Junior College districts established after separation

Rangely College separated from Mesa College in 1970 and in July of 1974, Rangely College officially became Colorado Northwestern Community College, a name change that reflected the many communities the College was serving.
From 1973, CNCC operated as an independent college under the governance of an elected Rangely Junior College District Board of Trustees, financed by legislative appropriation and a district tax levy. The District also covers the cost of tuition for Rangely residents, a benefit that most communities can’t claim. The district boundaries are the same as the boundaries of the RE-4 School District in western Rio Blanco County. Five elected citizens serve as the board of trustees and exercise the statutory authority of the district which is to collect the mill levy and transfer the proceeds to the college for all legal purposes of operating the college and maintaining the physical plant of the Rangely campus. In the early years the district functioned as a citizen’s advisory council and exercised considerable authority over the operations of the college. After 1999 when the college became a part of the Colorado Community College System, a new ballot question was adopted by the voters of the district which retained only the financial trust aspects of the district.
In 1989 by a landslide four-to-one vote, the electorate in Moffat County created an affiliated junior college district. This district was re-affirmed by a majority vote in 1999. This local tax provides funds to expand course offerings in transfer, general education and occupational programs on the Craig campus. The Board of Control, consisting of five elected Moffat County residents also acts as an informal advisory council to the faculty, staff and administration.
Both boards meet monthly with the college administration, and more frequently as needed. The college and the boards jointly determine the overall college budget annually, with each district appropriating separately the funds under their jurisdiction for investment in their respective campuses. The boards reimburse the college on a monthly basis for expenses incurred within the budget.
The college could not be sustained on tuition and fee revenues alone. Nor does the state general fund transfer provide sufficient additional funds. Without the support of the taxpayers through the Rangely Junior College District and the Moffat County Affiliated Junior College District, Colorado Northwestern Community College could not be sustainable.