By SHARON KILPATRICK

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock News Staff Writer

Del. Jay Katzen, R-31st District, met with constituents at the county library and ran into heavy opposition to cuts in funding for the extension service.

Del. Katzen said his highest priority will be to restore funds for the extension service, but he said there is only a “remote” possibility all the funds will be restored. He said some funding will probably be restored because all delegates meet-, ifig with constituents are hearing opposition to the funding cuts.

In December Gov. George Allen submitted pages of recommended amendments to the current two-year budget, including a Eduction of $6.3 million to extension services/on top ■ of a $600,000 cut for ttjejpimng year already in the budget.

Del. Katzen said Gov. Allen in- ■ tends to have the cuts come to extension programs in urban and suburban areas rather than in rural areas such as Rappahannock. He said he has consistently supported the extension service because its aim is to improve crops and improve lives so recipients “can be more productive” and ultimately pay more taxes.

Alex Sharp, chairman of the local extension leadership council, asked, “Is there a longer term solution? Will we have to fight every year this hard?”

Del. Katzen suggested he put more effort into persuading Virginia Tech to be a partner in supporting extension and “make a pilgrimage to Blacksburg” to do so.

“We’re raising money to build prisons,” Mr. Sharp said. “If money is spent on 4-H, we wouldn’t need so much for prisons.”

Del. Katzen said, “The reality is we’ve got to spend money on both.”

Peter Kramer said he had received valuable help from the extension service when he first moved to Rappahannock County and had called on them many times. He said unlike some surrounding counties (he specifically mentioned Culpeper and Fauquier) “Rappahannock really wants to remain rural.” The extension service is needed to interest county youth in farming, he said.

The county leases space for the county extension service in a building owned by Mr. Kramer.

Many of Gov. Allen’s budget cuts were proposed to fund a tax cut. “What is the push for a tax cut?” Mr. Kramer asked.

Del. Katzen said it comes “from the feeling you know how to spend your money better than bureaucrats in Richmond.

He explained that the money committees in both houses will work on the amendments to the budget and suggested people contact members of these committees. “It’s a long tortuous process,” he said.

Roberta Anderson said she was concerned about cuts in higher education. She said it used to be easy for Virginia colleges and universities to attract top professors in their fields, but this is no longer true.

Mrs. Anderson said she is also concerned about cuts in library funding. She is a member of the Library Board. Gov. Allen has proposed to freeze funding for libraries at the current level. That is $2,069 less than anticipated for the local library next year.

John Marocchi said, “What we’re doing today is duplicated everywhere. In the last 40 years government has grown from 5 percent of gross domestic product to 40 percent. The standard of living has fallen in the United States. People have reached the point where they have had enough....Somehow we’ve got to turn this around? I agree extension contributes and art is a good thing to have. Libraries have more needs, but we’ve got to turn the leviathan around.”

Mr. Sharp added, “But don’t cut the areas that do the most good first.”