Budget cuts forces Ag Department to suspend inspections of Kansas hotels, inns
By APFriday, December 4, 2009
Ag Dept. suspends Kan. hotel inspections
TOPEKA, Kan. — Budget cuts are forcing the Kansas Department of Agriculture to temporarily suspend safety and sanitation inspections of hotels across the state.
Agriculture Secretary Josh Svaty (SWA-TEE) says Thursday that the suspensions are a result of Gov. Mark Parkinson’s cutting $303,000 from the agency’s operating budget.
The agency licenses 825 hotels, motels, lodges and bed-and-breakfast locations in Kansas. Each facility must pass a safety and sanitation inspection to hold a license in good standing.
Svaty says all the facilities currently licensed have been inspected, but future inspections will depend on whether the Legislature can restore the funding.
The Agriculture Department has a $9.8 million budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30, 2010.
