Lon Morris Employees Paid on Time

JACKSONVILLE –Lon Morris College employees were paid Friday despite fears that paychecks would not be distributed on time. Afton Barber, Lon Morris spokesperson, said a wire transfer was received by the college on Friday and allowed 167 employees to receive their bi-monthly paychecks. Lon Morris officials initially thought the wire transfer would be delayed. �The wire transfer has not yet arrived,� said Tommy Ferguson, vice president of business and administrative affairs, in an email to employees Thursday. �This means that payroll will be delayed again.� Employees� pay for March 31 was delayed five business days. The college is having financial problems due to expenses related to expanding student enrollment from 350 to 1,000 over two years, adding new academic and sports programs, and cuts to the Texas Equalization Grant Program, Ferguson said in a previous interview. Ferguson did not release details about the wire transfer. �I�m not going to say because I don�t know,� he said. �I don�t know where it came from.� Lon Morris aims to raise tuition by $750 this fall to help alleviate the problem, he said.