Caledonia Argus

County will hire 4-H coordinator

Posted: 6/18/02

by Jane Palen
Managing editor

The Houston County Extension service as we know it will undergo significant changes beginning next month. County commissioners were briefed on the changes at their meeting of June 1. At the same meeting, the board approved hiring a 4-H coordinator in order to maintain the level of 4-H activity in the county. After July 1, the current 4-H extension educator, Holly Kanengeiter-Brown, along with ag extension educator Bill Halfman, will become regional extension educators.

Brown urged commissioners to consider hiring a 4-H coordinator to continue the youth programs in the county. In her new role as regional educator, she said, she will be more likely to be available to counties that have 4-H coordinators.

ìWithout a coordinator, the 4-H program wonít look the same,î Brown told commissioners. ìI will spend more time in counties that have coordinators because there will be more going on in those counties.î

The net cost to the county for a 4-H coordinator will be approximately $14,689. That number, according to the extension service, reflects 60 percent of the total proposed salary of $24,960, fringe benefits totaling $7,538, and salary savings of $7,825 due to restructuring.

Commissioner Kevin Kelleher said he doubts that the level of service in the county will remain the same.

ìWe will be losing service,î said Kelleher, referring to the change in extension from county educators to regional educators. ìEvery time the state government gets into a bind, we end up paying more.î The $15,000, he said, will come directly from property taxes.

Kelleher said that if commissioners were voting on the reorganization of the extension service he would vote no, but since the motion, introduced by Commissioner David Corcoran, was for maintaining 4-H, he would vote in favor. The motion passed unanimously. The county hopes to have a 4-H coordinator in place by October 1.

4-H currently serves about 450 youth from 300 families in the county.

More changes in extension service

Brown also discussed with the county board the new roles of extension educators.

Instead of three extension educators located in the county, there will now be regional extension educators who will serve up to 15 counties. Beginning July 1, Neil Broadwater will be the county extension director for both Houston and Winona Counties. There will be 13 regional extension educators, including Brown and Halfman. Each has a specialized area of expertise within one of the three areas of Community Development and Vitality; Land, Food and Environment or Youth Development.

The mission of the UM Extension Service remains the same, Brown told commissioners. But changes were needed to address a projected budget deficit. The new system with regional educators reduces costs while increasing flexibility to address each countyís needs, she said.

Also on hand was Neil Broadwater, who told commissioners that ìWe will be doing everything in our power to make this work.î

Broadwater said that he will be at this yearís county fair, and noted that retiring extension agent Naomi Fruechte has offered to help as well.

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