COEUR d'ALENE - They can manage for now.

But some providers of non-mandated services in Kootenai County worry that upcoming budget cuts are the beginning of a long fall.

"More important for us is the long-term implications," said Mike Howell, district director for the University of Idaho Extension Office. "I don't think we want to go through this every year."

The commissioners announced last week that county funding for the Extension Office would drop about $20,000 to $140,000, in their proposed 2011-12 budget.

On the bright side, Howell said, that's not enough to affect 4-H services the extension runs.

But its free and low-cost classes on health, financing, gardening and more will still be impacted.

"4-H is one (program) people can identify with maybe easier, because it's kids, but there are others, too," Howell said.

The cutback could mean shortening work weeks and trimming the basics, he said, or doing away with the master gardener class altogether.

"We're certainly pleased to be in a situation much different than we were a couple months ago, and looking at perhaps no budget at all," Howell said, referring to initial proposals to drop all funding for non-mandated services.

He worries that still might be in store, though.

"(The extension) is a non-essential part of the county, but it adds to that sense of community," he said.

The North Idaho Fair and Rodeo can adjust to the cutback it will be facing, receiving $75,000 instead of last year's $90,000.

About 80 percent of the fair, said Manager Chris Holloway, is funded by ticket sales.

But she will still miss the county's dollars, earmarked for capital improvements.

"We can't do a lot with $90,000 or $100,000, so we felt like we inched along as it is," Holloway said. "People look at the fairgrounds and say, 'Why don't you do this, or why don't you have that,' and we'll say, 'We don't have a lot of capital to work with.'"

Commissioner Dan Green acknowledged that he would like to see both the fair and the Extension Office become self sufficient.

"If there's a way that the county can help them achieve that, that would be good for both programs," he said.

Funding for non-mandated services is decided on a case-by-case basis, Green added.

"Our job is to determine what services people want and what they're willing to pay for," he said.

Both programs are important to the county, said Commissioner Todd Tondee.

"I'm OK with them being self supportive," he added.

The fair's long-term goal is to completely fund itself, Holloway acknowledged.

But she doesn't see that as possible, she added, until the fairgrounds gains expansive enough facilities to host some real revenue-generating events.

"This community cannot have big car shows or big RV shows," she pointed out. "We could probably have more rallies if we have the facilities to accommodate them."

There might be grant money to help expand, she added.

Howell said the Extension Office has been funded by a university-county partnership, and federal dollars, for nearly 100 years.

It would be difficult to make up the loss of all county funding, he said.

But the extension is exploring options like charging fees to recoup material costs, and partnering with the fair to find cheaper office space.

"Those are discussions we'll have at the central administrative level - what are some things we can do?" he said.

Ideally, Howell hopes county residents attend the commissioners' budget hearing on Sept. 6 and speak in support of extension funding.

"(The commissioners) are trying to work with us," he said. "We're not in an adversarial role."