The University of Illinois Extension is bracing for several million dollars of budget cuts.

Officials are projecting a funding decline in the range of $2 million to $5 million for the next fiscal year, and as a result, they're considering a number of cost-savings measures, including consolidating some Extension offices around the state.

In addition to the expected several-million-dollar budget reduction next year, a rescission is expected for this current fiscal year, but just what that will be is not known.

That means an exact total of cuts is also unknown because "we don't know what the budget is going to be," said Extension spokesman Gary Beaumont.

Extension will try to control costs in two ways: reducing rental costs and administrative costs, he said. Officials will be holding several public meetings around the state at which they hope to gather input on the options before them.

A meeting will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 22 in the auditorium of the Champaign Extension offices, 801 N. Country Fair Drive, C. Other meetings are planned at Extension offices around the state throughout February.

"If we reduce our fixed costs of our physical facilities we can keep more people. We're obviously people-heavy. The more people, the more educational programming we can do," Beaumont said.

There are about 800 Extension employees in offices around the state; 64 of those employees are county directors, who are considered administrators.

A reorganization could involve closing offices and creating more multicounty Extension units. Beaumont said the number of offices and which offices might close is not known yet.

Extension's fiscal year 2009 budget was $65.3 million. Extension is funded by several different sources, including federal money (usually through the U.S. Department of Agriculture) and state money (including general revenue funding and from the Illinois Department of Agriculture) as well as from grants. Also, several years ago, many Illinois counties, including Champaign, approved ballot questions to financially support county Extension offices.

In the spring of 2008, when the state hadn't released funding for Extension, it was feared several hundred employees would have to be laid off. Eventually the money was sent to Extension and no one was laid off, Beaumont said.

No one has been laid off and no programs have been cut amid the current budget challenges.

"Extension is all about education programming. That's the last thing we want to cut. That's why we're focusing on rent and administration," Beaumont said.

"Every organization funded by the state is in the same boat. We're trying to be realistic and responsible," he added.

Extension offers a variety of programs, including 4-H activities for children and workshops and classes on topics such as gardening, consumer and family economics, and agriculture.

"It's programs. It's education. It's research-based education," said Jeanne Harland, legislative chair for Extension Partners, an advocacy group for UI Extension. Harland, who owns a beef and grain farm in Knox County, said she and her husband have participated in numerous Extension programs, including record-keeping and business management, over the years.

Extension "allowed us to stay in business and compete with larger operations," she said.

Harland said members are always concerned when there is talk about possible budget cuts and the chance that some programs may not be as accessible to local residents due to a consolidation.

"One of best attributes of Extension is that they're a local program," she said.

Harland said she and other members of Extension Partners were planning to meet with university administrators in February to talk about the impact of the cuts and the meetings planned to be held around the state. She also plans to encourage members to attend those hearings and speak in detail about what programs are valuable to them.

"We need to hear what people think about Extension. All input is welcome," Beaumont said.

The hope is to have reorganization plans done in mid-April, "but the actual implementation may take a lot longer," he said.