The Missouri Students Association’s budget is a month away from being approved by Senate.
MSA Vice President Kelsey Haberberger completed the first draft of the 2015 fiscal year budget and shared the draft with members of the Budget Committee on Feb. 28.
The Maneater [submitted a public records request Thursday](https://www.themaneater.com/blogs/the-newsroom/2014/3/6/maneater-requests-msa-budget/) to obtain a current copy of the budget. However, the rest of Senate will not have access to a copy of the budget until it is submitted to the entire Senate on March 18.
“I believe no one but (Haberberger) and the budget chair (Shelby Catalano) have a copy right now,” MSA Senate Speaker Ben Bolin said.
Haberberger explained that she is limiting access to the budget because the document is subject to change.
“It’s (the Budget Committee’s) job to oversee those decisions that are made before it goes to Senate,” she said. “So it is considered a private document until Budget Committee submits the legislation to pass (the budget).”
Bolin said he was interested in reviewing the budget in advance on behalf of senators who may consider revisions to the budget but understood Haberberger’s rationale to keep the document private.
“I’d like to see it so that I can help out senators who are considering changes,” he said. “We would be delighted to see a copy of the budget, but I respect the vice president’s wishes to make these deliberations privately.”
The budget is currently estimated at more than $1.6 million for fiscal year 2015, which is less than $28,000 of the previous year’s budget.
Although the carryover amount more than doubled, more than $97,000, significant decreases in other sources of revenue were observed in the budget’s first draft.
Estimated revenue from admission charges took a dive from more than $306,000 in the previous budget to about $202,000 this year. Catalano said the decrease can be attributed to the decrease in enrollment between 2012 and 2013.
[MU’s total enrollment](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2013/8/21/mu-
welcomes-its-second-largest-class/) in 2013 was 34,111, which is second only to 2012’s enrollment of 34,748 students.
At this time, other changes include a proposed $6,722 increase to student officer salaries, nearly $10,000 less in estimated transfer revenues and a decrease in the Department of Student Activities’ budget by more than $65,000.
_Elizabeth Loutfi contributed to this report._