NEWS

City backs special district for extension service, 4-H

Michael Rose
Statesman Journal

Salem City Council has adopted a resolution to support a Marion County Extension and 4-H Service District.

The action, taken at the May 12 city council meeting, clears one obstacle for backers of the proposed service district. If the proposal continues to gain support from local jurisdictions, voters in 2015 would be asked to approve it.

Agriculture is king in the Mid-Willamette Valley, but Marion County Extension is struggling with dwindling funds. Marion County Extension, which is part of the Oregon State University extension program, provides essential services for farmers, foresters, winemakers and others.

Backers of the service district say it's needed to offset state and federal budget cuts to extension service programs. The new service district would promote 4-H Youth programs, provide university experts to advise agricultural businesses, as well as establish new programs to reduce hunger in the community.

Taxpayers, however, would have final say on its creation.

Voters in 2015 could be asked to support a new tax to fund the service district. It would amount to five cents per $1,000 of assessed property values. For example, a home with an assessed value of $160,000 would pay about $8 per year.

In January, the Marion County Board of Commissioners approved a petition to form an agricultural extension service district. Commissioners are now seeking the support of cities in Marion County, which is necessary to advance the proposal.

Marion County has the highest agricultural production value of any county in Oregon, with estimated gross sales of $639 million for all commodities in 2012, according to the Marion County Farm Bureau.

Over the past few years, Marion County Extension's budgets have been cut 25 percent because of shrinking state and federal resources.

mrose@StatesmanJournal .com (503) 399-6657 or follow on Twitter @mrose_sj

Funding

The Marion County Extension receives funding from a combination of federal, state and county resources.