By Nick Worth Northland Pioneer College is prepared for the loss of $97,800 in tax monies expected from the impending shutdown of the Catalyst Paper Mill in Snowflake, according to NPC President Dr. Jean Swarthout. “We’ve managed our finances very carefully for the past several years, so we can absorb that loss,” said Swarthout. She said the annual NPC budget is around $23 million and includes money for contingencies such as the loss of the tax revenue. Of more immediate concern, Swarthout said, is finding out how the college can help the Catalyst employ-ees who will be losing their jobs. “We want to be able to help them with resumes, job searches and job retraining,” said Swarthout. “We’re working on stepping up to that base.” One program Swarthout wants to reinstate is a scholarship program the school had in the past for unem-ployed workers. “We haven’t used that program in two years, so it’s not in this year’s budget,” Swarthout said. “We’ll need to reallocate some resources in order to bring that back.” Swarthout said the long-term “trickle down” effect of the mill closure on the community and the school systems will cause a tuition and property tax revenues shortfall, but it is not yet known how large a shortfall it will be, or what the overall effect will be. She said the college would address that over the long-term, but that for the immediate future NPC will focus on helping the community. “Our ‘Plan A’ will be to give assistance to the employees losing their jobs at the Catalyst mill,” said Swarthout.