The University of Manitoba Students’ Union’s (UMSU) operating budget for the year 2012/2013 is currently in draft.
The budget has gone through a series of edits and was passed through the finance committee. A draft budget was put forward to UMSU council March 22.
According to the draft budget, the projected total revenues for 2012/2013 amount to $1,055,000. The total revenues for 2011/2012 were $1,038,000.
UMSU’s total administration budget for the year, which includes salaries for UMSU executive and staff, is expected to increase from $927,500, in the previous budget, to $1,025,500 for 2012/2013.
The draft budget also shows that funding for student service groups for 2012/2013 is projected to stay in line with last year’s budget.
Justin Quigley, vice-president (internal), said UMSU is hoping to see the budget approved at the April 5 council meeting.
He explained that UMSU develops the operating budget through a series of consultation processes where the student population is asked “what their priorities are.”
“That impacts our discretionary expenses, which are all the projected expenses that directly impact students,” he said.
He mentioned that UMSU looks at the projections of previous years and notes the trends in budgetary expenses and adjusts accordingly.
“This is particularly important for our business net income section, our revenue section and much of our administration expenses,” he explained.
Quigley added that any student can pick up a copy of the draft budget for 2012/2013, as well as the current operating budget, at the UMSU offices in University Centre.
Quigley added that he met Justin Paquin, UMSU vice-president internal-elect, to review the numbers to ensure that the adjustments UMSU accounts for are streamlined to work with the executive-elect’s campaign goals.
Justin Paquin, the incoming UMSU vice-president (internal), said that he was pleased to have the opportunity to review the draft budget for 2012/2013
“It allows the outgoing council to give a good idea of what the financial situation will look like to the upcoming council,” he said.
Bilan Arte, UMSU president-elect, said that the projections for next year in the budget draft are “very helpful and informative.”
Arte mentioned that her team would love to see UMSU businesses become sustainable on their own, “so that they can offer better funding to student programs and student initiatives.”
