McLean County’s $127 million budget wasn’t on the agenda Thursday night but that did not stop those supporting the McLean County Extension Office $300,000 budget request and those supporting cutting the budget to $30,000 from showing up to express their views during the open comment portion of October’s board meeting. Eight people addressed the board regarding the issue.
The extension office is an extension of the University of Illinois. It is funded by county tax levies and matching state funds. The state matches local funds at 60 cents on the dollar.
For the last several years the board has financed the extension at the $300,000 level.
But board members have been concerned about the reserve fund the extension has been building up over the last several years and have asked the extension to spend that amount down. The extension has not done that and as a result the proposed county budget for 2023 funds the extension at only $30,000.
Harry Clore, Associate Director of Budget, Finance and Workforce Development for the extension, was the first person to speak.
Clore said, “Please know, that if we get to the $30,000 level which is the number I have heard that Bobby and I like we always do, the county director, we will get together and we will plan. But we are going to plan for $30,000 going forward and that means we are going to have to consider cuts. And that’s going to be to people, programs, and the county fair for example. That will probably get cut because that’s $49,000 that we give to the fair board.”
Janice McCoy, Assistant Director of Region 2 Extension also spoke.
McCoy stated, “While extension does have an operating cash reserve that will enable us to maintain programming through our current fiscal year, which ends on June 30th, just 8 months away, a cut of this magnitude without a 100% guarantee of the return of those funds next year, will require us to begin plans for possible program and staff reductions.”
Mc Coy went on to say, “A $270,000 reduction is really much larger. It’s closer to $486,000 when you include the match. By removing the match you are removing those dollars from your community, the people you serve and the employees at extension.”
During his time at the podium Don Meyer outlined four points as he argued that the budget should be cut to $30,000 this year. Meyer said;
- “Funding – Extension carried out $2.7 million dollars with a $1.5 million budget. Administration wants more taxes to build an 18-month carryover, which is unrealistic.”
- “The ‘cooperative partnership’ is gone. Formerly local ‘bottom up’ input was blended with campus initiatives. Now it is a “top down” system, yet local taxes foot the bill.”
- “Respect for Volunteers is an underlying issue. Countless volunteers have left, and a few more ‘fired’ or ‘dismissed’ with opposing viewpoints.”
- “UI indifference to local concerns – Numerous groups have gone to campus to share concerns of fiscal policy, heavy-handed leadership, top-down programming and staff turnover.”
After the meeting Cities 92,9 asked McCoy about the size of the reserve fund.
She responded, “The best practice models say that on the very low end not for profits need three months of reserve and on the high end they need 24 months of reserve. So if we are in the middle of that between 12 and 15 months then we are operating on a best practice model for not for profits.”
We asked Meyer if the relationship between the extension and volunteers could be restored in the next few months.
He responded, “I would like to think so because I am still a supporter of it. I am not against the program. I spent 27 years in the program. I am trying to strengthen it because I see it going in the opposite direction. I can’t argue against anything that was said tonight. It’s a great program. But it has room for improvement.”
