A sign points to the main entrance of North Country Community College in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Galen Halasz)

MALONE — The Franklin County Board of Legislators approved the 2024-25 budget for North Country Community College, Thursday, following a public hearing at the courthouse.

Joe Keegan, president of NCCC, was on hand for Thursday morning’s public hearing to answer questions about the college’s tentative budget.

Lawmakers approved the spending plan with a resolution at their regular meeting following the morning’s hearing.

No members of the public spoke at Franklin County’s public hearing.

Legislators voted to approve the 2024-25 college’s operating budget in the amount of $15,970,453, also authorizing the appropriation of $1,340,000 in the county’s budget as Franklin County’s sponsor share.

The county’s share includes $1,290,000 towards the college’s operating budget and $50,000 towards its capital fund account, according to the resolution.

Franklin County will use capital charge backs for the local share of project costs, according to the resolution.

“The college has three funding streams. That’s in community college regulations across the state,” Keegan said. “Generally speaking, we have county sponsorship and that’s Essex and Franklin for us. We have New York State who also contributes and then student tuition.”

The idea behind each funding source is that they all equally contribute to the college, according to Keegan.

“The county sponsors, state and tuition are our principle revenue sources,” he said.

NCCC’s budget is a 4% increase over last year’s spending plan, according to budget documents.

The budget includes contractual raises with a 5%, $333,000 increase in salaries and a 4% increase in benefits, according to Keegan.

“The big portion is really salaries and benefits, which is always the case,” he said, “We are anticipating an increase in medical and that really took the bulk of what we were seeing there.”

According to Keegan, North Country Community College is increasing student tuition by 2% this year, the first time the school has seen a tuition increase in the past four years.

“That’s after four years of being flat,” he said. “When we looked at what was happening in our communities a few years ago we felt, at the college, we knew the impact on families and students and working with our board of trustees we acted to try and keep costs flat and continue to allow students and families to be able to afford to come.”

Keegan said rising costs were the rationale behind the increase in tuition this year.

He added that the college is asking both Essex and Franklin counties for an annual increase in operational aid of 3%.

Keegan said the school is asking for an increase of approximately $38,500 from both counties this year.

At the Thursday public hearing, County Manager Donna Kissane said she appreciates the recent expansions at the community college.

“Good work, I really like your expansions and the new work that you are going to be doing,” Kissane said. “The nursing program is major. Our community college produces some excellent nurses and we appreciate that.”

Andrea Dumas, R-Malone, said she appreciates the college’s willingness to be responsive to the community’s needs.

“You listen to us and the needs that we have in our community, EMT and EMS classes, water and sewer classes, and the expansion of nursing,” Dumas said. “We appreciate the fact you have brought on programs that we need.”

NCCC is projecting 1,020 full-time students this year, 43 more than last year, a 4% increase, according to the executive budget summary, with core enrollment making up 885 of these students and the Second Chance Pell prison program adding another 135 students.

On Thursday, Greg Janisewski, D-Chateaugay, asked how enrollment numbers looked following a June meeting with Keegan and Erik Harvey, the school’s interim chief financial officer.

“Trends are still looking positive,” Keegan said. “Applications are up, intent to enroll is up, current numbers are up.”

Applicants who have confirmed their intent to enroll for the coming fall semester are up by 2% compared to the fall of 2023, according to the executive budget summary.

“What I would say is the trends look good. Right now applications are up, year-to-year, the current number of students registered are up year-to-year,” Keegan said. “We have had several new programs that have come online, the expanded nursing program and direct support professional microcredential. All of those have really been new initiatives that have helped to contribute to what we are hoping will be another good year. We have had three consecutive semesters of increased enrollment growth. Right now we are trending positive for Fall 2024.”

According to Keegan, students will return to the college’s campuses on Monday, Aug. 26.

The school’s capital budget, totaling $300,000, is funded half by Essex and Franklin counties and half by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, according to the capital budget summary.

The college is planning infrastructure upgrades to the nursing buildings at all three campuses, with the campuses in Malone and Ticonderoga seeing final HVAC upgrades by converting fuel oil burners to propane furnaces in Malone and addressing cooling issues in Ticonderoga.

Plans for the Saranac Lake nursing building includes new windows, a new boiler and a new roof, according to the budget summary, which states there are also plans for upgrades at the Sparks Athletic Facility and Field in Saranac Lake.

Improvements will include a new scorer’s tower, a Daktronics scoreboard with sound, all-purpose backstop systems, replacement of exterior doors and entrance vestibules, refurbished bathrooms and improvements to drains and sewage lines.