Kansas State Fair budget reviewed; committee questions emergency command center funding and fee balances

Legislative fiscal staff told the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources on May 20 that the Kansas State Fair’s fiscal 2025 request totals $12,900,000, including $4,100,000 from the state general fund and 27 FTE positions, and that the fair’s fiscal 2026 request drops to $8,800,000 largely because Bison Arena renovation spending will conclude.

The presentation, delivered by Luke Drury, senior fiscal analyst with the Legislative Research Department, also flagged a House recommendation of $750,000 in ARPA funding for an emergency command center and noted that the full Ways and Means committee (Senate) had proposed deleting that funding as part of ARPA interest reductions. "The state fair had a balance of about $77,000 in their fee fund for fiscal year 2024," Drury said during the hearing, adding that estimates put the fee fund near $100,000 by the end of fiscal 2025.

Why it matters: Committee members worried that reduced state general fund support and uncertain transfers from the fee fund could leave the fair with negative balances or insufficient operating money in 2026. They pressed for details on who would pay for the command…