IRON MOUNTAIN - The Michigan State University Extension is in the middle of the state's budget fight.
Beth Waitrovich, Extension director in Dickinson County, told county commissioners Monday that the Extension faces an uncertain future, including possible elimination.
The Lansing State Journal reported Saturday that the state has withheld its October payment for both the MSU Extension and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.
That's been viewed as a signal that Gov. Jennifer Granholm might line-item veto the Extension's $64 million in state funding.
If that should happen, 82 Extension offices and 17 research stations around the state would be forced to close immediately. The Extension's 4-H programs would also be shut down.
Under a budget sent to the governor, the Extension would have a 44 percent reduction in state funding, Waitrovich said. The plan, however, was to use federal stimulus money to make up the difference. The 44 percent reduction, she noted, could become permanent after the stimulus funding ends.
The Extension should learn in the next week whether the governor intends to accept the budget or use her veto pen.
Last week, Granholm said she would likely have to veto some spending in the budget bills on her desk. Declining revenues are affecting what the state can afford unless taxes and fees are increased, she said. The state is now operating under an interim budget that expires Oct. 31.
In a radio address Saturday, Granholm called upon the Legislature to reach an agreement.
The House, Granholm said, "has passed several measures to increase revenues to fund critical needs in our budget, and they are ready to do more."
"There's no reason our state Senate can't follow suit," the Democratic governor said.
Senate Republicans say tax increases aren't needed to balance the budget. Democrats hold a majority in the House while Republicans lead the Senate.
In Dickinson County, at least 1,000 young people are impacted by the Extension's 4-H programs, Waitrovich said.
County Board Chairman Henry Wender expressed his support for 4-H. Commissioner Joe Stevens said the ongoing budget battle is troubling not only for the Extension, but also for local schools.
Waitrovich presented Dickinson commissioners with a two-page summary of MSU Extension programs in the county. The list includes: Project FRESH (coupons for locally grown fruits and vegetables); 4-H Peer Mentoring Learn and Serve; 4-H Camp Molinare; family financial counseling; pre-purchase homebuyer education; Master Gardener training; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education; nutrition education in schools; Parenting Education Program; Better Kid Care (child care
provider training); forest biomass research; Small Town and Community Design Initiatives; and ServSafe (training for food service managers.
MSU Extension receives state, federal and county money to cover its expenses. The elimination of state funding would have the cumulative effect of canceling far more in federal dollars and other support, according to Extension officials.
Jim Anderson's e-mail address is janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.