Extension office asks Roosevelt County for $109,000 to address historical funding shortfall

An extension office presenter (S8) asked the board to provide $109,000 to begin correcting what she described as a historical funding imbalance that left the university covering a larger share of county-extension costs.

"We come asking, for a 109,000," S8 said, explaining that changes made years ago by a prior county manager and university budget reallocations changed the percentages of who pays for the program. S8 said the correct funding level to fully rectify the difference would be closer to $1.226 million but that $109,000 is a small step toward getting the office "closer to where they need to be." She asked commissioners to consider the request and offered to answer questions.

Commissioners and staff discussed how the request would be entered in the draft budget and noted that county staff had begun to add the line. The presenter said New Mexico State had been picking up the difference and would likely continue to do so for the near term, but that relying on that arrangement long-term is not sustainable.

No formal vote or commitment was recorded at the meeting; staff confirmed they would add the $109,000 request into budget materials for further consideration.