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Ouray County pauses new public bookings at fairgrounds, orders cleanup and written agreements
Summary
Facing budget cuts and missing contracts, commissioners told staff to pause new public bookings at the 4‑H Event Center (except four imminent events), require user groups to cover recent laundering/cleaning and staff costs, remove unauthorized storage, and hold a January work session to develop a sustainable event model.
The Ouray County Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 16 directed staff to pause accepting new public bookings at the county’s 4‑H Event Center while it develops a more formal operating model, citing depleted staffing and budget cuts.
Staff presented a memo documenting multiple problems: verbal agreements without written contracts, unauthorized storage under the grandstands (used by a local theater group), heavy laundry and cleaning bills from recent events and a long calendar of placeholders for large multi‑day events that staff cannot reliably manage. "It's untenable to manage these events without clear written agreements and staff capacity," said one staff member.
The board agreed to a time‑limited set of actions: require user groups who incurred laundering and cleaning costs to reimburse the county for those actual costs (the board said it would not impose retroactive user‑fees); demand removal of unauthorized storage beneath the grandstands within a short timeframe; and instruct legal staff to draft short, standard license and waiver forms that user groups must sign. For the four imminent events already on the calendar (including a skijoring event with a prior verbal $2,000 agreement), staff are to document terms in writing and require organizers to add the county as an additional insured when appropriate.
Commissioners also authorized short‑term operational cost reductions where feasible (reducing dumpster frequency, shutting off nonessential water heaters) and asked the new county manager, once on board, to convene a stakeholder work session in January. "We can't promise events will be ready to run in February," the chair said, urging early notice to groups so they can find alternatives.
County Attorney Leo Casselli offered to draft one‑page revocable license templates and simple waivers for use in urgent cases while a longer‑term contract template is prepared. Staff were told to get the written terms in place for the four events that the board agreed to accommodate; all other public bookings are to be placed on hold until further direction after the January work session.
The pause is meant to preserve public safety, clarify liability and ensure the county does not continue subsidizing event costs from the general fund in the absence of a staffed fairgrounds manager.
