A proposed budget of about $74 million is being considered by Iowa Central Community College leaders, although the amount of state aid the institution will receive in 2019-2020 remains unknown.

The tuition rate is also yet to be determined, but the college’s Board of Directors has already approved a flat-rate tuition program in which students taking from 12 to 18 credit hours a semester will pay the same price.

”We can’t really set tuition and finalize all that until after the General Assembly session is over,” college President Dan Kinney said Tuesday evening.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has proposed an increase in state aid to community colleges that would give Iowa Central an additional $258,000, according to Angie Martin, the college’s vice president of business affairs. But the amount that will be approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Reynolds won’t be known for months.

Despite all that uncertainty, the college still must comply with a state law that requires its budget to be approved in March for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Faced with that requirement, the college’s board on Tuesday scheduled a March 11 public hearing and vote on the proposed budget.

According to the notice of public hearing and budget estimate approved Tuesday, total expenditures for 2019-2020 will be $74,268,432.

The biggest spending category is $25,011,221 for physical plant expenditures. The college has multiple building projects underway, thanks to a $25.5 million general obligation bond approved by the voters in February 2018.

Other major spending categories include:

• General institution — $11,107,374

• Vocational and technical education — $9,444,552

• Liberal arts and science education — $7,826,079

• Administration — $7,236,152

The estimated property tax rate is $1.04 per $1,000 of taxable value.