KWCH - Kansas News and Weather - Cities Could Lose Parks & Recreation Money

Cities Could Lose Parks & Recreation Money

(PARK CITY, Kan)

Even in the middle of winter, Russ Baxter has baseball on his mind.

This year, the youth league organizer is worried whether his fields will be ready after a summer flood washed them away. "The water was probably three to four feet deep," says Baxter pointing to the Park City baseball field.

The flood caused about $8,000 in damage. Park City will repair the fields with liquor tax money.  It's money given to cities to help support their park and recreation departments.

"Without that money it would be highly probable that we would not be able to have baseball." That may happen.  Governor Sebeulis is proposing the state take the money away from cities.

"It would be a huge devastation to the community as a whole. I mean without a youth program, you know the youth program is everything for the kids. It keeps them off the streets, gives them a good safe environment, they learn a lot of things, family, everything."

But just like the fields, the state budget is in bad shape and Baxter knows that.  He just wants people to know that his program will suffer. "Without that money I'm not sure what we'd be doing today, we'd definitely need help from somewhere."

Every city in the state will give up liquor tax money, some on a much larger scale than Park City which receives about $17,000 last year. Wichita received about $1.8 million 2008.