K-State Research & Extension agents can test the soil from a flower bed, teach children about bugs, and instruct people in the food service business about the correct way to handle food.

They can even advise a person on the best time to spray for the weed musk thistle. It’s in the fall, by the way.

But Douglas County commissioners Monday won’t have a conversation about what the extension office does or the services it can provide.

Commissioners will discuss a proposal to merge extension offices in Douglas and Shawnee counties. They’ll meet at 9 a.m. Monday in Topeka with their counterparts from the Shawnee County Commission.

“It only makes sense for the two commissions to touch base,” said Douglas County Commission Chairman Charles Jones.

Douglas County commissioners don’t plan to vote on the matter Monday. They view the time for discussion as a work session.

What it is

Services provided by the Douglas County Research & Extension office range from youth development programs to writing recommendations on soil samples.

The office receives about 6,000 calls a year from people using services provided by the organization. Extension agents have columns in the newspaper. And there are about 500 children ages 7 through 18 involved in 4-H throughout the county.

Despite all that, Douglas County Research & Extension director Trudy Rice acknowledges some people still don’t know what agents do or that anyone in the county can call them for information or assistance.

“Quite often, when people have discovered us, they say we’re the best-kept secret,” Rice said. “I don’t know if it’s just that we haven’t done a good job educating people about what we do or if we’re kind of haunted with the image that we’re just for agriculture and people who live in the country.”

There are more than 3,000 extension and research offices in the United States. In Kansas, county and district extension offices are connected with Kansas State University.

History

Connie Detweiler, family nutrition program assistant with the K-State Research & Extension office in Douglas County quizzes Woodlawn fifth-graders about protein foods during an after-school program.

Jim Lindquist, director of northeast Kansas and metropolitan area extension offices, said extension programs began in 1914 under the federal Smith-Lever Act as a way to provide citizens information on subjects relating to agriculture and family and consumer science.

“But programs change based on what a community needs,” Lindquist said. “It’s very grassroots oriented and localized. There’s been a great deal of evolution in services provided. I think in the early days, it was a lot more rural. Now, it’s more urban.”

Rice said there continued to be some focus on agriculture and horticulture. People continue to move from the city into rural areas of the county, she said. The staff members with the K-State Research & Extension office in Douglas County help people learn how to care for their property or how to do some farming.

The office also provides family financial workshops for homeowners moving into Habitat for Humanity homes; cooking classes that sometimes cater to people with diabetes or heart problems; and parenting classes.

“We’re trying to provide a service that’s meeting needs that aren’t addressed anywhere else in the community,” Rice said.

Wanting to merge

Providing more services is one of the reasons Rice and others involved with the Douglas County and Shawnee County offices want to merge.

“Shawnee County has a huge indoor air quality program,” Rice said. “If we merged, Douglas County residents could benefit from their program.”

There would be no layoffs, relocations or budget cuts associated with the merger.

Consolidating the agencies would allow agents to become more specialized in specific areas, proponents said. The results of the more focused areas could allow for more in-depth programs.

Douglas County Commissioner Jere McElhaney said the merger was a good idea.

“I think it’s going to be a good benefit for the citizens of the county,” he said. “I think we’ve put more and more pressure on our extension services. The role of extension has changed and they’ve taken on more burden.”

Some concerns

While the concept of consolidation is viewed as a positive, Commissioner Bob Johnson said he was having some difficulty with the proposal.

He said he supported the work of the extension agency and the idea of consolidation. However, the merger would mean a new taxing entity would be created. Commissioners would relinquish their duty to help fund the local extension agency. The job would go to an elected eight-member board, which would have the ability to levy taxes of up to 2.5 mills in property tax each year on residents of both counties.

If the merger were approved, it would take about 0.423 mills to fund the district at the current level the county agencies are funded. For a home appraised at $150,000, taxpayers would pay $7.30 per year for the services in Douglas and Shawnee counties.

With no merger, Shawnee County levies 0.374 mills, which is $6.45 annually for a $150,000 home. Douglas County levies .494 mills, which would be $8.52 annually.

Rice said she didn’t know what the extension services would do if the merger happened and the taxing board levied the maximum tax of 2.5 mills.

“I cannot even conceive that to ever happen,” Rice said. “Traditionally, people on our board are very conservative financially. They pay more than taxes on a $150,00 home. Most of them own other land or businesses. So, I think they would have that in mind at all times.”