Ky. tourism official says there was never a plan to cut Arts Council

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- There's both good news and not-so-good news for lovers of the arts.

There had been concern that Governor Matt Bevin was going to cut the Kentucky Arts Council to save money in his proposed budget.

But on Wednesday, the head of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet told lawmakers that's not true.

Don Parkinson says it was never in the plan to ax the council, but it is going to be cut by $170,000.

"There was a lot of concern for no real reason," Parkinson said. "It's an important part of the government. It's important to what we do. And we totally support the continuation, obviously, of the Kentucky Arts Council."

The council's current budget is $3.7 million.

The proposed cut would come over the next 2.5 years.

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