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| Hegberg predicts compromise coming for 4-H funding |
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| Friday, 20 March 2009 | |
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Cliff Buchan News Editor Can a compromise be found to save funding for 4-H programs in Washington County? County Commissioner Dennis Hegberg of Forest Lake believes the answer is yes. The note of optimism comes as the county heads into a critical meeting next Tuesday during which funding for the 4-H program and other budget cuts will be considerd. The county board is now in the midst of a budget reduction process that will trim $3.2 million in spending this year. One of the target area for those budget reductions as put forward by the county administration involves the 4-H programs and contracts now in place between the county and University of Minnesota for the extension programs. An administrative report to the Washington County Board recently said that $130,000 can be saved by ending funding to the 4-H program. Since the announcement was made last month, Hegberg said county officials have been flooded with e-mail, letters and phone calls pleading for help and a change of heart. What next? Hegberg, who represents District One, said he believes that pressure from the public has helped sway opinion on the county board. “My bet is it (4-H) will get funded through the Minnesota State Fair,” Hegberg said late Thursday. If that happens, Hegberg said the county board will need to find approximately $40,000 to fund the program through early September. “We can it (the money) from fund balance,” he said. “We can’t do it next year.” Hegberg said that if he is successful in persuading a majority of the county board to approve the funding, it will buy time for the county and 4-H officials to find a new funding model for 2010. “I think there are three votes (for keeping funding),” he said. “We’ve been lobbied extremely heavily.” Hegberg said he is among those who supports 4-H and recognizes that it would not be fair at this point to pull the funding rug from a successful program. With spring here, Hegberg said he understands that many county youth have made plans for their summer county fair projects with the ultimate goal of reaching the state fair. Projects are in the hopper, he said. “We don’t want to sell them short,” Hegberg said. Short-term fix Hegberg said he hopes county residents involved in 4-H understand that this is a compromise and only a short-term fix. The budget decisions for 2009 come on the heals of cuts in state funding to the county. Those reductions are expected to be even deeper in 2010, Hegberg said, pointing to the need for finding a new funding model for 4-H. County 4-H membership comes from the 18 clubs from Forest Lake to Cottage Grove. Each youth enrolled in the program pays a $45 fee to participate. Hegberg said a fee increase would be one way to expand funding. He said partnering with other agencies, such as youth service bureaus, municipal park boards or school district community education programs could be avenues for keeping the program going in 2010. Hegberg said new contractual agreements with the University of Minnesota for the services of extension agents could also be sought. Hegberg added that the visibility of programs through county fair and state fair projects draw attention to 4-H, but equally valuable are the site based after-school programs that work with at-risk youth. Finding ways to fund and continue those programs should also be a goal, Hegberg said. As the county and 4-H leaders prepare to move forward for new funding models, Hegberg said he would also like to see growth in 4-H participation. In recent years, he said, the program’s growth has been static and that is an area that he would like to see changed. Social Bookmarking ...       |
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