By The Hutchinson Tribune Editorial Board
The Kansas State Fair is one of Hutchinson’s largest economic drivers, and it should be celebrated and appreciated.
The fair wants to build an emergency command center to coordinate responses during the annual event–a good cause. Readers may recall the recent concession fire at the 2024 fair, which required multiple first responders working on the same page in a crowded environment.
The building will also serve as a year-round office for the Kansas Highway Patrol. Both the Kansas State Fair and the Kansas Highway Patrol are state agencies.
The proposed price tag of the center is $4.2 million.
The fair attempted to get funding for the project during the 2025 legislative session. The Kansas House of Representatives said yes – for $750,000. The Senate, on the other hand, said no without pledged financial support from both the City of Hutchinson and Reno County.
While official numbers haven’t been set in stone, estimates suggest that each local government would have to put up around $500,000 for the project.
Our local government entities shouldn’t be asked by the state legislature to pony up for a building that will benefit their agencies.
At Wednesday’s Reno County Commission meeting, Chair Don Bogner put it best.
“Why the legislature think we should buy them a building on their property is beyond me,” Bogner said.
The fair is held on state land. However, for two to three weeks out of the year, Hutchinson puts hundreds of man-hours into turning our city into a place centered on the celebration of our state. We add traffic lights, close roads and put most of our regular activities on hold for the fair.
The City of Hutchinson and the fair have a current agreement that gives the city responsibilities for maintenance of the fair in exchange for a 75-year lease on land near 23rd Avenue and Severance Street. On that land, the city built a water treatment center, a splash pad and multiple tennis courts and baseball diamonds.
While these improvements and in-kind services may not be considered financial support for the fair, the city definitely pulls its weight.
The state legislature knows local government entities are financially struggling. They know because property valuations have increased substantially over the past decade, and local governments are in a pinch battling property owner’s financial concerns and keeping the government functioning. Local governments rely on property tax as a method of collecting revenues, unlike the state which has only a flat 20-mill levy for public education.
The City just denied a $500,000 park citing budget concerns, the same amount the legislature asked for the fair command center.
If this command center is as essential as the fair is proposing, the legislature should own up and buy it themselves. If the local governments are required to pay for a portion of the center, they should get something for it.
Collaboration between the legislature and our local governments will hopefully be aided through the appointment of Jason Probst, a well-known Hutchinson resident who served as the 102nd representative for the Kansas State House from 2017 to 2025.
Probst has been in the community for decades and understands the concerns of many Hutchinson residents. He will serve the fair board and community well and communicate with the people of Hutchinson and Reno County about the fair board as an at-large representative.
Our policymakers need to strike a deal, a fair deal. Call your representatives – both local and state – to encourage them to work together for the benefit of both Hutch residents and fairgoers.