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Sterns County proposal to cut extension funding prompts Morrison County to seek data and options
Summary
Morrison County commissioners discussed a Sterns County notice to reduce its contribution to the Quad‑County Extension partnership, raising the possibility of moving from four full‑time educators to three and asking extension leaders for service‑level data before 2027 budget decisions.
Commissioners on the Morrison County Board on May 19 debated options after Sterns County signaled it would reduce its contribution to the Quad‑County Extension educator pool, potentially shrinking the region’s educator staffing from four to three full‑time positions.
Administrator LeBlanc and extension representatives told the board that Sterns County has proposed lowering its share from roughly 2.2 FTE to about 1.5 FTE for 2027, which would reduce the pool of resources the four‑county partnership provides. LeBlanc said the group discussed several paths forward: keep four educators and find additional funding, drop to three educators and split costs among the remaining counties, or create a part‑time position focused on horticulture/master gardener support.
Commissioner Winter asked extension leadership to supply county‑level utilization and service data and directed administrators to pursue negotiations and return with a concrete proposal for 2027 budgeting. "There is a demand out there for the data," Winter said, citing the board’s request that extension provide clearer service metrics before any reallocation of staffing.
Extension staff and county administrators noted that historical formulas used to allocate educator time were based on older use patterns and that extension work has shifted away from centralized phone‑based requests toward field programs, outreach, and targeted educator visits. Several commissioners argued that utilization metrics must reflect current outreach and programming models, not only legacy phone‑call counts.
No final decision was made; stakeholders agreed administrators will collect the requested data, model cost allocations under several scenarios (four vs. three educators and targeted part‑time support), and report back in advance of county budget deadlines.
Next steps: extension staff will provide detailed service and staffing data; Morrison County administrators will work with partner counties on a proposal for 2027 contributions and bring options to the board for a follow‑up decision.
