Daggett County weighs watering rodeo arena, who pays to maintain event grounds and signs
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Summary
Commissioners discussed a request to water the county rodeo arena for a private roping school and debated whether to charge event organizers, add a budget line or install a permanent watering system; staff were asked to return cost estimates next week.
Daggett County commissioners discussed April 15 whether the county should routinely water the county rodeo arena for non-county events and who should pay for the service.
At the meeting, an unidentified county staff member said a junior rodeo operator requested watering on June 19 for a multi‑day roping school and asked whether the county should provide watering for calendared but non‑county events. Commissioners raised logistics and cost concerns: overtime pay for staff, how long each truck takes to load (the staff estimate was about 1.5 hours per load), and that three loads is a common preliminary expectation for an event.
“It's preliminary in the event…you've got to plan on about an hour and a half per load,” the staff member said. The same speaker noted the county has a permit to take nonpotable water from the canal and currently uses water from the canal drain rather than treated lake water.
Commissioners debated options: require event organizers to pay a fee or include a line item in county‑sponsored event budgets; install a permanent low‑volume sprinkler system on the arena fence or top rail; or continue using the road department trucks, recognizing overtime and travel time add expense. One commissioner suggested the arena reservation process could include a question about whether organizers want pre‑event watering and who will cover the cost.
Jordan Hewitt and other staff discussed that organizers already pay for some events, and fees could be structured to return funds to the maintenance department so salaries and equipment are not subsidized by general county funds.
No formal motion or policy change was made. Unidentified Speaker 5 agreed to prepare an estimate of the cost to water the arena (overtime, number of trucks and frequency) and to deliver that estimate at the next meeting.
The discussion also touched on engineering constraints: the county may need a pump or higher pressure to use existing lines effectively, and officials suggested consulting neighboring counties and local contractors for potential designs and pressure solutions. The commission requested an initial cost estimate for routine watering scenarios and for a possible permanent sprinkler installation.
The meeting moved on after commissioners asked staff to return with numbers and options so the board can decide whether to require event fees, allocate a budget line, or pursue a built‑in watering system.