The SAGBC annual budget finally approved.  

The SAGBC annual budget was approved by a majority vote during the Board of Directors meeting on Sept. 18 after being held up since July.

The board of directors had decided to delay a final decision on the budget until Oct. 23 at an emergency meeting held Aug. 3, to discuss ways forward.

However, Peter Corno, the director of student experience put forward the motion to approve the budget a month before the set date.   

“We had it [the budget] stopped in August and I think because we were a little unsure, I think maybe people were just a little scared to get it approved so quickly, which isn’t unreasonable. But the amount of time that was requested was a little on the long end for me and we said we were going to get it approved by October,” said Corno. “The reason why I wanted to push the budget forward was because it’s better, we can get it over with sooner, so we can be prepared for the future.” 

Corno shared that he spoke with other members on the board regarding the urgency of passing the budget and gained their support in passing the motion.  

The board of directors expressed their reservations in passing the budget previously due to lack of confidence in their financial knowledge.  

Max Davidson, acting director of communications and internal said, “Before approving the budget, I personally really wanted to make sure that I was in a position where I truly understood the budget. It is a really short amount of time for when we start our role to when we need to approve the budget, and I don’t have a financial background myself. So, it took me some time to really understand the numbers and appreciate the funding that’s required to operate all of the essay programs.” 

Davidson shared that additional financial literacy training provided to the board was helpful for him to understand the budget and vote to approve it.  

“We’re new to this. I think it scares them to approve such a big budget because they want to make sure they’re doing the right thing,” said Corno. 

However, the delay in getting the budget approved and the unsure nature of the situation had become a topic of concern within the SA. 

“Approval of the budget is a primary Board responsibility and as per fee agreements leads to the ability for the SA to utilize the fees collected for the students within the current academic year,” said Rosalyn Miller, general manager of the SA. “This was unprecedented and hoping that folks utilize the learning opportunities on finances and speak independently as well as identify questions and concerns in a proactive manner.” 

Although the budget has now been passed, there were still a few oppositions to approving the annual budget.  

“I’m not sure why there was still opposition. I think the way I worded it, the way I explained everyone made sense at least in the majority and fortunately the majority saw what I saw,” said Corno. “But at the end of the day, if someone just doesn’t want to approve the budget just to get at me or get at someone or for their own personal reasons, I can’t change that.” 

Davidson shared that he is not aware of the reservations board members had but encourages them to come forward with any.  

“If any reservations do come up, I do encourage everyone to bring them forward so that we can have a conversation. And ultimately, I look forward to continuing discussions with the board on our future goals for what the student association can provide for students,” he said.  

However, with the approval of the annual budget, students can look forward to regular events and programming with the SA.  

“Now fortunately, as the director of student experience, I can say we’re going to start going full steam ahead on events and parties and workshops and events, majority is events for students and hopefully we can get some great events happening. This year, due to it being the 30th year anniversary, we want to throw a few things wrapped around that which would be huge. We’re full steam ahead. That’s the good news,” said Corno.