jobless rate is lower, but safety nets are fraying.(Y) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

WHEN I realizedmy job situation was about to change dramatically last year, I fretted about being too old for anew career and too youngto retire.

So I called by brother, a good listener who is practical and blunt. Worrying was not included in his advice. Carve your life into three chapters, he said, and set out on this, your third.

It seemed overly philosophical at first. But a variety of circumstances and his admonition to look forward helped with the transition. And the change opened up new opportunities, which I had always thought was a cliche.

Others on the Outer Banks can't say the same thing. Unemployment in Dare County, while declining with the approaching tourist season, is still high. A drop from more than 17 percent in February to a little more than 14 percent in March is not particularly good news. The numbers are close to the same as they were a year ago during the same months.

Interfaith Community Outreach, a coalition of churches, is helping a lot more people these days. The non profit, which offers one-time assistance by paying things like utility bills, says it won't have enough money to help any more people in the coming budget year than it has in this one.

The Community Care Clinic, which helps people who can't afford health treatment, has asked Dare County for $125,000 on top of the $75,000 it received this year.

There's a chance that neither will be getting more money, because the county is hurting too. Something has to give if the county wants a balanced budget without raising taxes.

To do that, it will have to lay off as many as 10 people, freeze openings, force workers to take five furlough days amounting to nearly a 2 percent pay cut, take away a 1 percent 401(k) match, and offer incentives for early retirement.

It will also have to put off some big-ticket items for another year.

The only way Nags Head is likely to avoid a tax increase is by eliminating jobs and cutting back shifts in the fire department, its biggest expense.

Welcome to the real world, some will say. Business has been dealing with this for more than two years.

I'll grant that government can always cut back, and some jobs are symptoms of bloated bureaucracies. But not all government workers are on the gravy train. And when I start to see how budget cuts will affect real people, I empathize because I have been there.

If my two local governments make a good-faith effort at trimming their spending, I'm willing to split the difference to keep people working - as long as they have real jobs to do.

If that's not going to happen, the county and the towns should at least think about giving more money to the Community Care Clinic and Interfaith Community Outreach.

They might be seeing a few more clients.

Rob Morris, robmorris@outerbanksvoice.com