Funding released for ag programs

Tony Huffman
Effingham Daily News

May 02, 2008 02:38 pm

— The standoff in the state capital over funds for agriculture programs reached a conclusion Wednesday as Gov. Rod Blagojevich agreed to release those monies. The programs, which include the Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the U of I Extension systems, have felt the brunt of a tight budget battle between the governor and legislators.
There has been a snag, however. While the programs are slated to receive funds, some in state government are skeptical.
“The governor agreed to release funds and we expect that he will, but there has been some hold-ups,” said Rep. David Reis, R-Willow Hill. “Some help is coming to these programs but we are hearing that the amount of money and the time frame may be changing.”
The hold-up, according to Reis, is just another example of the governor playing manipulative politics.
“He was holding this over our heads to vote a certain way for a bill that would allow a constitutional amendment to recall elected officials,” said Reis. “The House voted yes on the recall, but pressure was put on the Senate and they killed it. I think a lot of this was the senators knew their parts of the state needed this ag money and this was a way to get it.”
As the political wrangling continues, local officials are describing their mood as cautiously optimistic.
“We are in a holding mode because we haven’t been told how much money is coming,” said Gary Beaumont, spokesperson for the University of Illinois Extension Effingham Center. “At this point in time, we haven’t had any communication about receiving this money.”
According to Beaumont, if all the money does actually come through, there could still be hard times for the Extension programs.
“The problem is, this was money for FY ’08, which ends June 30, 2008. The next hurdle is what will we get in the budget in ’09,” continued Beaumont. “We have been running on red all year, so we need to get this money and figure out where we are at.”
Kelly Quinn, spokesperson for the governor, was not available by presstime.
Tony Huffman can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 135 or at Tony.Huffman@effinghamdailynews.com.