As part of the 2019 budget, the Great Bend City Council decided to allocate $2,000 for a maintenance fund for the dragstrip at the Great Bend Expo Complex. The City has never invested money into the dragstrip in the past; in fact, the SRCA pays the City $10,000 a year to lease the facility.

Councilmember Cory Urban felt distributing $2,000 into a maintenance fund would be a good gesture to the SRCA for all the work that is done at the dragstrip and also a good investment for a city-owned facility.

Cory Urban Audio

The thought of allocating the money to the dragstrip originated when the Barton County Fair Association approached the Council in June asking for $2,000 more than in previous years. Great Bend has given the Fair $8,000 each year, but $10,000 was the requested amount in 2019. When asked about the need for the increase in funding, Fair President Charles Atkinson cited the increasing electricity bills from Midwest Energy. The SRCA has to shoulder those utility expenses too.

Great Bend is the only city in Barton County that helps fund the Fair each year. The Council chose to keep the Barton County Fair’s allocation at $8,000.