Two months before Rudy Johnson’s term on the East Mississippi Community College Board of Trustees is due to expire, Oktibbeha County supervisors have already appointed his replacement at the urging of a former political rival.
Supervisors voted 3-2 on Monday to appoint former Starkville police chief Frank Nichols to the board. He will replace Johnson after his term expires in April.
Johnson had expressed interest to serve another term as one of Oktibbeha County’s two EMCC trustees. But District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard recommended Nichols on Monday, and Supervisors Orlando Trainer (District 2) and Joe Williams (District 5) voted with him.
Board President John Montgomery of District 1 and Bricklee Miller of District 4 opposed Nichols’ appointment and said the board should have taken the time to consider other candidates before making a decision, especially since the board had just received a new applicant’s information that morning.
Montgomery said he wanted to talk to Johnson about why he wanted to remain on the board.
Johnson, who lives in District 3, ran unsuccessfully in last year’s Republican primary for supervisor. Had he won the primary, he would have faced Howard, a Democrat, in November’s general election.
“I think that’s because I ran against Marvell for supervisor, but that’s the way politics goes,” Johnson told The Dispatch in reference to his not being reappointed to EMCC’s board.
Johnson was first appointed to the board in 2010 and previously was assistant director of EMCC’s Golden Triangle campus in Mayhew from 1980 to 1990. He is currently executive director of the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District.
Howard told The Dispatch he had nothing against Johnson and voted to appoint him to his first term 10 years ago.
“He’s done a wonderful job on the board,” Howard said. “I just felt like it was time for a fresh look and maybe some fresh blood.”
Appointing a new trustee two months early gives the person enough time to become aware of the issues facing EMCC before starting the new term, Howard said. The board of trustees is comprised of two members from each of the counties EMCC serves: Lowndes, Lauderdale, Oktibbeha, Clay, Noxubee and Kemper.
Spencer Broocks, who also works with GTPDD, is the other Oktibbeha trustee.
County Administrator Emily Garrard said at Monday’s meeting that she asked for applications for various boards to be sent to her last year, but supervisors said the application process is informal and simply involves notifying a supervisor of the desire to be considered.
Montgomery said he is aware that Johnson wanted to stay on the EMCC board, but Howard said he was not. Montgomery and Miller said there were at least four other applicants besides Nichols and Johnson.
Nichols retired Dec. 31 after 27 years with the Starkville Police Department and five years as chief. He did not respond to requests for comment.
Financial improvements at EMCC
The annual independent audit of EMCC’s finances showed a $2 million decrease in operating expenses, from $50 million in Fiscal Year 2018 to $48 million in fiscal year 2019, Keith Evans of the Meridian-based accounting firm Rea, Shaw, Giffin & Stuart told the EMCC Board of Trustees at a Monday evening meeting in Scooba.
Operating expenses outpaced revenues by more than $17 million, but state and local appropriations covered all but $55,000 in FY 2019 compared to a $3.7 million shortfall in 2018, Evans said.
EMCC’s total fund balance increased by $3.2 million, from $42.6 million to $45.9 million from FY 2018 to 2019.
The Dispatch reported in August that EMCC’s general operating fund balance, which Evans said is only a small part of the overall fund balance, fell from roughly $11 million to only $710,844 by the end of June 2018. Evans said the general operating fund balance saw little change from 2018 to 2019.
The Lowndes and Oktibbeha county boards of supervisors voted later in August to call for a state audit into EMCC’s finances. EMCC president Scott Alsobrooks told The Dispatch he is unsure of whether the state auditor’s office will fulfill the requests, but Evans’ audit will play a role if it does.
EMCC has saved money through “cost control” measures, especially in administration, Alsobrooks said. The college did not fill positions left open by retirements or other departures and consolidated administrative duties among those still there, and the athletics department has been no exception, he said.
“We’ve cut some administrative slots but have not eliminated any coaches,” he said. “We’re still coaching to the same level.”
Alsobrooks estimated athletic administrative cuts have saved EMCC between $100,000 and $500,000. EMCC’s athletics spending racked up a total $1.14 million deficit in FY 2018.
Alsobrooks said in October that low enrollment played a significant role in EMCC’s financial woes. Enrollment for the fall semester was down 5 percent, from 4,086 in 2018 to 3,882 in 2019. The board will take a “deep dive” into the factors behind declining enrollment at its next meeting at Lion Hills Center in Columbus in March, Alsobrooks said.
The college worked with the Legislature on House Bill 378, which was introduced Monday, to allow out-of-state tuition waivers.
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