OSU Extension faces financial uncertainty

The extension agent said a comprehensive land use plan is a template for the future.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
LISBON -- Under a dark cloud of financial uncertainty, Ohio State University Extension officials in Columbiana County are working to create a comprehensive land use plan.
Ernie Oelker, extension agent, said a group of about 30 people have volunteered so far to serve on or chair committees to put a land use plan in place for Columbiana County by the summer of 2007. He isn't sure, however, if the county extension office here will remain open past June 2006.
Around 120 people are needed to provide leadership and input on economic, environmental, agricultural, residential, industrial, transportation and infrastructure concerns for the future of the county, Oelker said.
He said a comprehensive land use plan is a template for the county's future, and he wants the plan to go forward with our without the extension service in operation.
Oelker said Extension's 2005 budget is $160,000. There is no money earmarked for Extension in the county's 2006 budget, he said.
4-H
Area 4-H participants are working on projects for the 2006 Columbiana County Fair, and are paying membership dues of $10 each to help keep that program running, he said.
County voters defeated a 1/2 percent sales tax in November that generated $4 million annually. The tax expired in August and commissioners have said they've already made around $300,000 in cuts this year.
"A land use plan is a road map for communities to use in planning," Oelker said. "It's not a rule book. Still, the most often asked question is 'Who will enforce it?' This is not a regulatory document. It's a guide prepared by people who have skills in these areas and knowledge of what has been developed and what communities need and want," he said.
Oelker said the other often-asked question is how will 120 people make such a commitment. The answer is many already have, he said. Mahoning and Trumbull counties have plans in place as do Carroll and Coshocton counties and many other Ohio counties, he said.
The group of volunteers so far have adopted a timeline to have 120 people recruited by February 2006 and begin training in February and March. A draft of the plan is to be prepared by March 2007 and a final document is to be completed by June 2007.
He said the next meeting is Dec. 16, and volunteers will decide who will chair or co-chair the four main areas of economic development, facilities and infrastructure, land use and environment. The chairmen and other volunteers will then work to recruit more volunteers.
tullis@vindy.com