Full glasses at local restaurants mean fuller coffers for Prairie Village

Well-regarded cocktail menus at Prairie Village's new restaurants, like Tavern in the Village (above) may be helping drive more revenue for the city.

Prairie Village’s restaurant boomlet isn’t just bringing in kudos from local food critics. It also appears to be helping fill the city’s coffers.

City revenues from the Liquor Excise Tax mandated by state law were up sharply in June and July, the months for which the most recent data are available. Collections in July 2011 were $42,537 compared to the $32,527 collected in July 2010. And those figures don’t factor in sales from the city’s newest restaurant, Urban Table, which open until August, suggesting that the revenue figures from the previous three months may be even more robust.

It’s good news as Prairie Village seeks to stabilize its revenue streams amid the down economy — though city administrator Quinn Bennion said staff members aren’t ready to accept the increase as permanent .

“We’ve seen jumps like this before,” he said. “The problem is that those jumps have gone away. So we’re hoping this one stays.”

Per state statute, one-third of the Liquor Excise Tax distributed to a city must go to the General Fund, one-third to Parks and Recreation, and one-third to the Special Alcohol fund, which supports programs to combat drug and alcohol abuse.