WICHITA — Kansas budget woes haven’t touched the state’s executive aircraft, which is getting a new paint job, a spruced up interior and upgraded avionics this year.
Along with regular operating costs, the improvements will cost taxpayers nearly $900,000.
The Kansas Highway Patrol, which oversees aircraft operations, says the work on the 15-year-old plane is needed for aesthetic and safety reasons. The nine-passenger plane has the original paint, interior and avionics it had when it was purchased new in 2001, and the aging plane is now showing wear.
Senate Democratic Leader Anthony Hensley called the spending “highly ironic” at a time when funding for highway projects has been slashed.
