Representatives from the Oregon State University Extension Service have been visiting city councils in Linn County asking for - and getting - support for the formation of a countywide taxing district to support the service.

"We're getting to the point where we're really hurting here," said staff chairman and regional Extension agent Dan McGrath.

The end of federal forest payments resulted in funding loss so great it eliminated one full-time position at the Extension Service. "Unless we do something we will be down two positions," McGrath said.

He said the general fund has remained relatively stagnant for nearly 10 years while expenses have increased 6 percent a year.

"We will run out of funds pretty quick unless we do something," he said.

As of Wednesday, seven of the 13 incorporated cities in Linn County had been addressed: Lyons, Sweet Home, Millersburg, Lebanon, Scio, Sodaville, and Brownsville. All seven agreed to support the formation of a district.

"They are basically voting to allow us to put this on the ballot in their community," explained Melanie McCabe, 4-H educational program assistant.

A presentation to the Albany City Council is scheduled for Jan. 9.

Even with the cities' support, the Extension Service district representatives will need to collect roughly 11,000 signatures - 15 percent of the electorate - by March 31 in order to get the proposal on the November ballot.

Two groups are working on the project, the Linn County Extension Association as an advisory group and The Friends of Extension as an advocacy group.

"They have to file the complete petition - that means all the signatures accepted and everything is correct - 180 days before the filing deadline," said John Ramirez, Linn County supervisor of elections.

Next, a series of meetings must happen with the board of commissioners and finally a resolution must be passed to put it on the ballot, he said.

The Extension Service district could tax up to 7 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, though it will likely tax far less, McGrath said.

The ExtensionService offers the popular Master Gardener and 4-H Youth Development programs. Other services include grass seed certification to help growers market their product, well water testing, forestry programs including competitive Christmas tree development, and a regional pest monitoring program to prevent crop losses.