05-26-09 – 8:30 a.m. - State budget cuts will have an impact on county youth programs this summer, but concerns over the complete elimination of state funds for the initiatives have been put to rest for now.
Columbia County Youth Bureau Director Jessica Nabozny Shufelt told ccSCOOP that a plan by the state to switch the way youth bureaus receive funding has been dropped. As a result, her agency, which could have been eliminated if the proposal had moved forward, has been saved. However, she said the youth bureau must now address a 10 percent reduction in state funding on top of an 8 percent cut implemented last year.
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The annual Fishing Derby at Oakdale Lake, presented by the City of Hudson Youth Department |
The reduction in state funding will ultimately mean another reduction in funds provided to youth programs in the county. According to Shufelt, everything from the City of Hudson’s Youth Department to summer recreation programs administered in towns throughout the county to programs run by Operation Unite and Cornell Cooperative Extension could be impacted.
While the numbers are still preliminary—the state has not yet provided the county with final funding numbers—Shufelt expects a reduction of approximately $30,000 in funds for this year, bringing the amount of funds available to programs down to about $100,000.
“We are going to have to take a close look at all of the program requests and see where we can make cuts with the least amount of impact,” she said.
Shufelt said such organizations as Chatham Morris Memorial and the Family Resource Center will likely receive less than the $5,000 to $8,000 they have received in the past and funding for the City of Hudson’s youth program will also likely be slashed.
The county Youth Bureau serves as an administrative agency for programs in the county, making them eligible for state funds the county can apply for and receive. The bureau seeks the funding from the state, reviews funding applications from various programs in the county, and then provides the funds, Shufelt explained.
Supervisor Doug McGivney (D-Kinderhook) said the future of the agency had been put at risk by a state proposal to provide funds to the county in a block grant that would have consolidated funding for youth programs with funding for such county agencies as the Department of Social Services. Shufelt said the proposal would have severely reduced or eliminated funding to her agency and may possibly have resulted in its demise. McGivney said that county supervisors, headed by Bill Hughes (D-Hudson-4), opposed the funding switch. Hughes could not be reached for comment.
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