Walla Walla commissioners lower fairgroundsdamage-to-premises insurance limit to keep events running

Walla Walla County commissioners voted unanimously April 21 to reduce the required damage-to-premises insurance for fairgrounds event rentals and vendors from $1,000,000 to $300,000 for events occurring before Oct. 1, 2025.

The move followed more than an hour of public comment from fair users, event promoters and vendors who said the existing $1 million requirement made insurance unattainable and was prompting events to move elsewhere. Fairgrounds Director Greg Liebeck told the board the countypolicy was out of step with neighboring counties and was costing the facility revenue.

“This insurance requirement is putting us in a position where weare not able to do as many events,” Liebeck said. “No other county that we can find is asking what weare asking our vendors to do.”

Why it matters: Organizers and business owners said the rule has led to canceled events and lost local spending. Event producer Anna Stowers said brokers told her the requirement was “insane” and that few companies would underwrite policies above $500,000 for many typical equine and community events. Promoter Randy Grzinsky said many grassroots events depend on modest entry fees and sponsors and could not survive the higher insurance cost.

Commissioners described the vote as a short-term fix to preserve upcoming events while county staff and commissioners refine policy language. Commissioner Kimball said the board had discussed the issue previously and called the new requirement a failure of follow-through. Commissioner Clayton said the county should keep the ability to require higher coverage for genuinely higher-risk events, but that the $1 million threshold was effectively excluding routine horse shows, barrel races and community events.

Risk and administration: Josh Griffith, the county's human resources and risk manager, told the commissioners he and fair staff had repeatedly tried to find insurers willing to write higher-limit premise-damage policies and had been told by brokers that the market had tightened. He confirmed to the board that some high-risk events (for example, crash demonstrations) are excluded from coverage by the countyself-insurance pool.

Several speakers urged a lower figure. Barrel-racing producer Bobo McMillan and event producer Nicole Kallstrom described repeated cancellations and last-minute moves to other counties. “My insurance broker said he doesnt know anybody who can find the coverage at that level,” McMillan said.

What the board approved: Commissioners voted 3-0 to reduce the damage-to-premises requirement to $300,000 for events through Oct. 1, 2025, and directed staff and the commissionersliaison to work with the county attorney, insurance brokers and fair stakeholders to draft a longer-term policy and a process for identifying higher-risk events that would require additional protections.

Ending: Fairgrounds Director Liebeck and multiple event organizers thanked commissioners for the short-term change and said they would participate in drafting revised policy language and criteria for discretionary higher-risk designations. The board asked legal and risk staff to return with proposed wording and a recommended implementation timeline.