NORWICH – Due to Governor David A. Paterson’s proposed cuts in funding for the New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA), arts organizations throughout the state – including the Chenango County Council of the Arts (CCCA), the Earlville Opera House and the Chenango River Theater, among others – are facing drastic changes and challenges in the near future, according to CCCA Executive Director Victoria Kappel.

The proposed 40 percent budget cut would reduce funding by $16.4 million statewide, from $41.6 million to $25.2 million, making it the largest state agency cut in a budget that is nearly two months past deadline, said Kappel, who added the cuts would have “a direct impact” on the CCCA’s Broome and Chenango Decentralization Grant Program (DEC), a loss of approximately $21,000 in direct assistance to arts organizations and municipalities in Broome and Chenango counties in the next grant cycle.

A $25.2 million NYSCA budget would be a throwback to funding levels in 1985, according to Kappel.