CCCC board passes budget, approves hires

The Cloud County Community College board of trustees met for a special meeting on Wednesday. The board gathered to hold its 2019-2020 budget hearing before voting unanimously to approve the budget which lowers the college's estimated mill rate by 1.5% from 29.766 mills last year to 29.306 mills this year.
The approved budget is based on a 1.5% decrease in credit hours, amounting to a projected loss of approximately 555 total credit hours. Total budgeted expenses and transfers for 2019-2020 are $20,107,668, with the amount of 2019 tax to be levied is $3,367,678.
The hearing concluded with no comments from the general public.
The board also approved the hire of Amy Bridwell of Concordia as a new assistant volleyball coach, while Matthew Kinney of Kilgore, Texas, was hired as the college's new sports information director.
Bridwell, a 2000 graduate of Concordia High School, is a K-12 certified health and physical education teacher with ten years of teaching and coaching experience. Bridwell received a bachelor of science degree in health and physical education from Sterling College and a master's degree in sport administration from Wichita State University.
Bridwell joins head coach Deb Monzon's staff just before the start to the Thunderbirds' 2019 season. The T-Birds finished 17-17 overall in Monzon's first season back with the club last fall. The team will open their 2019 campaign at the Southeast Community College Tournament in Beatrice, Neb., August 23-24.
Kinney graduated from Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb., with a bachelor of science degree in sport management in 2014, before earning a master of science degree in sport management from Illinois State University in 2016.  Kinney replaces David Wilson, who resigned this summer after becoming the assistant athletic director for communications at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo.
Kinney joins Cloud County Community College after a two-year stint as the sports information director at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. Prior to that, Kinney served as a sports information director and adjunct professor at Dodge City Community College from July 2016 to June 2017.
The board met in two executive sessions for attorney-client privilege, totaling 40-minutes in length, with college president Dr. Adrian Douglas, vice president of administrative services Amber Knoettgen, vice president of academic affairs and student success Pedro Leite, director of human resources Chris Wilson, college attorney Justin Ferrell and board clerk Diane Leif. No action was taken.
And the board met in a 20-minute executive session for non-elected personnel with Leif. No action was taken.