TERMS OF THE PERCENTAGE OF PELL GRANTS. HAVE THE FIFTH HIGHEST GRADUATION RATE. AND LET ME SEE, WHAT ELSE WOULD THERE BE? THOSE ARE THE TUITION. THANK YOU. AND IN HERE, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE WITH THE COUNTY CONVERSATION AND OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES, WE WENT FROM HAVING THE LOWEST TUITION IN THE SYSTEM TO NOW BEING SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE. WE'RE IN THE LOWER, LOWER THIRD. AND THAT'S WHERE THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES TRIES TO KEEP OUR TUITION LEVEL. AND THIS 2% INCREASE IN TUITION WILL, BASED ON OUR PROJECTIONS
[00:05:03]
FROM THE OTHER COMMUNITY COLLEGES, WE THINK WILL PROBABLY STAY IN THAT THAT LOWER THIRD OF SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN LOWEST TUITION RANKING. SO YEAH. THANK YOU. ANY SPECIFICS STEVE. YEAH, A QUICK QUESTION. HAVE YOU GUYS GOT A FANTASTIC PROBABLY STATE OF THE ART ENGINEERING PROGRAM? HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN ABLE TO GO THROUGH THAT PROGRAM OR ANY OF THE OTHERS CAPTURE SOME OF THOSE 25 TO 55 COHORT THAT THE STATE'S TRYING TO SEND. HAVE YOU BEEN. YEAH, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT OUR ENGINEERING SPECIFICALLY OF WHERE THEY'RE COMING, BUT WE ARE ALREADY SEEING A BETTER UPTICK IN ENROLLMENT LEADS FROM FROM THIS FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EFFORT THAN WE DID YEARS AGO IN THE EMPIRE STATE SCHOLARSHIP THAT WE ENDED UP SEEING LIKE 110 STUDENTS TOTAL. YOU KNOW, THIS SEEMS TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE TRACTION, GETTING A LOT MORE INQUIRIES. AND I THINK THE COMMUNICATION'S BEEN GOOD. OUR MARKETING DEPARTMENT AND ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT, THEY WERE ON IT VERY UPFRONT AND VERY PROACTIVELY. SO THAT AGAIN GIVES US THAT MUCH MORE HOPE. EVEN THOUGH WE ONLY BUDGETED 1%, WE'RE WE'RE OPTIMISTIC AND SOME OF THE CAREER PATHS THAT THEY'RE HOPING TO HELP FUND THE 25 TO 55 LINES UP WITH QUITE A BIT OF IT, PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING WE DO.YEAH, VERY MUCH SO. THE LITTLE CHALLENGE IN THE HEALTH CAREERS, ALL THOSE PROGRAMS ARE TYPICALLY FULL AT THIS POINT. SO IT'S DIFFICULT TO EXPAND SLOTS THERE. YEAH. GOOD. STEVE. ANYBODY ELSE.
SEEING NONE. WE'LL PROCEED TO VOTE ON THIS DOCKET. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED.
SAY NO. MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR THE ATTENDANCE FROM MV
[b. 2025-1684 – PLANNING RE: APPROVAL OF THE AGREEMENT TEMPLATE FOR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES TO BE USED FOR INTERMUNICIPAL AGREEMENTS BETWEEN ONEIDA COUNTY, THROUGH ITS DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, AND VARIOUS MUNICIPALITIES ]
TONIGHT. THANK YOU. ONE MORE DOCKET TONIGHT. JAMES HAS AN EXCITING ONE TO TELL US ABOUT A TEMPLATE USED IN TRANSPORTATION. TRANSPORTATION SERVICES USED FOR AN INTER-MUNICIPAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN ONEIDA COUNTY AND VARIOUS MUNICIPALS IN THE COUNTY. LOST IT. YEAH, IT'S JUST THE RE-UP OF OUR URBAN TRANSIT SYSTEM. SO WHAT THAT IS THE EXPLANATION. IS THERE QUESTIONS FROM COMMITTEE? JAMES, THANK YOU SO MUCH. TONIGHT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED.NO MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE THE COMMITTEE? MOTION TO ADJOURN.
MOVED BY.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.