JPR News Focus: Government

Around that same time, Alexander said local community members and stakeholders expressed the desire to allow groups other than 4-H to sell through the youth livestock auction.

According to The Daily Courier, a new group ended up being formed called “Youth and Ag of Josephine County,” which includes members from a local ministry. As of last month, the new group had signed up nearly 300 kids to participate in livestock shows, according to the newspaper.

Alexander with OSU said the number of youth participating in Josephine County’s 4-H did take a hit. At the end of last year, the local 4-H had 277 youth in the program. In January, that number fell to 49. But, she said about 130 youth are participating in the program now.

The decline in participation gave critics on the county commission another reason to eliminate funding.

“When you have all these kids and families leave a program, it’s failing,” Baertschiger said during Wednesday’s meeting. “Why would I want to fund something that’s failing?”

With the Josephine County Board of Commissioners’ decision to cut off funding to the OSU Extension Service, the future is unclear not only for the local 4-H program, but other programs focused on adult gardening, emergency preparedness and community health.

According to the OSU Extension Service, the service district and ongoing tax levy in Josephine County was originally approved by voters in 1996. However, the extension’s history in Josephine County goes back much further — the first OSU extension agricultural agent was hired with county financial support in 1916.

The only other county in the state that does not provide local funding to the OSU Extension Service is Multnomah County, which ended its partnership with the service in 2003, according to the Portland Business Journal, due to a tightening county budget.

Before the commission’s vote Wednesday, the OSU Extension Service was receiving funding from Josephine County through a levy of roughly $0.04 per $1,000 of assessed property value. That would’ve resulted in an estimated $414,000 in tax revenue for the service district for the upcoming fiscal year, according to the OSU Extension Service.

The extension service also received funding through the state and federal government, but only on a matching basis. Without a local county match, OSU cannot provide matching state or federal funds to support any extension or 4-H activities, according to the university.

While $323,000 in Josephine County service district dollars were projected to go toward roughly three full-time positions through the OSU Extension Service this next fiscal year, Oregon State University provides salary and other payroll expenses for an additional 11 faculty and staff members that serve the county, totaling more than $500,000, according to the extension service.

Budget documents from the extension service show that Josephine County tax dollars make up about 14% of the extension’s budget while state and federal funding makes up roughly 36%.

OSU Extension Director Ivory Lyles says the decision by the county commission leaves an uncertain future for extension services to the county.

“The commission’s votes today will require an evaluation of the impact these decisions will have on our delivery of Extension services to Josephine County residents in the coming year,” Lyles said in a statement to OPB. “We will develop a transition plan based on funding projections for the coming year. We will keep Extension participants, stakeholders and Josephine County residents informed as we move forward.”

Josephine County Commissioner Dan DeYoung was the only member of the three-person commission to vote against cutting extension service funding.

He called on his fellow commissioners to “pump the brakes,” work collaboratively with OSU to talk through potential changes to programming, and re-evaluate the tax funding for the extension service next budget cycle.

Ultimately, Baertschiger and board Vice Chair John West did not agree.

“I don’t believe that OSU and those folks are listening, and I don’t believe the answer is to continue to give them the money to continue on with the way that they’re going,” West said.

Leadership at Oregon State University’s main campus in Corvallis also expressed their disappointment in the decision and are hoping to find a way to continue serving Josephine County.

“We hope that in time, discussions between county commissioners, community members, and university and OSU Extension leaders can restore what has been more than two decades of successful relationships and impactful service to local residents,” OSU Vice President of University Marketing and Relations Steve Clark told OPB.

Meerah Powell is a Higher Education Reporter for OPB.

The homes were meant to be prioritized for Almeda Fire victims. Replacing them could cost $20–25 million.