Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 29, 1995 TAG: 9508290031
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BETTY HAYDEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Approval of the budget had been delayed since April because the state does not allow agencies to pass unbalanced budgets.
Tech found the money it needed by making permanent last year's 3 percent cut to all department budgets - a savings of $5.56 million. Departments had to slice another 2 percent this year, yielding another $3.85 million.
Personnel costs were reduced by cutting $1.57 million in fringe benefits. Another $190,000 was subtracted in programs such as the Water Resource Center that the General Assembly declined to support with general fund money.
The university also took $500,000 from the central equipment purchases fund to pay for unfunded state mandates.
The university got a break when Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, a university-affiliated corporation, decided to transfer $250,000 toward the budget. Lower costs for services such as satellite service accounted for $280,000 in additional savings.
"We trying to make expenditures come in line with revenues," said university spokesman Dave Nutter. "We've got to have a balanced budget."
Budget officials also unveiled the preliminary outline of Tech's next two-year budget for 1996-98, which includes plans to build a $25 million Advanced Communications and Information Technology Center.
Tech also will ask the state for $5.2 million to cover the costs of 1,000 additional in-state students admitted to the university since 1990 and another $7.7 million for operation and maintenance of new campus buildings and to help officials meet currently unfunded mandates.
by CNB