Lake County extension offices face shortfall
Every day, an average of 17 people in Lake County drop by the University of Illinois Extension office in Grayslake or attend a class to learn about their gardens and plants.
Horticultural advice is one of several services the organization provides, sometimes literally at the grassroots level. But extension offices across Illinois are among the little guys that may suffer because of a bigger state budget issue.
Local officials have been told an expected state match in funding will be withheld, despite already being budgeted and with the fiscal year three-quarters over.
"We can't give them money we don't have," said Kelley Quinn, spokeswoman for the state budget office.
Quinn said the General Assembly passed a budget with inflated revenue projections that is not covering approved spending.
"We have a $750 million budget gap for fiscal year '08," which ends June 30, she added. Soil and water conservation districts, school grants and other areas also are affected.
For the Grayslake extension office, that could mean a 44 percent reduction in expected money, crippling programming and reducing staff, local officials say.
"For every dollar we bring in locally, the state agrees to match those monies. That's the money we were told was no longer available to us this year," said Larry Wilson, interim director of the Lake extension office.
The specific impact has not been determined pending a statewide Extension plan set for May 1. Estimates show at least 450 positions could be lost statewide and nearly $13 million withheld.
The Lake County office offers a variety of services at its facility on Route 45 and other locations, such as schools and libraries.
"It would be a loss for the library, but more importantly a loss for the people in the community," said Lake Villa District Library Director Bob Watson.
Programs such as tax breaks for higher education and resources for care-givers are popular, he said.
The largest extension service is the Food Stamp Nutritional Education Program used by about 18,000 county residents. It educates those eligible for food stamps on healthy menus, diet, budget and other matters.
That it has gotten to this point illustrates a bigger battle in progress in Springfield.
Republican state Rep. Sandy Cole, whose district includes Grayslake, described the situation as "budget shenanigans" to get lawmakers to agree to a 2009 budget.
"Rather than sitting down at the table, leadership is using games and threats like this," she said.
Democratic state Sen. Michael Bond, whose district includes Grayslake, said lawmakers face tough choices.
"I'm still trying to research what the options are right now. My choice would be not to make the (extension) cuts, but it's impossible to make them in a vacuum," he said.