Heartland CC passes budget despite state funding concerns

Posted on September 15, 2015

Heartland Community College vice president Doug Minter (far left) presents the fiscal year 2016 budget to the Heartland Community College board Tuesday. (Joe Ragusa/WJBC)

By Joe Ragusa

NORMAL – Heartland Community College is moving forward with a balanced budget for the current fiscal year but uncertainty over the state budget has trickled down.

State support makes up nearly 8 percent of the over $32.9 million in expected revenue this year.

Heartland Community College President Rob Widmer said there’s no way of knowing if the college will actually get what it’s expecting.

“This is certainly the latest we’ve ever experienced in getting into a budget without knowledge of the state funding,” Widmer said.

There was some good news as far as other revenue sources, though. That includes fall enrollment numbers, which were up 1.7 percent in terms of credit hours taken at the college. Local tax revenue is also expected to be two percent more than what was anticipated when the college board passed a tentative budget in June.

The budget approved Tuesday projects a surplus of about $150,000.

Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…