A legislative committee has approved a deal that would cut $1.5 million from Grand Island's costs of moving the State Fair there from Lincoln.

State Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege says the deal is possible because of lower-than-expected construction bids for work on the new Grand Island fairgrounds.

Carlson is chairman of the Legislature's Agriculture Committee. On Wednesday, the committee advanced a bill (LB224) to the full Legislature that would credit Grand Island for the $1.5 million in the $8.5 million Grand Island must pay to the State Fair Board for the move.

Without the measure, Grand Island's total cost would be $10 million because the $1.5 million would be an additional, separate expense to move ball fields to make way for a fairgrounds parking lot.