Recently kindled concern over Santa Barbara County’s agricultural future is expected to die down soon. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled at its Aug. 10 meeting to decide whether or not to grant the additional funding needed to maintain the University of California Cooperative Extension program (UCCE).
During its June budget hearings, the board voted to approve funding—less than requested—for 4-H and other agricultural services provided by the program. The move distressed many 4-H supporters, who believed funding for the beloved youth program had been completely eliminated. Supervisors and county staff members, however, assured the public that was not the case.
“A lot of people are thinking that we’re cutting the program, and that’s simply not true,” department assistant director Elena Morelos told the Sun.
The board allocated approximately $111,700 for UCCE staffing services—about $68,000 less than the amount UCCE directors said was needed to keep the program going in the county.
As a result, UCCE officials reached out to the board and asked for another opportunity to plead their case for increased funding.
At that hearing in late July, all five board members said they were in favor of granting the additional funds. However, they also requested county staff members draw up a stricter contract specifying the number of university employees working in the county, as well as more definitive information about where the extra money would come from.
Those requested items are expected to be presented to the board at its Aug. 10 meeting, when the board will make its final decision.
If the money is approved, Santa Barbara County’s UCCE advisors would work out of offices in Ventura and San Luis Obispo. The potential modification is expected to provide advisors with more clerical support, while ultimately saving the county money.
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This article appears in Aug 5-12, 2010.
