September 18, 2017 at 3:52 p.m.
County committee hears fair report
County committee hears fair report
Jim Winkler presented a report on the fair. Despite a rainout on the first day, he said the fair committee felt the event was well-attended. The entertainment drew good-sized crowds as did many of the special events, he reported. The fair fish fry, a major fundraiser for the event, sold out on Friday night, he noted, The fair also received over $1,875 in donations, he said.
After Winkler's report, fair committee president Tom Peterson announced his retirement. He said he has served as president for several years and has concluded it's time to relinquish his post. Chairman Bob Mott asked if there was anyone who may step up to take that position. Both Winkler and Peterson said there are two individuals who may be interested in taking over.
Winkler also told the committee fair coordinator Nancy Gehrig is expected to tender her resignation later this fall and filling her shoes will be no small task.
The committee would need to actively recruit someone for that position, especially with the UW-Extension limiting Lynn Feldman's role in organizing the fair.
Feldman has taken on many tasks and duties over the years that are not within the scope of her UW-Extension role. A letter has been drafted to the fair committee to explain Feldman will only be serving in an educational capacity in regards to 4H. This means that many duties she previously performed will fall to other fair personnel and volunteers.
According to Feldman, UW-Extension support staff spend approximately 300 hours each year on fair activities. The question was posed as to whether or not Extension business was getting done and if that was the reason those hours were in question. Should those hours need to be allocated somewhere else, the fair budget, would go up from $16,000 to $23,000, Feldman noted. The fair committee has requested the committee allow Extension support staff to continue to provide those 300 hours of work toward fair activities.
"A zero percent increase would be us moving forward at $16,000," supervisor Robb Jensen said. "If they (support staff) continue to do that 300 hours, there's no increase in budget. But if we say that, for whatever reason, they're not getting the other UW-Extension stuff done? If we say they are not going to do anymore stuff for the fair, what will they be doing with those 300 hours? Are we falling behind on stuff?"
"No, No," Feldman said.
"So, if we no longer do fair stuff, we can cut our support staff 15 precent," Jensen said. "That's what it's saying."
"You're right, Robb," Feldman said. "You're exactly right."
"With those 300 hours are we not getting something done?" Jensen asked. "I just heard the answer is no. We're getting stuff done."
"I beg to differ," said CNRED agent Myles Alexander. "I use no support staff."
"I would disagree with that, too," UW- Extension educator Sara Richie said. "There's a lot of stuff they can't do because they are doing stuff for the fair. We wind up doing a lot of our own stuff that we would normally ask them to."
"So, I just heard two answers for the question," Mott said.
"For the fair is one thing," Alexander said. "For the rest of the staff is something else. We're getting by using our time we could be doing other things more appropriate to our roles if we had more access to support staff."
"So the time that it's taking (the support staff) to do some fair work, they could be doing things for you?" Mott asked. "So the answer is yes. I don't have any problem moving forward with the $16,000 approval to fund the fair. I don't know how an increase of $7,000 will go over when it moves to the next level. As a county board member, I am comfortable moving $16,000 forward into 2018. I'm a little hesitant to go $23,000."
"I think it's just that much more necessary to keep those support staff hours with a new coordinator coming on," Winkler said. "There's going to be a learning curve with that new person coming in, whomever that may be."
It was noted that the support staff is actually spending fewer hours on fair activities than in years past. The committee agreed that it's important to keep the support staff hours and voted to move the request forward in the budget process.
UW-Extension reorganization
The topic of the UW-Extension reorganization was also on the agenda, with the committee once again wrestling with budgetary constraints and the fact that it would cost the county an additional $30,000 to keep all of the services it currently provides.
As has in the past, the committee reiterated it is in the best interest of the county to keep three full-time educators and to cut any services.
It was again stressed that the county administration committee needs to be made aware of what services the county would likely go without if staff are eliminated.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at bjoki@lakeland times.com.
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