RESTORED, AT LAST
The Master Gardeners came out in force at the Oct. 13 Steele County Board meeting. Their presence likely helped as the commissioners voted to reverse a previous decision to end the program. The gardeners include, from left: Cathy Larson, Cheryl Miller, Teresa Suek, Jody Buell, Lorrie Rugg, Becki Tindall (partially hidden), Jayne Spooner, Sharon Boisselle, Deb Arlt, Mickey Dogotch, Jane Starman, Deb Kenison, Janice Jensen, Nancy Brekke and Terri Hottman. Staff photo by Karen M. Jorgensen
Following a strong showing of support for the Steele County Master Gardener program, county commissioners voted Oct. 13 to restore funding that would pay the salary of Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator Lorrie Rugg.
The board had voted at its previous meeting to inform the University of Minnesota it was giving the required 90-day notice of a change in the contract with the University that the county would not fund the Master Gardener coordinator or the Ag Educator positions for 2027. The board’s reason for that decision was that the county could not afford the positions as it was trying to keep the 2027 tax levy under 7%. Last week’s action affected only the Master Gardener coordinator position.
Master Gardener volunteers from Steele County, along with several volunteers from Rice and Waseca County and community residents turned out in force to speak during the public comments portion of the board meeting.
Several of the speakers expressed their concerns about what would happen to the program if it no longer had a paid coordinator but instead operated totally with volunteers. The Steele County program has been growing consistently but other counties that rely on a volunteer coordinator have seen their numbers decrease.
Jody Buel said that counties with no paid coordinator average about 11 members while the Steele County group has 43. Laura Heyne added that by January they expect to have more than 50 members.
The coordinator job requires more time than a volunteer can give was a common theme, as well as the amount of paperwork required by the University of Minnesota Extension Service.
Several of the speakers also commented on the amount of produce the Master Gardeners have grown in the gardens they have around the county and that produce has been donated to Community Pathways.
After the public comments had concluded, Commissioner Greg Krueger said he had received more than 26 emails about the Master Gardener position but had not received any about the ag educator. He said that the answer might be to vote to fund the Master Gardener coordinator but not the ag educator.
Commissioner Jim Abbe said any further discussion and decisions should be discussed further at a future budget meeting. Abbe said his concern was about the impact of programs on the Steele County budget for 2027. With federal and state cuts to counties, he said, there are “headwinds” that need to be addressed. The county’s goal, he said, is to reduce the 7.1% preliminary tax levy increase when the final budget is prepared. The county needs to look at discretionary spending, he said.
County Administrator Renae Fry insisted that the board needed to make a decision immediately because a budget meeting could not be scheduled last week because of the need for three days public notice and Krueger was going on vacation and would not be available this week.
The motion was then made to reverse the earlier decision to defund the Master Gardener paid coordinator position that has a salary of $31,525 with Abbe casting the lone no vote.