Public being kept  totally in the dark about location, purpose or amount of taxpayer funds being used to purchase these properties

Yavapai Community College has gone into the land purchasing business in a big way during  the last few weeks.  Recall that on February 24, 2023, the College District Governing Board held a two-hour closed door executive meeting focusing on purchasing land in Prescott Valley and leasing land in the Verde Valley.  Following the session, the Board issued a  vague statement in the form of a motion, unanimously approved, telling the staff to move as directed in the closed door session. The public was left in total darkness about what was happening.

Now, a little over a month later, the College is again looking to purchase more land, this time in Prescott.  Like the February meeting, the public received no information about the Prescott purchase at this April meeting. When the Board convened in public, the staff was ordered to proceed as directed in the secret session. The public was again left in the dark.

 So far, the Prescott-based executives have kept quiet about the amount of taxpayer money to purchase the Prescott Valley property,  where it is located, or its precise purchase.   It also has yet to learn what property the Community College is leasing in the Verde Valley, the amount of taxpayer money being used to pay for the lease, or the purpose. Likewise, the public has no information about the Prescott land purchase.

It would appear that all of the new land will mostly be paid for by County taxpayers from their primary property taxes. 

College data reveals expenditures in 2021-22 were $82.854 million while 2023-24 proposed budget expenditures are at $102.728 million. Salaries and benefits (up 9.4%), capital projects and equipment (up 102.2%) account for $13 million of the proposed increase over last year’s budget

Yavapai Community College rolled out its final budget proposal at the April 11, 2023, Governing Board meeting.  It showed a $13 million increase over last year’s budget and a $20 million increase over the budget it adopted two years ago. 

Most of the proposed increase in the present budget was to cover  a 9.4 percent increase in employee salaries and benefits plus a 102.2 percent increase in capital expenditures over 2022-23. 

The chart below, which was presented to the Governing Board at the April meeting, provides additional information regarding the proposed expenditures for the 2023-24 budget year. 

A public hearing will be held Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. on the Prescott Campus in its Community Room (19-147) where the public may address the Governing Board regarding the expenditures.  It is anticipated that the College will  request a 5% County Property tax  increase in order to pay for these expenditures.  The public may also address the tax increase at the May 16 hearing.

Digital Learning Commons is described as “a state-of-the-art, multimedia collaboration center, curated around the idea of enriching the student experience and providing students access to books and library resources, digital tools, and academic support systems they need to succeed in their program of study”

The Yavapai Community College Prescott-based executives have proposed spending $15 million over the next three years to convert Building 19 on the Prescott Campus into a Digital Learning Center.  The proposal came during a discussion of the 2023-24 capital budget at the March 21, 2023, meeting of the Yavapai Community College Governing Board in Sedona.

Although the Prescott-based executives shared only a draft of the budget they will ask the Board to approve in either April or May,  there was no opposition to the $15 million expenditure from any member of the Board. It appears to have clear sailing.

According to the Community College, a Learning/Digital Commons is a “state-of-the-art, multimedia collaboration center, curated around the idea of enriching the student experience and providing students access to books and library resources, digital tools, and academic support systems they need to succeed in their program of study. The Facilities Master Plan identifies a series of projects to support creation of Learning/Digital Commons in Building 19 at Prescott Campus and Building M at Verde Valley Campus, which include shared space for the library, information technology support, tutoring, collaboration, content creation, meetings, socialization, and studying.”

Building 19 is one of the largest facilities on the Prescott Campus. It contains the library, Common Grounds Café, and a community room on the 1st floor. A computer commons with classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices, as well as the eSports facility is located on the 2nd floor. The space utilization analysis noted that many of the classrooms and laboratories on the 2nd floor are underutilized. The library is dated and is lacking many of the spaces and technologies found in a modern facility. The Facilities Master Plan proposes reimagining these spaces into a learning hub for students and community members on the Prescott Campus. The 18,000 NSF library on the 1st floor is proposed to be renovated into an integrated Learning/Digital Commons with some compact shelving, one-button media studio, makerspace, study rooms, and open computer laboratory. It is envisioned that Digital technologies will permeate these spaces (Area 1) and a new retractable seating system (Area 2) is proposed to be installed in the Community Meeting Room (Room 147).

Classrooms and laboratories on the 2nd floor are proposed to be re-purposed into a modern Learning Commons for tutoring and academic support with open collaboration areas, study rooms, and staff offices. Adjacencies may include a digital media studio, TELS staff offices, and a technology helpdesk, managed by ITS. Decisions regarding the final location of the Computer Networking Technology program and eSports play area will be made during the programming phase.

Total of $6.4 million comes with strings attached 

Yavapai Community College Vice President of Finance and Administrative Serves Dr Clint Ewell reported to the District Governing Board at its Budget Workshop Meeting,  Friday, February 24, 2023, that the State of Arizona has increased its annual financial support for Yavapai Community College to $6.4 million.

According to Dr. Ewell, Dr. Rhine and her colleagues deserve recognition for their successful lobbying efforts, which resulted in the passing of Prop 207 and Rural Aid, securing nearly $4 million in funding for the college. However, Dr. Ewell pointed out that a significant portion of the new financial aid comes with restrictions on how it can be used, limiting it to specific programs. Additionally, Dr. Ewell noted that the state’s financial support for Operations and Maintenance is minimal.

You may view Dr. Ewell’s short one minute report (video clip)  by clicking here. 

Total of current state funding by program.

VP Ewell tells Yavapai Community College Board at budget approval meeting College intends to  use the $10 million to construct  a 14,000 square foot commercial lab “to teach brewing and distilling”

Many unanswered questions surround the decision by Yavapai Community College to invest somewhere around $10 million to construct a 14,000 square foot commercial lab  to teach brewing and distilling.  The facility, when completed, will sell its product to the public. (Click here to review video explanation by Vice President Clint Ewell at May meeting.)

The puzzle began in March of 2022 when the College rolled out a tentative budget showing it was going to spend $5 million to expand its Career and Technical Education facility.  (See tentative budget proposal below.) 

Although in May the College seems to claim that the beer brewing facility was discussed in depth at the March Governing Board meeting, apparently by College consultants, a review of that meeting fails to show a discussion of a brewery taking place.  Instead, a casual observer would conclude the capital discussion at the March meeting involved expanding the existing 10,000 square CTE facility on the Verde Campus.

The brewery expenditure, which was marked as such in the budget, first appeared in the April proposed final budget. There was no explanation for the change from $5 million to $8 million. (See April proposed final budget below.)

Finally, at the May budget hearing, the brewery once again appeared on the capital budget for 2022-23 with a figure of $10 million.   At this meeting, it was the first time the public learned that the College now intended to build a 14,000 square foot facility.  Once again, there was little explanation of the jump from the earlier $5 million rough estimate to $10 million 60 days later. (See May final budget below.)

Efforts to obtain more information about the need for such a facility, where the planning is at, whether there is a need, etc. have so far been futile as the College keeps a tight lid on its planning.

March Draft Capital budget below:

April propose budget below: