Extension seeks $1,500 more from county years ago
Marion County Extension Department asked the county for an additional $1,500 in 2004 for benefits for an office professional.
Ricky Roberts, Marion County Extension agent for agriculture and 4-H, made the request at county commissioners' regular meeting Monday.
Roberts said his department gets its budgetary funds from three sources — the county, Kansas State University Extension, and itself.
The budget he proposed for next year is basically unchanged from this year's, at $93,300.
"It's as lean as we can make it," Roberts said. "We have no vehicles and no equipment — just three computers and one copier."
There are two agents — himself and Nancy Pihl, Family and Consumer Sciences agent — and one office professional.
He has increased the amount in the 2004 budget from the department itself by about $3,000, to $9,165. This was accomplished via the fact that the county went several months without an ag/4-H agent before he was hired.
Also, "we're getting a little more from KSU this year," he said.
The employer's contribution will be $13,000 this year. The county has been paying $4,500 on the Extension budget, and Roberts is asking commissioners to raise that to $6,000.
By cutting expenses, or saving, about $5,500 this year, and reducing operational expenses by 3.57 percent for 2004, Roberts said a budget cut of nearly 9.5 percent has been achieved for his department.
The state had been paying for non-retirement benefits for Extension personnel, but has now passed all of this responsibility back to the counties, Roberts said.
County Commission Chairman Howard Collett said, "Rural people are saying they can't stand another dollar of taxes. They're saying, 'Don't you dare put another one on.'"
Commissioners suggested that Extension might want to charge fees for some more of the services it provides than it now does.
Roberts said Extension usually does not charge a "gate admission" fee for speakers, programs, and events it sponsors.
