PJC budget approved; tax rate unchanged

Published or Revised August 24, 2005

The Paris Junior College Board of Regents, at its regular meeting Monday night, left the tax rate unchanged and approved a budget for 2005-2006 of nearly $20 million. After approving the certified tax roll that lists the total assessed value within the taxing district of $1.7 billion, regents unanimously approved a new budget of $19,852,077, which is an increase of about $923,000 over last year's budget. In a separate action, they approved leaving the tax rate unchanged at 0.1922. The new budget reflects an increase of just over $600,000 in state funding the college is receiving due to recent enrollment increases. Regents approved a resolution authorizing a tax abatement agreement with Turner Industries Group for a period of seven years to allow the company to make substantial facility improvements. In other business, the board tabled until its next meeting an action item to hire an architectural firm. Regents also approved employment, re-assignment, retirement and resignations of personnel. Employed were Scott Branum, student records specialist; James (Jack) Brown, biology instructor, Mayra Cummings, Spanish instructor; Elizabeth Hasten, biology instructor; Ross Hodge, dorm supervisor and assistant men's basketball coach; Patrick Leach, dorm supervisor and assistant baseball coach; Cheryl McKenna, associate degree nursing instructor; Anthony Sawyer and Jeffrey Tarrant, economics instructors. Dr. Kenneth Haley was re-assigned as associate dean, and the retirement of E.C. Hancock, division chairman of math and sciences and biology instructor, was accepted. Resignations included assistant baseball coach Justin Seely, economics instructor LaDee Homm, Upward Bound advisor Gay Ryan, EOC specialist Mandy Ray, and nursing instructor Bambi Pish.