The Missouri Students Association heard 2013’s proposed budget for the second time Wednesday, and the document allotting $1,664,361 to the student government moved one step closer to approval.
The budget, compiled by MSA Vice President Helena Kooi and the Budget committee, contains a few changes from the budget last year, which budgeted $1,521,602.
The majority of the $142,759 more allocated for next year is for three professional positions that were created last semester.
MSA added a part-time lawyer for student legal services, a media coordinator position for MUTV/Channel 23 and KCOU/88.1 FM and a MSA/GPC Tech assistant director.
MSA Senate Speaker Jake Sloan said those positions were filled last semester and paid for with Contingency and Reserve money. That money was only used for this semester and will have to come from the budget in 2013.
The positions added were severely needed, Sloan said.
“What (MSA/GPC Tech Supervisor) Sarah Stone had been doing, is she had been logging 100 hours,” he said. “She was salaried, but she was working close to 100 hours, and so we hired another person in order to help and assist her in that.”
The other positions also have a substantial amount of work, Sloan said.
Another contributing factor to the difference this year is the amount of carryover. With $15,937 less leftover this year than last year, the budget didn’t have as much money to work with.
Sloan said the amount of carryover can change depending on whether all of the money allocated for student salaries is used, as well as other factors.
“They can’t know for certain what’s going to happen next year until it happens,” he said. “So sometimes that money rolls over.”
Most major changes in the budget were because of changes in carryover. Fall Welcome will receive $30,000 less than last year because they received a “one-time boost” last year, Kooi said.
Funds for MUTV and KCOU also dropped to previous levels. Last year they were allocated one-time expenses for opening and furnishing new studios, she said.
Kooi said other changes came about because of individual organizations requesting different funding.
One Mizzou, for example, won’t receive any funding because they have not yet used any of the money allocated to them last year. They plan to use the money from last year in the fall, so they aren’t receiving any additional funds, Kooi said.
The 2013 budget also gives money to an entirely new budget: summer programming.
“Over the past several years, DSA has identified a need to have events over the summer since there are a significant number of students still on campus and paying student fees during the summer term,” Kooi said in the budget document.
The summer programming budget will cover six free films and several trips to water parks, museums and baseball games.
Sloan said this budget has been going smoothly so far.
“Since I’ve been here, Helena (Kooi)’s done the best job,” he said.
Sloan said the amount of detailing in the budget is better than it has been before, and Kooi has been involving the budget committee more than previous vice presidents.
“She’s done a good job of including people other than the executive cabinet in on the discussions of what the budget should be,” he said. “I don’t think it could’ve gone any better this year.”