Community college expenses went up for county in 2023, but stayed under $2,050,000 cap

File photo by Tom Rivers: Genesee Community College is shown at the main campus in Batavia in this photo from Feb. 13, 2018.

Orleans County’s costs for community college chargebacks were steadily rising so much that county officials decided to cap the amount at $2,050,000. Anything over that and the bill would be sent to towns in the county.

The county in 2020 paid $2,240,251 for community colleges. After the county imposed the cap at $2,050,000 in 2021, the costs dropped in 2021 and haven’t exceeded the $2,050,000 since then – but is getting close.

In 2021, the community college chargebacks to the county was $1,839,535. It dropped to $1,657,803 in 2022, but was up $244,790 in 2023 to $1,908,783.

If the cost tops $2,050,000 in 2024, the extra expense will be divvied up among the 10 towns in the county based on credit hours of residents in those towns.

County Treasurer Kim DeFrank said there is a chance some additional bills could come in this month for community colleges but she expects it won’t exceed $141,217, the amount the county is under the cap.

Community colleges were supposed to be funded with the state paying a third, the student paying a third, and the local town/county paying the other third.

But county officials say the state has pulled back on its contribution, putting more pressure on students and local municipalities.

The County Legislature said it needed to draw a line as the costs rose, putting pressure on the county budget.

Most community college students from Orleans go to Genesee Community College. But Orleans County has paid towards local students who attend other community colleges in the state, and some are far more costly than GCC, including the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.