By a vote of 4-1, Governing Board says all the College need do is to meet minimal requirements set out by state statutes in public budgetary reporting
Paul Chevalier
Third District Yavapai Community College Representative Paul Chevalier’s efforts to require a much more detailed, transparent College budget that is open to the public showing how taxes and other revenue supporting the $80 million operation are used was rejected in a 4-1 vote at the October meeting. Chevalier has urged the College on several occasions to provide much greater detailed information about its operation to the public. However, it was the will of the Governing Board that the only public budget document the public need see is that set out by Arizona statutes.
Chevalier pointed out that the Arizona statutes set out the bare minimum requirements in terms of public information that must be provided. They do not prevent a College, if it chooses to do so, to include additional information for the public. The majority on the Governing Board appeared satisfied with keeping budgetary details away from a more robust public requirement.
Chevalier has consistently used as illustrations of better public budgetary documents those that are prepared by the cities in Yavapai County and the budget published by the Yavapai County Supervisors. He has also cited Coconino Community College’s financial reports on its web site as another illustration of a community college providing greater public transparency and budgetary details. The Community College budget in contrast to those budgets is sparse in terms of detailed information.
Yavapai Community College is not alone in Arizona in formally hiding detailed budgetary information from the public. In fact, it appears that most of the Community Colleges in Arizona, with the exception of Coconino, provide even less information about how they spend public funds than does Yavapai. Chavlier argued that this should not be a justification for Yavapai following the same path.
You may view a video clip of the approximate 15-minute discussion by the Governing Board on this issue below. You may view the entire Board meeting by clicking here.