Fair director urges surrender of county liquor license; board votes to discontinue and seek third‑party vendors

Justine Houdin, the Greenlee County fairgrounds director, told the Board of Supervisors the county has seen net losses from operating bar services at the county fair and proposed surrendering the county-held liquor license so private third-party vendors or nonprofits running events can provide bar services under contract.

Houdin presented a financial snapshot for the 2024 fair showing the county paid $2,345 to purchase liquor and $2,160 in staffing costs (paid at minimum wage), and recorded $4,445 in bar revenue. She said the figures exclude training costs for compliance with Title 4 and the administrative cost of hiring temporary staff and coordinating with distributors. "I would like to propose that we surrender our liquor license," she told the board. She said allowing third-party vendors would let rent‑ers or nonprofits obtain required insurance and reduce county liability, and that bars holding the appropriate state license could add a temporary extension to serve at the fair.

Houdin said she had prepared a request for interest (RFI/ROI) to solicit third-party vendors and had discussed a contingency: the county could instead apply for a state special permit that allows a government agency to run bar service for up to 10 days per year. She said the county had typically sold liquor for two days during the fair and that the special permit application could be processed quickly if needed.

Supervisors asked about timing and continuity for the upcoming fair. Houdin said she had already prepared the solicitation and sent a draft to Austin (county staff) for review so the county could have a vendor in place; her backup was to apply for the special permit if no vendor was found in time. Supervisors and other speakers expressed support for the approach and praised Houdin for proposing the change and doing the cost analysis.

Board discussion concluded with a motion to discontinue the Greenlee County–held liquor license for the fairgrounds and to explore contracting with third-party vendors for bar services during the county fair. The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. A supervisor asked Houdin to ensure there would still be service available for the fair; she confirmed the solicitation and special-permit backup were intended to prevent any interruption.

Houdin also noted eligibility rules she had reviewed: government agencies, nonprofits and charities can apply for certain series licenses and bars can request extensions to serve at events across Arizona; some small retailers might be eligible depending on their license series. She said the county can include supervisory terms in vendor contracts, require insurance with alcohol coverage, and require security if needed to mitigate overserving and liability risks.