SUNY Orange Budget Hike is Approved

GOSHEN – It will cost Orange County taxpayers three percent more in the county’s portion of the SUNY Orange 2019-2020 budget of $62.5 million. The county’s share will be just over $19 million following a unanimous vote on Thursday.

The vote by lawmakers “enables Orange County Community College to continue to deliver a high-quality and accessible education to our community during the 2019-20 academic year,” College President Dr. Kristine Young said after the session.

County Executive Steven Neuhaus is expected to sign the funding measure, which will go before a special meeting of the OCCC Board of Trustees on August 14.

The college had originally sought a four percent increase in county funding on a budget of $62.7 million, but the legislature asked the school to pare the spending plan down by $2 million and reduce the county increase to three percent.

The remainder of the funding will come from student tuition and the state.