BUTLER TWP — Because of exploding enrollment numbers, Butler County Community College won't draw from its reserve funds to balance this year's budget.

The college's board of trustees Wednesday approved a rebudget for the current fiscal year that includes about $1.3 million in additional tuition revenue. That money will be used to fill a gap that existed in the original budget.

The original budget drew down on reserve funds by $645,000 to balance the $23.9 million budget. That was partially caused by deferred payments from the county.

"We no longer need to dig into our reserves," said Eric Schultz, finance committee chairman.

College President Nick Neupauer said the rebudget is a normal process the college does each spring to align predictions with actual numbers. This year, he said, the rebudget was driven by enrollment.

The college budgeted for a 3 percent increase in enrollment. Current figures show the actual increase to be 15 percent.

"We're the fastest-growing community college in the state," Neupauer said, adding the percentage enrollment growth is faster than at any of the four-year universities in the State System of Higher Education.

The college has about 4,000 students.

A large part of that growth is attributed to out-of-county sites. The Mercer campus, LindenPointe, saw a 47.8 percent jump in enrollment. The college is now undertaking a project to expand that campus.

In addition to covering the gap, the additional revenue will cover additional part-time faculty salaries and additional staff positions that were added to adjust for the higher number of students.