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Ellis County adopts temporary lower rodeo rental rates, agrees to annual review
Summary
After weeks of consulting with fairgrounds volunteers and users, the Ellis County Commission approved a two-year rodeo rental agreement that sets a $75 fee for four-hour events and $150 for a full day, to be reviewed annually. Commissioners cited volunteer investment and infrastructure needs at the fairgrounds during deliberations.
The Ellis County Commission on Feb. 4 approved an updated rental agreement for the county Rodeo Arena, adopting a fee schedule of $75 for four-hour events and $150 for a full day, with a yearly review of the schedule.
Justin Scheck, president of the Ellis County Fair Board, told commissioners that several local clubs would likely stop using the arena if daily rental rose to $200. "If we raise it to the $200 per day, they're probably not gonna be able to use it," Scheck said, noting many clubs charge only a few dollars per member to participate.
The change followed discussion about user frequency, volunteer labor and deferred maintenance. Scheck said volunteers logged roughly 6,000 to 6,500 hours of work at the fairgrounds last year and described recurring work to restore water and electrical service. Commissioners and fair board representatives described damaged electrical pedestal boxes and other infrastructure needs that can cause unmetered power draw and require future repair.
Commissioners said they wanted the arena to remain in active use. The board adopted a two-year contract with the revised fees and a provision to revisit the schedule annually. The motion to approve the updated agreement passed by voice vote, 3-0.
County staff and the fair board also discussed operational details such as stall rentals, camper hookups and signage to improve access; commissioners noted KDOT right-of-way work currently limits placement of new directional signs to the fairgrounds.
The agreement instructs staff to finalize the contract language and return an executed copy to the fair board. Commissioners said they expect to revisit fees and infrastructure projects in future budget and fairgrounds reviews.
