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Fairgrounds event director asks Bennett County for pay adjustments, equipment and path repairs
Summary
The Bennett County event director requested pay adjustments for CDL staff and managers, reallocation of extra‑help funds to contracted cleaning, and capital investments including tractors, snowplow and parking‑lot work.
Scott Cutter, the event director at the Bennett County event complex, presented his department’s budget and capital requests and urged the commission to prioritize equipment and maintenance needs to sustain concerts, rodeos and park programming.
Cutter asked that two positions be reclassified or receive pay adjustments similar to recent raises given to Road & Bridge and landfill staff, so that CDL drivers and lead field staff are compensated at parity and to reduce the risk of losing trained managers. He asked the commission to consider giving two assistant positions titles such as assistant parks coordinator and senior assistant parks coordinator to reflect CDL responsibilities.
Cutter proposed moving $10,000 from extra‑help into professional services to cover an annual cleaning contract, and moving $3,500 from an "movies in the park" line into professional services to pay camp host fees. He said concert buying for the upcoming year sits in the neighborhood of $1.3 million in artist guarantees and that the operating authority should reflect expected concert-related expenses (marketing, staffing, security, fire) and timing of deposits to touring acts.
Capital requests Cutter listed (not all were firm bids) included an $80,000 estimate for a used tractor, $15,000 for an additional snowplow, and an approximate $250,000 placeholder for parking‑lot resurfacing and walking‑path repairs; he reported observed washouts and drainage failures on the walking path and noted repeated maintenance needs tied to weather runoff. Cutter also asked for a cargo trailer to transport bikes and program equipment and recommended pursuing grant opportunities or coordinating with Road & Bridge on crack‑seal and slurry work for the trail.
Cutter described security concerns after vehicles had driven through fences and damaged trees overnight; commissioners discussed solar‑powered cameras and license‑plate readers but noted power/pole limitations. Cutter noted coordination with the sheriff’s office on cameras and said sheriff’s department systems could integrate regionally. He emphasized retaining staff and managers because of institutional knowledge required to maintain infrastructure and events.
No formal vote was taken; commissioners asked follow‑up questions about CDL pay parity, vaulting operating authority for concert buys, and potential grants for trail maintenance.
