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Amador County Recreation Agency |
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Wednesday, 10 June 2009 |
 Amador County – The Board of Supervisors Tuesday heard a two-part presentation by Amador County Recreation Agency Director Tracey Towner-Yep concerning the agency’s deepening financial concerns. The Supervisors unanimously approved to continue their contribution of $5 per capita for the next fiscal year. District 2 Supervisor Richard Forster said he “would like to stand by that commitment and keep supporting ACRA, rather than pulling the rug completely out from under them.” Towner-Yep said that even with the County’s continued support, ACRA “is still facing a 75 percent cut in operating funds” for the next fiscal year. Program revenues are down as people draw inward to weather the economic recession and cut extraneous costs.
“Basically, as other companies and individuals feel the pinch, we as a soft funded agency feel the trickle down from those negative effects,” said Liz MacLeod, ACRA’s Coordinator of Services and Public Affairs. If ACRA were to provide all of the needed services in Amador County, a budget of 3.8 million dollars would be needed. “In other words, ACRA is already stretching every dollar to meet the recreation needs of the county. Now we’ll have to stretch them even further,” said MacLeod. Towner-Yep said the after-school programs the agency has “shepherded” this year may not be available next year as a result. ACRA also hopes for a $5 contribution per capita from each of the county’s five cities, which totals $170,610 when the county’s contribution is included. In the face of cutbacks and shortages, the agency remains proactive. “As the agencies grant writer, I am currently approaching private foundations with proposals for operating funds which will hopefully ameliorate the negative effects of the current budget cutbacks,” said MacLeod. Story by Alex Lane
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