Residents ask Weston County commissioners to preserve fairgrounds; board schedules budget workshops

Residents and fairgrounds advocates urged the Weston County Board of County Commissioners on March 3 to safeguard the county fairgrounds and to resolve confusion over how fairgrounds rental income is recorded and used.

"The Weston County Fairgrounds is one of those good things," Emily Hardinger told the board, arguing that anticipated rental income should be included as anticipated revenue in the fairgrounds budget so it can be used for utilities and repairs. "It's not just about rodeo and fair kids. It's a community asset and should be open to absolutely everybody in the county."

Hardinger and several other speakers described volunteer labor, donated equipment and the broad community use of the facilities. They said past management models that included a dedicated manager — sometimes living on site — helped operations run smoothly and urged the board to consider hiring a manager or a part‑time maintenance person who could handle frequent repairs and routine upkeep.

Commissioner (speaker 5) moved to schedule a pair of special budget workshops dedicated to the fairgrounds and related line items. "I move that we have a budget workshop the last meeting in April and the first meeting in May in the evening," the commissioner said; Commissioner (speaker 4) seconded the motion and the board approved it by voice vote. The board agreed to aim for 5:00 p.m. sessions to allow public participation and proposed April 21 and May 5 as candidate dates for the workshop series.

During the meeting commissioners and residents discussed whether the fairgrounds should become a special district, the implications of that change for annual funding, and how block grants and mill levies have been reported on county budget sheets. Several speakers warned that moving away from a line‑item or anticipated‑revenue approach created confusion when rental income was not visibly paired with the expenses it was intended to cover.

"If those anticipated revenue funds have been included in the budget at the beginning of the year, it shouldn't be an issue," Hardinger said, calling for clearer accounting so the public can see how money is used.

Chair (speaker 2) told attendees the board wants to hear ideas and will run a tour of the fairgrounds roughly around noon after the meeting to view capital needs and maintenance issues firsthand. Commissioners said they will bring financial line items to the workshops for a line‑by‑line public review.

The board also handled several routine items during the meeting, including voucher approvals (with recusal where appropriate), collections approvals and budget amendments. The scheduled budget workshops are intended to allow extended, focused discussion on the fairgrounds and to produce options the commission can weigh as it finalizes the 2026 budget.