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Fairgrounds faces staffing gap, equipment and facilities needs in preliminary county budget review
Summary
County staff and the fairgrounds presenter discussed a vacant administrative assistant position, maintenance needs, irrigation plans and equipment replacement during the June 23 budget review; commissioners asked for succession planning and temporary support before the fair.
Ravalli County’s fairgrounds manager told commissioners on June 23 that the fairgrounds is short-staffed ahead of its busiest season and that several facilities and equipment needs should be considered in the coming year.
Melissa, who presented the fairgrounds budget to the Board of County Commissioners, said the administrative assistant position is vacant and that hiring and training before the annual fair is challenging. “The hard part is as we go into the biggest event of the year, I almost don't have time to train any person,” Melissa said, adding that some applicants cannot start until July due to work authorization timelines.
Nut graf: With a major event season approaching, fairgrounds operations face both short-term staffing constraints and longer-term maintenance and equipment replacement decisions that affect operating costs and service continuity.
During the review Melissa described planned and historic spending on facilities: funding for dust-abatement, irrigation for the arena (which staff said will reduce water-truck use but not replace the truck), lighting purchases, motor-vehicle and equipment repair and replacement, and a proposed reduction in a temporary stipend tied to a finance coordinator’s retirement. She told commissioners that the irrigation project “will take a whole big load off the water truck,” but also cautioned it won’t substitute completely for existing vehicle use.
Commissioners queried recent spending history for advertising, operating supplies and motor-vehicle repairs; staff noted variability in some line items and recommended moving predictable costs to the operating budget while keeping unpredictable items in variable-cost categories. They discussed dust-abatement increases recommended by maintenance staff, higher projected repair-and-maintenance needs for aging equipment (ATV, water truck), and the timing of replacing high-wear assets.
Melissa said she had interviewed applicants and hoped to have someone in place before the fair to answer phones and provide basic support. She also mentioned using current-year positive balances in other categories to cover immediate facility purchases prior to July 1.
Ending: Commissioners and staff agreed to retain certain requested items while staff refine line items and succession planning; the board continued the overall preliminary budget hearing to a later date for final adjustments.
