Topeka ? Commerce Secretary Pat George says that ending the Kansas Main Street program doesn’t mean rural communities will lose support from the state agency.

George tells a legislative budget committee on Wednesday that the program was eliminated through a restructuring of the agency announced this summer. He said a loss of federal funds for programs necessitated changes.

Main Street had 25 participants that received state support for recruiting and retaining jobs. George says 95 percent of the funding came from local sources and that many of those efforts will continue at the local level. He says the state will still support the communities in some fashion as they continue the program on their own.

George said 18 jobs were eliminated in the Department of Commerce as part of the restructuring