Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ucce Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
UC Cooperative Extension warns Amador supervisors that budget cuts threaten Master Gardener and 4‑H staff time
Summary
University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) staff told the Amador County Board that a $25,000 local cut (15%) will reduce FTE for Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver programs and imperil SNAP‑Ed funded positions after statewide program changes reduced grant support.
University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) area director Jolynn Miller told the Amador County Board of Supervisors that the local UCCE office faces a $25,000 reduction to its county allocation — about a 15% cut to the county portion of the program budget — and warned that the office has already been pared to a ‘‘bare minimum’’ of staff to run 4‑H and Master Gardener programs.
Miller described a four‑county Central Sierra region staffed by nine advisers and additional program staff based in Jackson. She said the university portion of the program that returns to the county was roughly $669,000 for the local area in fiscal 2023–24, and the county contribution was $154,000. Miller said the UCCE staff leverages significant grant funds and volunteers (about 100 volunteers across programs) but that the recent cut would reduce Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver time by about 20% of an FTE, and endangered two school‑based nutrition education positions when state SNAP‑Ed funding was eliminated.
Miller explained how the Cooperative Extension budget is structured: UC ANR scientists are funded by state and federal lines while local program staff depend on county contributions and grants. She outlined programs (forestry, woody biomass, livestock/grazing, integrated pest management, community nutrition, disaster resilience) and said county core support is critical to keep community programming running and to match grants that the scientists win. Miller told supervisors the 2023–24 county contribution had been $154,000 and that the final FY24–25 county allocation was $136,000 after board action.
Board members asked about the source and distribution of state funds, the relationship between scientists (state‑funded) and county‑funded program staff, and possible alternatives — such as partnerships with probation, HHSA, or grants — to sustain program time. Miller said UC Cooperative Extension can pursue grants and partnerships but that the county share is necessary to maintain local programming and volunteer coordination.
Ending: Miller and board members agreed to continue the conversation; she left printed material and an annual report for board members and invited supervisors to contact UCCE advisers about local issues such as invasive weeds and post‑fire resilience.
