One-cent county sales tax enhances OSU Extension's multifaceted programs

Do you know who can test hay to determine if it will be toxic to livestock, provide parenting programs for female prisoners, teach nutrition education, hold a hydro rocketry workshop, complete community assessment surveys? … Yeah, we do that. Pottawatomie County OSU Extension does all of this, and then some. 
Last year, the local OSU Extension Office made personal contact with nearly 16,000 people. Partly because of the county one-cent sales tax, Pottawatomie County has an advantage over its neighbors. OSU Extension currently receives 2.5 percent of the revenue from the one-cent county sales tax. While 2.5 percent is a smaller piece of the pie than other agencies receive, this 2.5 percent has made a tremendous impact on the quality and quantity of programming we can provide. It has allowed Pottawatomie County OSU Extension to accomplish things for our communities and residents that others counties just dream about.
In every county in Oklahoma, OSU Extension is funded partially by the county it resides in and partially by USDA money, filtered through Oklahoma State University. Because of the county sales tax, Pottawatomie County has four full-time educators, each one focusing on different educational needs. 
Joe Benton spends most of his time addressing agriculture and horticulture issues.  He also devotes time to community development and is the county director. Sonya McDaniel covers family and consumer science programming, which includes everything from discipline guidance for parents to nutrition and cooking classes to financial literacy workshops at the Housing Authority. Lindsey Hix and I split Youth Development between school enrichment and the 4-H program. Our budget and facilities have allowed Pottawatomie County to participate in two nutrition grant programs that provide targeted nutrition education to adults and youth. 
In other counties, there are two educators who split their time between three or four program areas. Without the one-cent county sales tax, our office would be half the size it is now.      
Other than staff, the county sales tax has provided means for a permanent home for the office. In the past 20 years, Pottawatomie County Extension moved four times. In August 2006, Pottawatomie County purchased a building on the corner of Acme and MacArthur in Shawnee, saving the county $12,000 a year in rent.  
In the first six months of this year, there have been 66 meetings held in our facility. The Multi-County Master Gardener Association, County Fair Board and other groups meet here on a regular basis. Without the one-cent county sales tax, we would not have been able to purchase this building and provide consistent meeting facilities for community programs.
The ultimate goal of OSU Extension is to provide education and research-based information to communities with the hope that it will improve quality of life for residents. Our ability to accomplish this goal is enhanced by the one-cent county sales tax.  
Editor’s Note: This guest editorial is offered by Sarah Weeks, a member of The Shawnee News-Star Editorial Advisory Board. She is Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, for the Pottawatomie County OCES. The views expressed by our guest editorialists and guest columnists are theirs, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the News-Star’s management.