Wichita ? Fines for food-code violations have jumped sharply in Kansas since a legislative audit earlier this year showed deficiencies in food inspections.

Kansas has fined more than 130 restaurants this year and closed eight of them either temporarily or permanently, The Wichita Eagle reported Sunday. Before the audit was released April 25, the state had levied fines against only 11 restaurants for the year.

The audit found that 30 percent of the state’s restaurants were not inspected as required last year and that fines often weren’t levied against persistent violators. Statewide, about 84 percent of all food service establishments will be inspected this year.

“We looked at some of the things the audit indicated we needed to do differently,” health department spokeswoman Sharon Watson said. “One of the things we’re doing differently is just training our inspectors, making sure they are aware of what the expectations are and making sure that occurs on a statewide basis.”

Twenty-six of the establishments fined this year were in Sedgwick County.

“I don’t know what kind of impact (on public health) the fines will have, but I think the message is getting out now that the state means business,” said Jack Brown, director of the Wichita Department of Environmental Health. “It’s certainly a tool that many citizens believe we should be using.”

Many restaurants that are fined dispute the findings and appeal.

Kevin Brown, co-owner of Cibola restaurant in Bradley Fair, said inspectors came in during busy dinner service and “disrupted the whole line” of cooks.

Inspectors said they found food stored in a refrigerator at a temperature that was too high. Cibola has appealed the $1,000 fine the state levied against it.

“They were just ridiculous,” Brown said of inspectors. “Our kitchen is extremely clean. They were just bound and determined to make us look bad.”

The fines range from $500 to $5,000. They are levied when inspectors find violations repeated on successive visits to the same establishment.

The most common violation is food held at temperatures that are too high or too low, which can allow dangerous bacteria to form. Improper food storage practices and failure to control vermin also are frequently cited.

Brown said he believes local health inspectors are under pressure from state and federal officials to find violations in restaurants.

But Ted Cooper, supervisor of inspectors in Wichita, said, “It’s just that our procedure has tightened up, but we’re not under any kind of pressure.”

Bill Roe, owner of Willie C’s Cafe and Bar and past president of the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association, said food safety is crucial. But he believes the state should put its resources into further educating restaurants and their employees, rather than fining them.

“I don’t think it’s going to get the results they’re looking for,” Roe said.

However, Watson said the inspection process is a form of education because restaurants have a chance to correct problems before a second visit.

“They should know what should be done, and on the second visit, that should be corrected,” she said.

In any case, food service operators shouldn’t expect relief because of the state’s budget crunch. The inspections are chiefly financed through restaurant permits and licenses.