Although it would mean about a $24,000 annual hit to the city’s budget, the Hutchinson City Council on Tuesday agreed to stay neutral on a bill pending in the Kansas Legislature that would allow alcohol to be carried anywhere on the grounds during the Kansas State Fair.
The impact for the city comes from a clause in proposed Senate Bill 408 that would allow the fair to keep all liquor tax proceeds from alcohol sales at the fair. It currently receives only about 16% of that money.
Currently, those revenues are divided between the city and county, with most of that going to the city, city manager John Deardoff explained to the city council on Tuesday.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
