The financial committee of the Associated Students of Madison decided on budgets for the governing board for the Student Activity Center and a campus childcare organization at a Monday meeting.
Student Services Finance Committee Chair Ellie Bruecker said she supported the requested funding to remodel the SAC in a debate about the SAC Governing Board’s budget last night. She said from serving as the SSFC representative to SACGB, there is a lack of larger offices to meet demands from the student organizations.
The proposed remodeling would engage in a long-term project to replace the garage-style cubbies currently with larger office spaces.
“There is absolutely significant student organization and student demand for that kind of remodeling,” Bruecker said. “So, I just wanted to give my support for that.”
SSFC ultimately moved $35,000 into a capital fund, a part of the SACGB reserve fund.
SSFC Rep. Ron Crandall said this capital fund account would be an accumulating account that would allow the committee to be able to work on long-term projects and prevent SACGB from having to come in front of SSFC and “get micromanaged.”
As a part of the reserves, capital funds will fund capital projects like upgrading offices and other remodeling projects, according to SACGB Chair Katie Cary.
Cary said if SACGB is not able to use the capital fund account in its entirety, the money can be used toward other upgrades to the SAC and can also roll over into the next fiscal year, rather than going back to the central ASM reserves.
“The idea is to create a store of money, separate from the ASM reserves,” Cary said. “That would be used for long-term projects.”
Cary said this will help SACGB better respond to student needs. The capital fund account provides more flexibility, she added, because it allows SACGB to use the money over more than one fiscal year and also for different projects, without having to request money from SSFC every year.
SSFC approved a budget for SACGB at $385,520 by a vote of nine in favor, three against and one abstention.
The Child Center Tuition Assistance Program’s budget sailed through SSFC process.
“[CCTAP has] increases, but they have justification for all of them,” SSFC Rep. Tim Schlidt said.
Echoing sentiments of CCTAP’s fiscal responsibility, SSFC Rep. David Vines said the group has done well at being fiscally responsible and demonstrating these increases are going to serve more students.
SSFC unanimously voted to approve a budget for CCTAP at $1,450,100.
Following the decision to reconsider the Student Judiciary budget decision, SSFC addressed concerns with their decision to lower Student Election Committee representatives’ salaries.
In revisiting cuts that were made at last week’s meeting, amendments were made to add $4,000 to the SEC commissioners line and add $2,000 to the SEC chair stipend, increasing it to $4,000.
Ultimately, SSFC approved a new budget for SJ of $40,100 by a vote of eight in favor, two against and three in abstention.
