Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fees And Fairgrounds topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board denies vendor exception to fairgrounds curtain fee after public comment; county cites adopted fee schedule
Summary
After hearing from the event organizer and other members of the public, the Mohave County Board of Supervisors voted to deny a vendor’s request for an exception to a new fairgrounds curtain fee. The board cited a fee schedule adopted Jan. 2, 2024 and warned that ad hoc exemptions would require refunds to other vendors.
The Mohave County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 18 rejected a request to waive a newly posted curtain‑fee for events at county fairgrounds. The vendor (Desert Canyon Events) and other event operators addressed the board during public comment asking for relief; county attorneys and staff cited a fee schedule the board adopted on Jan. 2, 2024.
Vendor representative Frank Wills and another promoter said they did not receive notice of the curtain fee when they applied in May 2024 and that the charge increases event costs materially. "I was not aware of any cost for the curtains," Wills told the board. Opposing that request, resident Jennifer Esposito and county counsel argued that the fee schedule was publicly adopted on Jan. 2 and that the county must treat vendors equally; staff also said another vendor had already paid the fee.
Board action: Supervisor Lattman moved to disapprove the requested exception; the motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote. The board instructed staff to enforce the adopted fee schedule; supervisors noted that granting a single exception would create an obligation to refund other vendors who paid the same charge.
Why it matters: the decision enforces a county‑adopted fee schedule and clarifies how event vendors should plan and budget for fairgrounds costs; public commenters urged the board to revisit the fee structure in a broader review if it appears to disadvantage local organizers.
Next steps: the board denied the individual exception request and directed the vendor to pay per the adopted schedule; staff said any broader fee schedule changes would be considered separately in a future review of fairground fees.
