Bonner County commissioners face public backlash after move to clarify fairgrounds roles

The Bonner County Board of Commissioners opened a process on Dec. 9 to clarify the reporting lines and duties tied to the county fairgrounds after a Dec. 4 special meeting prompted strong public reaction.

Commissioner Domke said the board sought legal guidance on how state statute defines responsibilities and that the current step is to “capture the intent of the zoning within a document” so future job descriptions and ordinances match that intent. He told residents the board had not adopted final changes and that “it is business as usual until such time as changes” are formally approved by the BOCC.

Multiple residents and fair volunteers described feeling blindsided by the earlier meeting and urged the commissioners to involve the Fair Board directly in any reworking of duties. Amy Lunsford, a Bonner County resident, said fair board members were “horribly blindsided” and asked the commission to seek a clearer, more inclusive process.

The county’s HR director and prosecutor addressed the meeting. Nate Adams of the Bonner County Prosecutor’s Office told the board that the fair board is continuing to perform duties delegated by past boards and that prior financial obligations remain with the entity that made them: “Any bills that would have come from past when that fair board was in charge… are due by that fair board, not by [the BOCC],” he said.

Commissioners and commenters pressed for three practical next steps: a legal memo clarifying what was and was not changed by the Dec. 4 motion, revised job-description language for the fair manager to be drafted by HR and returned to the board for approval, and a stakeholder meeting that includes Fair Board members to map out which tasks remain with the volunteer board and which would be handled by county staff.

The board did not adopt a final reorganization or transfer of duties at the meeting. Several fair board members asked for a written retraction or apology from a county director whose comments they said mischaracterized the board’s historical role; commissioners acknowledged the friction and said they would pursue a follow-up workshop and legal clarifications.

What happens next: the BOCC asked legal counsel to provide a written opinion about the effect of the prior motion on the fair manager’s reporting relationship and directed HR to prepare any job-description amendments for future review. The public was told existing budget and payment responsibilities remain unchanged until the BOCC formally votes to adopt changes.