Increasing enrollment and a fund balance are helping Cayuga Community College keep costs under control.

The Cayuga County Ways and Means and Government Operations committees heard the college's proposed 2004-2005 budget Tuesday evening.

The $41.2 million budget projects a county contribution - called sponsor support at $2.5 million - the same as the last two years.

Tuition for students will remain flat, largely because there are more students taking classes.

The proposed budget estimates receiving $8.2 million from tuition in 2004-2005, up from $7.3 million budgeted this year.

CCC's decision to keep tuition the same comes as a pair of its neighboring schools - Onondaga Community College and Tompkins Cortland Community College - are planning to charge more next year.

Revenue for community colleges comes from three primary sources - state aid, the county and tuition. CCC receives 11.65 percent of its revenue from the county, and plans to use $555,190 from its fund balance for next year's budget.

Thomas A. Nagle, vice president of administration and treasurer at CCC, said the college had to move forward with the budget despite not having state aid figures. The state has yet to complete its budget.

Gov. George Pataki proposed a 5-percent reduction in state aid, amounting to $115 less per student.

Nagle believes the state Legislature will restore those funds, as they have in the past, but does not think there will be an increase in state aid.

"It is hard to plan in this kind of environment," Nagle said.

Joe Rufo, chief financial officer at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, said raising tuition is always the last resort, but that OCC raised tuition $50 this year after cutting almost $2 million from the budget.

"We're facing a late state budget this year, with no indication of an increase in state aid," Rufo said.

Equipment purchases were postponed, as well as technology initiatives.

Rufo said the college has a labor intensive cost structure. Faculty will receive 3.5-percent raises, in addition to employee benefit costs rising 7 percent. Even with $2 million in cuts, the college still had a $250,000 gap to fill.

"We had to decide to cut more, or raise tuition," Rufo said. "To reduce spending more would put the college's mission at risk. The increase was necessary for us to balance our budget."

OCC is projecting a 2-percent increase in enrollment this year. Rufo said enrollment has been increasing every year.

While the increase in students does provide extra revenue, Rufo said it does not make up for the more than 10 percent in salary and benefit increases.

Bruce Ryan, director of college relations at Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden, said tuition will rise from $2,680 to $2,850 for the 2004-2005 school year.

"The last several years we've experienced very large enrollment increases and that puts pressure on our infrastructure," Ryan said.

Salary and benefit increases, plus flat funding levels from the state, account for the decision to raise tuition.

Like CCC, TC3 is requesting the same amount of funding from Tompkins County as last year.

"We're trying to be sensitive to their situation," Ryan said. "The counties have experienced significant budget constraints - it is the right thing to do to not ask for more."

Staff writer Shelly Oddo can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shelly.oddo@lee.net