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Polk County resident urges commissioners to scrutinize 4‑H, OSU Extension accounting and participation figures
Summary
At the Jan. 7 Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting, resident Lena Califf asked how the county verifies OSU Extension and 4‑H membership and leader numbers and whether formal audits or other accountability measures exist.
Lena Califf, a Polk County resident and longtime 4‑H volunteer, told county commissioners at their Jan. 7 meeting that she is concerned about discrepancies in membership and leader counts reported by Polk County 4‑H and the OSU Extension and asked what checks and balances exist to verify those figures.
Califf said she has been involved with Polk County 4‑H and the OSU Extension for about 10 years and has participated on the OSU Extension budget committee. She cited membership figures in recent reports — 379 members in a November report and 385 members in a 2024 OSU Extension impact report — and said the difference of six members “should not be different.” She also said leader numbers differed by three.
“Is there an audit process or another form of accountability, or is it basically an extension self audit via their yearly impact report?” Califf asked during public comment. She asked whether the impact report is the only metric used to measure the program’s value and whether the county can see leader turnover data (how many leaders leave after one or two years), retention, and why families may participate only one year because it is low or no cost.
Califf said she values 4‑H and Extension work in Polk County but is worried that the county’s needs in 2025 differ from prior years and that the full picture of participation and program alignment may be missing. Her remarks were made during the meeting’s public comment period; commissioners did not take action in response during the meeting and moved on to the next agenda item.
Califf’s remarks indicate questions about data accuracy and program accountability that the board did not resolve on the record. The meeting record does not include a staff response or a directive to follow up with OSU Extension during this session.
