Millions of tax dollars invested in the state fair

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — State funding for the Ohio State Fair has seen more than a 5,000% increase over the past several years. It is all part of a new project called Expo 2050 , much of it funded by taxpayer dollars, to transform the fairgrounds.

“A lot of things that we’re spending money on, you’re really not going to see. But if we want the fair to continue, we have to do it,” Governor Mike DeWine said. “It’s our obligation, to look to the future, not just things that you’re going to be able to see immediately, but things that will make a big difference in the future. This fair is one of them.”

DeWine said there will be a new fair entrance and by 2026 he said fairgoers will see a “significantly new fair.”

“What we wanted to do really is to have this fair reflect, not just the past, but also our future and the buildings that we’re building and the changes that we’re doing will reflect that,” he said.

So, how much money, exactly, is going into it? In the last 18 months alone, state lawmakers have invested than $386 million.

“We may add on to that in the next budget or next capital budget. None of that has been determined at all. That would be something that I would discuss with the legislature,” DeWine said. “The ‘why’ behind all of this is the state fair is Ohio.”

The near $400 million investment is a stark contrast to the money allocated by the state legislature to the fair in previous years:

• Fiscal year 2019-20: $7 million
• Fiscal year 2021-22: $11.5 million
• Fiscal year 2023-2024: $21.5 million

“The other thing that’s going on that you don’t see really is we’ve neglected infrastructure at this state fair for decades and at some point, somebody has to go do it and it’s now time,” DeWine said. “It’s just like a house that you neglect for 20 or 30 years, you know, it’s just going to take a lot of money to do it.”

And DeWine said the money is not just about the 12 days the state fair is open.

“This is very, very valuable real estate,” he said. “We have to maximize it 365 days a year because some of the money we’re putting in and will continue to put in, will have to do with that.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.