Bossier Parish Advisory Leadership Council

BOSSIER PARISH ADVISORY LEADERSHIP COUNCIL MEETING

AUGUST 4, 2010
 

The Bossier Parish Advisory Leadership Council met at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 4. (This meeting would normally be held in October, but was moved up due to the AgCenter’s budget crisis.) Those attending included:

Phil McMillian, 4-H Leader at Waller Elementary
Glenn Benton, Bossier Parish Police Jury
Mary Ann Rankin, Bossier Council on Aging
Kenneth Smith, Bossier Farm Bureau
Ann Allen, Timber Land Owner
David Ogletree, Ark-La-Tex Ag Council
Terry Foster, Family & Consumer Sciences
Jeannie Crnkovic, 4-H Youth Development
Alex Shook, 4-H Youth Development
Ricky Kilpatrick, Area Forestry Agent/Parish Chair

Ricky introduced the Bossier Parish staff, and ALC members present each introduced themselves. Ricky reviewed the minutes from the last meeting pointing out issues of concern for Bossier Parish as listed at the spring 2010 ALC meeting. Packets provided for ALC members included:

  1. The minutes of the previous ALC meeting held March 18, 2010
  2. The recently developed Bossier Parish profile    
  3. A news release about the AgCenter’s proposed budget cuts
  4. A summary of program highlights for January through July 2010
  5. Contact information for the LSU Board of Regents and area legislators

The Bossier Parish agents reviewed highlights for the first half of 2010 for each of the program areas (Forestry/Agriculture & Natural Resources, FCS and 4-H).

Ricky gave a report of the current AgCenter budget crisis. With the current cut, the LSU AgCenter has seen a 40 percent budget reduction since 2008. The current proposed budget cut will result in about 220 layoffs statewide for the LSU AgCenter. Approximately half of these will be from research and half from Extension. This will have a huge negative impact on the AgCenter’s capability to deliver programs and services. ALC members were asked to contact legislators and members of the LSU Board of Regents in support of the LSU AgCenter. ALC members discussed legislators and Board of Regents members that they would visit with in the upcoming weeks.

Ricky reiterated that the Bossier Parish office would continue to provide programs and services for Bossier Parish residents and that our 4-H program remains very strong in Bossier Parish. He stated, however, that if we lose positions in the parish office, there are certain programs and services that could not continue with the loss of these positions. The group was reminded that we will meet again in the spring.

The group adjourned at noon.

5/23/2006 11:05:38 PM
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