Belknap County commissioners ask delegation for supplemental appropriation to restore UNH Extension, Conservation District and CASA

Belknap County commissioners voted to request a supplemental appropriation of roughly $130,000 from the county delegation to restore funding to the UNH Cooperative Extension, the Belknap County Conservation District and CASA, a move commissioners said is intended to protect grant revenue and local services that depend on those county allocations.

Commissioner Waring moved the request “in accordance with RSA 24:14‑a,” asking the delegation to reinstate the cuts; the motion was seconded and carried after the board’s voice vote. The board said it will present the delegation with a formal supplemental‑appropriation petition and support it at the required public hearing.

The request responds to cuts made by the county delegation at its budget meeting earlier this year that reduced the Cooperative Extension appropriation by roughly $100,000 and the Conservation District appropriation by about $25,000. Commissioners and agency representatives told the board those local cuts jeopardize larger streams of grant funding and programs that serve farmers,…