43
Lawrence officials face opposition to cuts
Planned budget cuts will impact county 4-H programs.
NEW CASTLE, Pa. – Lawrence County commissioners took their meeting to Laurel High School on Tuesday in an effort to interest students in county government.
This is the fourth school they have visited, and they intend to eventually have a meeting in every high school in the county.
But along with attentive students, they found opposition to the 50-percent cuts commissioners plan to make in the Lawrence County Conservation District funding for 2010. The cuts will impact county 4-H programs which are under the conservation district’s budget.
Joe Goodge, agricultural education instructor at Laurel and a member of the county’s 4-H Development Committee, told commissioners that the cuts would reduce 4-H funding from $117,000 to $56,300, and destroy the county’s program — which serves 598 rural and suburban students in 4-H clubs and another 2,000 in enrichment programs.
Laurel student Sarah Wilson, a 4-H member, also asked commissioners to reconsider such deep cuts. She stated that 4-H contributes to the cost of its programs through fundraisers and pointed out the character-building aspects of the program.
Commissioners would make no promises, but Commissioner Richard DeBlasio said that the 50 percent cut is not final, and the proposed budget will be introduced Thursday. Commissioner Steve Craig said all outside funding for groups is being cut by the same amount. He said even if cuts are made, funding could be restored later in the year if more money becomes available.
Commissioners also were questioned about personnel cuts. Rosemary Henderson of Neshannock Boulevard said she received an e-mail this weekend stating the commissioners had recently hired 16 people and created a new job in the probation department.
Commissioner Richard DeBlasio said that there was a hiring freeze for six months after November 2008. He said, however, that at the request of a judge, who cited public safety, a person was hired for a vacant position in the probation office during that time. He said that several positions are vacant but he said he does not know how long this can go on. Craig said a new collections-officer position was recently created in the Adult Probation Department.
Craig said that commissioners are in the uncomfortable position of being forced to make up for a lack of state funds. For example, he said the county’s Children and Youth Services budget has been cut by $2 million for the current fiscal year, and the county will have to use its own money to continue responding to child-abuse and neglect cases.
Also Tuesday, commissioners said they will meet Wednesday morning with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees representatives regarding the county’s request that the union give up a 3 percent cost-of-living increase in 2010 to help the county’s fiscal situation. The other union that represents county employees, Laborers’ Local 964, has not responded the request.