AMARILLO, TEXAS -- It's an issue most businesses, agencies and organizations are learning to face: budget cuts.

Much like the Panhandle Workforce Development Board, which is expecting to see a large cut in their funding this next year.

"We're going to be down at least 24 percent and frankly I expect to see more cuts in the relatively near future and certainly in the distant future", said Director of Workforce Development, Tom Dressler.

Workforce Development board members met Wednesday to address the issue and agreed on two actions that they hope will help reduce costs without affecting the way they serve the public -- closing seven of their rural facilities and consolidating the service delivery staff in the Amarillo office.

"What we'll do is we'll be pulling in some staff from those rural office that will be closing in some instances, in other instances we'll have folks that will be operating out of their homes", added Dressler.

Facilities that will be closing include those in Borger, Childress, Dalhart, Dumas, Hereford, Pampa and Tulia. Even though Clarendon is getting to keep their local office, officials with Clarendon College were present at the meeting today to see how the budget cuts would affect them.

"We have a lot of students that are funded by PRPC and the Workforce folks. Based on the discussion at the meeting it appears that they're going to be able to conduct business as usual, just changing really locations more so than anything", said Vice President of Off-Campus Affairs for Clarendon College, Raymond Jaramillo.

Bottom line? Board members say despite the cuts, they feel they've found a way to keep serving the public, including rural areas, job seekers and their families.

"Everybody is going through this if they work in the public sector, They're having to find more efficient ways to be effective and we're dedicated to serving our customers and providing quality service and we think we can still do that", said Dressler.

The last day those rural offices will be open is September 30 of this year.

Board members also stressed that even though the facilities will be closing, they will still have individuals servicing those areas and there would be no major changes in that service.