Extension service faces uncertain future in county
By Rosanne Roberts
Of the Emerald
The lane County Extension
Service probably will be forced
to leave Lane County unless the
City of Eugene approves a
special tax district.
Eugene city councillors
decide today at noon whether to
support the proposed lane Ex
tension Service district, which
would allow the people of lane
County to vote on a tax base to
support the existing service.
The extension service wants
to restore positions cut during
the past several years, including
agents who answer questions
and participate in urban hor
ticulture, home economics. 4-H
clubs and livestock programs.
last week the lane County
Board of Commissioners told
the extension service they
world not be able to support the
service through its general
fund. The commissioners told
the extension supporters to go
back to the cities of Eugene and
Springfield and ask again for
their support, since the
county’s money may be
available only if the extension
service continues its attempt to
form a special tax district.
Money for the extension ser
vice usually comes from the
lame County commissioners
general fund. Because the coun
ty lacks money duo to the drop
in revenue from federal timl)er
sales, the county can no longer
afford to support the service.
‘‘For three-and-a-half years I
have opposed the idea of a
special district because I
thought the money should come
from the basic budget.” said
Bill Rogers. l-ane County Board
of Commissioners chairman.
Rogers said he now supports the
special district because he
realizes the county will not be
able to finance the e .tension
service.
Rogers also said the majority
of commissioners believe the
service district is the only way
the extension service will get
their money.
‘‘There’s no other way for the
extension service to remain
satisfactory.” Rogers said.
However. Rogers added that the
need for additional sheriffs
deputies and contingency funds
was much greater than for the
extension service.
In tU81 laine County con
tributed $145,000 to support ex
tension, but In 1 **H2 the
county’s financial support
dropped close to zero More
recently, support holds steady
at $50,000 per year and use of
their building The creation of a
new district and passage of a
serial levy would assure con
tinued funding free from the
restraints of Lane County’s
general fund.
"At our level of staffing the
county should be paying
$:UX).000 a year." senior exten
sion agent Steve Woodward
said.
The idea to create a sj>eeial
district, with ihe Ijane County
commissioners as its board of
directors, could levy a property
tax of possibly $560,000 to pay
for clerks, aides and office ren
tal. The tax rate would la* eight
cents per $1000 of assessed pro
perty value, or $4 for the owner
of a $50,000 home.
Volunteers for Extension is
circulating petitions calling for
formation of the district. Before
Et al.
MEETINGS
The Literary Society present*
"Between the Eyes.” a poetry
reading by graduate students in
the creative writing department
tonight at 8 at the Beanery. 790
E. 14th Ave.
The UO/UES Sister Universi
ty Project will meet today at
4::U) in Century Room A. EMU.
“Study in Spain" — an infor
mational meeting to discuss the
1988 Seville Study Program
will be held today at 4 in 360
Oregon Hall. Call 888-3208 for
further information.
Interested in doing
something worthwhile? Come
to an Alpha Phi Omega
organizational meeting tonight
at 7 in the Staple Room of the
EMU.
LECTURES
Neuroscience Seminar: janis
C. Weeks of the University of
California at Berkeley, will
speak on ‘'Hormonally
Mediated Change in Neuronal
Structure and Function during
Insect Metamorphosis" today at
3:30 in 331 Science II.
c
0
p
1
E
S
3*
All Day
Every Day
Mon.-Fii.
8:304:00pm
Sat. 10-6pm
Print America
519 E. 13th
495-1940
I.aurinda Dixon. <i Syracuse
University art historian, will
speak on "Bosch's Carden of
l) o I i g h t s Triptych
Alchemical Imagery” tonight at
7:110 in 107 Lawrence. Dixon is
widely published in the field of
Northern Renaissance art.
alchemy and occult science.
Sponsored by the art history
department. Center for the
Study of Women in Society and
the EMU Cultural Forum.
MISCELLANEOUS
"Citizen Action toward
Pesticide Reform” — A video
and discussion tonight at It in
Studio K of the Instructional
Media Center.
"Applying to l.aw School" is
the workshop sponsored by
Academic Advising and Stu
dent Services today at 3:30 in
104 Oregon Mall.
Applications for Peer Health
Advising positions and Prac
tlcum Student Internships for
Fall Term 1*1H7 now are being
accepted. Application forms are
available at the Health Educa
tion ('enter located in the Stu
dent Health Center. For further
information, call tiHti-M.lt> or
080-440 I
The University Outdoor Pro
gram is sponsoring the video
"Winds of Everest” today at
12:.it) in the Outdoor Program
room in the basement of the
EMU. Join the l*iH4 American
Ohina-Everest team as they once
again attempt the North Pace,
this time successfully placing
one member on the summit.
The University Outdoor Pro
gram is sponsoring a windsurf
ing and whitewater equipment
swap today at 5:30 at Orchard
Point. Fern Kidge Reservoir. A
variety of used equipment will
he available including sail
boards, sails, kayaks, rafts and
canoes. For mure information,
call 080-4305.
Deadline for submitting Et als
to the Emerald front desk. 300
EMU. is noon the day before
publication. Et als are run only
once. Events with a donation or
admission charge will not tie
considered Events oc< erring
nearest the publication dale and
campus events will t>e given
priority.
Waterpipe Sale
2 Q Qp off any P‘PC
or waterpipe
a**0 ^ Ct^ off any poster
with this ad.
(Good thru 5/29/07)
It's high time you hit Lazar's Bazar
for the best waterpipe selection in
town. Over 100 different styles to
choose from.
57 W. Broadway, Downtown
687-8591
the measure uiii go to the voters
next November, every Incor
porated city in the county must
pass a resolution approving the
district All the cities in the
county have done so, except
Kugene and Springfield, The
Springfield city council will
discuss the issue on Monday.
If Eugene doesn't go along
with the special district pro
posal. Woodward said. "The ci
ty is vetoing the right to let peo
ple vote on it."
Woodward expects "gobs of
people*' to show support for the
extension service at today's city
council meeting at the Kugene
Council Chamber, 777 Pearl St.
"It would la* great if university
students came down," Wood
ward said
The extension service
receives 25 percent of its funds
from federal money. SO percent
from the state, 17 percent from
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