WESSON — Although facing budget cuts in state funding,Copiah-Lincoln County Community College Trustees Thursday approvedsalary schedule pay raises for faculty and staff, who could becarrying heavier workloads due to some cost-cutting measures.

The cost of providing the pay increment in the faculty salaryscale will be about $102,000. Given the big picture of the budgetsituation, Co-Lin President Dr. Howell Garner said that was not agreat amount of money.

“I don’t think you can spend $102,000 in a better way than tokeep our faculty and staff on the salary schedule,” Garnersaid.

The increases will be effective Jan. 1 and go through June 30,the end of fiscal year 2002. The salary scale action representsabout a 1 percent increase for the year.

At budget time earlier, trustees had delayed action on thesalary scale increases until they received a better picture of thestate budget situation. Garner said trustees’ and school officials’doing a good job in dealing with earlier budget cuts while tryingto maintain a healthy fund balance allowed them to be in a positionto consider the salary scale action.

Trustees also discussed fiscal year 2003 Legislative BudgetOffice recommendations, the effects they would have on Co-Lin, andpossible ways the school would deal with cuts. Combined cuts forfiscal years 2002 and 2003 would impact Co-Lin by approximately$1.24 million.

According to a letter from Garner to Co-Lin employees, the LBOhas included a recommendation to mandate 2 percent increases forfaculty and staff, effective Jan. 1, 2003.

Expense reduction actions presented to trustees included leavingvacated positions unfilled, reducing non-essential personnel,further travel reductions, reduction in overload and part-timefaculty pay and increasing faculty teaching workload. MentionedThursday was increasing faculty workload by up to six coursehours.

Options for boosting school revenue include increases intuition, dormitory fees, meal tickets and technology fees, plusasking supporting counties for additional revenue.

“We’re probably going to have to take actions in bothdirections, regardless of the action we take on the increments,”said Dr. Steve Wells, chairman of the Budget and FinanceCommittee.

Roy Winkworth, chairman of the Personnel Committee, said keepingsalaries on scale would go a long way toward helping facultyswallow the “bitter pill” of a possible additional workload.Trustees unanimously approved the salary scale action.

Expense reduction measures are being enacted currently. However,actions to increase revenue was deferred until trustees have abetter idea of the new year budget.

In other action Thursday, trustees approved Steven Ammann, ofMendenhall, to the board’s at-large trustee position. The positionhad been vacant following the death of Dr. J.H. Stribling.

Ammann was chosen over Dr. George Brumfield, of Brookhaven, andThomas E. Jolly, of Monticello.

Brumfield, who currently represents Lincoln County District 5 onthe board, was nominated after school officials receivedindications that the 12-year member would not be re-appointed. Whencontacted Friday morning, District 5 Supervisor Gary Walker said hewould make a recommendation on the post at the Dec. 17 supervisorsmeeting.

“I’ve had some people call and ask about it,” although Brumfieldwas not one of them, Walker said.

Brumfield disagreed with Walker’s statement. Brumfeld said hehad spoken with the supervisor about the appointment at electiontime and has had several people speak to him on his behalf.

During Thursday’s board discussion, Ken Bailey, of Monticello,contended that filling the at-large position with someone from oneof the smaller Co-Lin supporting counties would provide moreequitable representation. The board is composed of six trusteesfrom Copiah, Lincoln and Adams counties, two each from Franklin,Jefferson, Lawrence and Simpson counties and the at-largeposition.

A runoff was needed in Thursday’s voting and Ammann was electedover Brumfield.