HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The economic impact that the CHS refinery turnaround had on the area showed with this month’s sales tax report.

The shutdown and maintenance project in McPherson was a shot in the arm for the Hutchinson economy as workers stayed in the city and purchased clothing and other items.

May sales tax revenue totaled $387,558 — a jump of more than $27,000 from May of last year. It’s also more than $48,000 higher than last month. City Manager John Deardoff says the numbers continue to look good for the year. “I think that we’ve had four out of the five months we’ve seen a positive increase over the same time period last year,” Deardoff said. “Probably a pretty good indication of some of the construction that is going on in the area.”

Deardoff says the CHS turnaround has been good for the area and expects more. “ I think the trend is there and hopefully the next few months will continue to show that,” Deardoff said.

The turnaround at CHS happens every four years. Many hotels and stores around Hutchinson reported very high sales traffic during that time. The state fair campgrounds were nearly full. The sales tax reports are expected to reflect that for another two months.