Weed Board chairman questions whether officials understand program benefits
Letter to the Editor,
(As) to the agriculture interests of Lincoln County (in) June 2012, the Lincoln County Commissioners have implemented severe budget reductions to the Lincoln County Weed Department (LCWD) for fiscal year 2011-2012, and indicate that similar or further reductions can be expected in fiscal year 2012-2013.
The Lincoln County Weed Board is concerned that this level of budget reduction reflects a lack of support for weed control in Lincoln County, and the weed program is being phased out.
The Commissioners’ rationale for the severe budget cuts is the lack of funding, not lack of concern for weed management; but the fact of their actions speak clearly.
1. On Sept. 1, 2011, the budget for fiscal year July 2011 – July 2012 was reduced by 37 percent from the ’09-’10 budget year. This budget reduction was given to the LCWD after the summer spray season and the Weed Department had performed work and spent funds based on the expectation that the budget would be similar to the 2010-2011 cycle.
2. In addition to the direct budget cuts, the employee insurance was also placed into the weed budget, which had never been done before, resulting in a further reduction. That lowered the working weed budget and amounts to a 50 percent reduction when compared to the previous year’s budget.
3. The Lincoln County Weed Board has worked on a budget reduction strategy to keep the program active through June and only asked for an additional $4,250 for the remainder of this year to continue our program. The Commissioners have denied this request and appear to be prepared to allow the LCWD to go into a closure during June’s critical spray season.
4. The Commissioners’ proposed budget for the fiscal year 2012 -2013 is still in the minus 50 percent range of the ’09 - ’10 budget cycles, and still has proportionally higher cuts than other county programs. Equity in cuts is lacking.
5. With the exception of the County Nurse no other Lincoln County department has experienced this large a reduction in their program.
6. While the Commissioners promote job creation in Lincoln County; little to no credit is being given to the LCWD for the local jobs created from more than $2 million in grant funds that have been successfully applied for and received by the weed department during the last 10 years.
The LCWD and Board believes we have made significant progress in weed management during the past 10 years through cooperative and integrated weed management approaches with the many Lincoln County land owners; biological control, education, stable employee maintenance, and direct herbicide treatment along key weed spread corridors. The strength of the LCWD’s program and the cooperative network that we put into place made the LCWD’s program very successful in acquiring grant funds. These funds have really made the weed program what it is today.
The Lincoln County Weed Board is concerned that our Commissioners are not supporting our agricultural interests, and furthermore they have a poor understanding of the economic effects of invasive plants on agricultural interests.
If this Commissioner funding of the LCWD is upsetting call a Commissioner now as they are preparing the 2012-2013 budget now or come to the LCWD meeting in Eureka at the North County Annex at 1 p.m. June 19.
— Rocky Schauer
Chairman Lincoln County Weed Department