The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON - Columbia County Fair Board Co-Chair Candy Jones is hoping citizens will contact their local representatives to speak out in favor of state fair funding. According to a letter from Kelly Frost of the Washington State Dept. of Agriculture to the Washington State Fair Association, the WSDA recently submitted documents to the state Office of Financial Management that could be the first step in a budget proposal to eliminate funding for agricultural fairs. The proposal comes as the result of Governor Jay Inslee's legal responsibility to develop a balanced budget with no new revenue.

Frost's letter, posted on the Washington State Fairs website, says Inslee requested all state agencies to identify reductions to their 2015-17 budgets equaling 15% of the amount they receive from the state's general fund. To meet the target the WSDA had to trim $5.2 million in state generated fund dollars.

To do so, they submitted two recommendations: elimination of funding for agricultural fairs for a savings of $4 million for the biennium and reducing the Food Assistance Program by $1.2 million for the biennium.

The budget submittals are the first step in a process in a budget proposal expected from the Governor's Office in December.

Jones says the cuts, if approved, would cause Dayton to lose approximately $30,000 in state funds that are used to pay fair premiums each year. She is urging Washington residents to write their local representatives asking that the Fair Fund be left intact.

The WSFA believes fairs should continue to receive full state funding because of the positive economic and educational benefits they provide. The 2006 WA Fairs Economic Impact Report shows that 7.8 million people attended fairground events in 2005 and that the gross economic impacts from state fairs and fairground activities that year was between $350 million and $385 million.

Fairs also provide both temporary and full time jobs and bring in tourist dollars and tax revenues. In addition to the economic benefits, fairs are an educational asset. Participation teaches responsibility, self confidence, public relations and speaking, record keeping and life skills.

A sample letter to Governor Jay Inslee on the wastatefairs.com website states that the Fair Fund has not increased since the early 1990's and during those years fair programs have continued to expand exponentially.

More information on the proposed cuts may be found by visiting www.wastatefairs.com and clicking both the Legislation and Legislative Action tabs.