Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fairgrounds Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners weigh hiring a dedicated fairgrounds manager, pilot incentive pay among options
Summary
After a legal review of hiring models and a budget-focused presentation from Commissioner Lynn Padgett, the board directed the county manager to draft one or two position options (term or permanent) to revive the fairgrounds, consider fees and use existing professional-services funds as a pilot source.
The Ouray County Board of Commissioners spent the morning on Feb. 25 reviewing legal and budget options for running the county fairgrounds and event center, and asked county manager Antonio Mendez to draft one or two staffing proposals for the board to consider.
Deputy county attorney Perry told commissioners the legal choices are straightforward but carry different operational implications. "One decision will be whether we'll proceed with, an employee of the county or some sort of independent contractor," Perry said, noting the Colorado compensation order sets the minimum base salary for an exempt position at $57,784 and the hourly minimum at $15.16. He warned that a contractor route would require a detailed request-for-proposals process and time to negotiate insurance and indemnity terms and oversight roles.
Commissioner Lynn Padgett framed the debate around budget realities and possible business models. Citing her review of county budget books, Padgett said the fairgrounds has been "on autopilot," with appropriations that exceed actual costs: "Our actual average revenue 2022 to 2025 ... was $32,213," she said, and her rule-of-thumb net cost to the general fund has been about $200,000 annually; 2025 actuals show closer to $115,000 but the county still appropriated roughly $210,000. Padgett pointed to missed operating opportunities such as low liquor sales and the absence, until recently, of an electronic point-of-sale system.
Padgett proposed experimenting with a term-limited, incentive-based manager or using a commission/bonus element tied to fees generated to reduce the general-fund burden. She also pointed to case studies from other counties (Deschutes and Coconino) that used third-party management or RFP-awarded arrangements to upgrade facilities and reduce subsidy.
Commissioners debated risks and safeguards. Several expressed concern about a purely commission-based pay model'for example, salary-compression and the potential to overpay a top performer'and favored a structured, tiered incentive or a term/pilot approach with regular reviews. Board discussion repeatedly circled back to fees: staff noted that a 2019 fee schedule was never formally adopted and that updated, consistently applied fees are key to financial sustainability.
Next steps: the board requested that Manager Antonio Mendez work with legal and human resources to present one or two concrete position descriptions and compensation options (for example, a term-limited pilot using existing professional-services funds), plus a plan for quarterly performance reviews and how fee updates would be implemented. The board indicated it wants to have direction by its next meeting to aim for a summer start if feasible.
The commission did not take a formal vote; commissioners asked staff to return with proposed job descriptions, budget amendments if needed, and a timeline for implementation and public notice.
