While post secondary education provides opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills needed to keep and maintain a competitive workforce, the Ulster County Legislature sought reasons for the adverse imbalance in a chargeback program in which, according to State law, the County of Ulster must spend millions of dollars in “chargeback” tuition fees to other counties due to Ulster County residents attending community colleges outside of Ulster County.
Legislators have heard from experts in the field and with a quarter of the Legislature having, itself, attended or graduated from SUNY Ulster, the understanding as to why students chose community colleges outside of Ulster County in the past is acknowledged. Yet, with a “Community College Chargeback Payments Report of Examinations” from Ulster County Comptroller Elliot Auerbach, the Legislators deemed it unacceptable to simply write off the chargeback program deficit as a typical, recurring, and annual deficit for the County of Ulster.
“This chargeback system was put in place when New York State was paying a third of the cost of community college tuition; but over time, Albany’s number keeps getting smaller, and our number keeps getting higher,” stated Auerbach at the time of the report’s release. “We have recommended a study of the reasons why so many Ulster students choose to attend out-of-county community colleges.”
On Tuesday, August 19, 2014, the Ulster County Legislature voted unanimously to review the reasons for the adverse imbalance in the chargeback program so that, in conjunction with UCCC, they may jointly develop policies, programs and capital projects, as necessary, to address the identified factors which are leading to residents seeking their community college experience outside of Ulster County.
Ulster County Legislative Vice Chairman David Donaldson noted after the vote, “This expenditure has increased by $1 million in just three years. The students of today will help us to develop the policies of tomorrow and hopefully, turn this fiscal deficit around.”
