CRANBERRY TWP — The Butler County Community College board of trustees approved a tuition increase Wednesday of $5 per credit for students for the 2019-2020 year as well as a $29.8 million budget. The board also extended the contract of President Nick Neupauer through June 30, 2023.

Butler County residents taking less than 12 credit hours or more than 17 credit hours per semester will be charged $118 per credit hour.

Students taking between 12 and 17 credit hours will be considered full-time and charged a flat rate of $1,770 per semester, representing a $60 increase over the full-time rate of $1,710 per semester for 2018-2019.

Pennsylvania students who do not live in Butler County and take less than 12 credits and more than 17 credits will pay $218 per credit and those taking 12 to 17 credits will be charged a flat, full-time rate of $3,270.

Out-of-state and international students taking less than 12 credits and more than 17 will pay $318 per credit. Those taking 12 to 17 credits will be charged a flat, full-time rate of $4,770.

The tuition increase is the same amount as the one implemented for the recently completed academic year.

With the increase, BC3's tuition for county students is $5 more than what Community College of Allegheny County charges its in-county students and $44 less what Community College of Beaver County charges its in-county students.

CCAC charges county students $113 per credit, out-of-county students $226 and out-of-state and international students $339.

CCBC charges county students $162 per credit, out-of-county students $324 and out-of-state and international students $486.

The $29.8 million operating budget reflects a 1.46 percent increase over the current budget.

Spending on salaries and benefits increased by $233,458; supplies and services rose by $153,657; utilities and insurance went up by $28,000; rentals, leases and licenses increase by $25,000; and debt service goes up by $1,810 from the 2018-2019 budget.

Those increases were offset by a $1.02 decrease in building and site improvements and a $626,697 decrease in furniture and equipment, which officials attributed to the recent completion of the renovations to the Cranberry Township campus.

Combined revenues and expenses reflect a $1.2 million, or 3.42 percent, decrease from $35.6 million in the 2018-2019 budget to $34.4 in the new budget.

The small increase in the operating budget is “remarkable,” considering the college's overall budget of nearly $35 million, Neupauer said.

“It shows that we're a lean and mean institution,” he said.

The budget also shows the school strives to be a good steward of tax dollars when preparing its budget, he said.

Neupauer's executive employment agreement has been regularly extended since he became president in 2007. His salary this year is $242,408. Last year, the agreement was extended to June 30, 2022.