Every taxpayer, business-person, or property owner enjoys knowing that their hard earned cash will benefit the school system or community in one way or another. They have the freedom to feel like their money is being spent wisely.

But City College students don’t have this luxury.

We don’t know where our fees are going or what they’re being used for.

Since 2009, our student health fees have been used to pay for a full-time mental health care position.

A total of $110,000 in salary, retirement and health insurance of our money has been used for something we were forced to pay, and without our consent.

This wasn’t first discovered by the Associated Student Body, but it was the first group on campus to critically question it.

The mental health care position should have been funded with the allotted state dollars but was paid with our fees without supervisors’ knowledge and approval.

Neither Dean of Educational Programs Keith McLellan nor Superintendent-President Andreea Serban or controller Leslie Griffin knew about it.

There was no record of it being approved, yet the money was handed out.

Serban told The Channels, “Really, I don’t know how it happened.”

Well, if not one of these three key people knew, who should have known?

Since this is about the students’ fees, we ought to know what our money is being spent on.

City College students pay $17 every semester in health service fees as a part of enrollment. With $10 million in state funding cut over the last two years, the college may have to use student money to fund the counseling program.

But if so, “it is good and appropriate to consult with students with regards to the use of the student Health Fee funds,” McLellan stated.

He also said that a decision like this should have been taken to the student senate and perhaps also to the Academic Senate and College Planning Council for consideration.

We agree.

As of today the supervisors’ action plan consists of a meeting face-to-face to pinpoint the history of this issue.

Decisions are being made on whether the college will continue to use students’ fees for paying counselors.

Underground, behind-the-scenes incidents like this make us lose trust in the governing body of the college.

An apology from the person or group responsible for this error is a start, but transparency for the college’s finances will go toward reassuring those of us paying the increasing fees every semester.

We pay and we want to know what our money is used for.