College awards contract, sets annual budget

North Platte -- A North Platte company was awarded a bid for remodeling work on McMillen Hall in McCook, and the Mid-Plains Area board of governors approved a budget that is a 13.3 percent increase over last year.

Following budget hearings, the board held a special meeting where it approved their 2002-2003 budget, set the property tax levy for the 18-county service area, and accepted bids for remodeling projects North Platte as well as McCook.

No one spoke from the public at either the budget or tax levy hearings.

The overall MPCCA budget will be $18,361,997, which reflects a 13.38 percent increase over last year's budget. Members of the Budget and Finance Subcommittee have worked with the administration for several months and presentations were made to the Board in August.

A summary of the total 2002-2003 budget includes total budgeted revenue in all funds of $17,476,925. Total Budgeted Expenses in All Funds, $18,361,997, net decrease to all Fund Balances $885,072.

In determining the budget, the administration anticipates $17,476,925 in revenue to originate from state aid, local 18-county property taxes, tuition, fees, and other income generated by the institution. With expenses outweighing revenue, the anticipated $885,072 deficit reflected from the difference will come from the institution's cash reserves, according to officials. In other action, the board moved to carry forward to 2002-2003, the unused budget authority (or cash reserves) of $3,282,720 from 2001-2002 and preceding fiscal years.

This will allow the college to carry forward an additional unused restricted funds authority of $117,164 to future budget years.

Part of MPCCA's 2002-2003 budget is funded by property taxes, collected from the 18 counties within the college's service area, and as permitted by law, the board moved to apply property taxes to fund the 2002-2003 budget in the amount of $4,784,670.

The Legislature's mandated levy for general operations at the community college level is capped at $0.06 per each hundred dollars of assessed value. The Legislature's mandated levy for capital improvements at the community college is capped at $0.01 per each hundred dollars of assessed value. Of the total amount, $4,101.146 is for general operations and $683,524 is for capital improvements. It should be noted that no request will be made for hazardous material abatement and handicapped accessibility and no property tax is required for payment of principal and interest on bonds issued by the College Area.

At the April 30 Board meeting, Administration was authorized to begin letting bids for the McDonald-Belton and McMillen Hall remodeling projects.

The board accepted the base low bid for the McMillen Hall remodeling Project in McCook. of $1,366,000 and reception counter bid of $6,500 from Dowhower Construction Co. of North Platte, pending approval by the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education on Sept. 12.

Other bidders included Simon Construction, $1,389,000, Mike Smith Construction, $1,409,000, D&D Builders, $1,449,000, McCook Contracting, $1,475,000, and Palsen Inc., $1,616,000.

McDonald-Belton Remodel Project in North Platte. The board accepted the low base bid of $895,000 and reception counter bid of $4,850 from Dowhower Construction Co. of North Platte, pending final approval by the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education on Sept. 12, 2002. Bids for the McDonald-Belton Building remodeling project were received from five general contractors.

The board's next regular meeting to be held on Sept. 25, 2002 in the Conference Room on the Technical Campus in North Platte beginning at 6:30 p.m.