Board Decreases Mill Levy Nearly $400,000

The college’s Board of Trustees approved a $19.5 million budget for the 2001-2002 academic year, and delivered some good news to Cowley County taxpayers in the process. The Board, at its regular monthly meeting Aug. 13, approved 4-0 the budget for next year. Board members Donna Avery and LaDonna Lanning were absent from the meeting.

The budget was based on in-state enrollments of 75,000 credit hours, a state operating grant of $6.7 million, and an estimated assessed valuation for Cowley County of $183,692,750. All of those figures combined equates to less tax dollars requested from the county. The college’s estimated mill levy for the next academic year is 16.997, a 2.97 mill decrease from the final 2000-2001 levy. The tax dollars requested are $383,790 less than last year. Last year’s levy of 19.967 also was a large decrease from the 1999-2000 levy. Combined, the college has saved Cowley County taxpayers nearly $700,000 during the last two years.

Recent mill levy history for the college:
2001-2002 projected levy 16.997
2000-2001 final levy 19.967
1999-2000 final levy 22.762
1998-1999 final levy 21.85

Article written Fall 2001