Becky Knox King urges Burkburnett officials to negotiate temporary agreement to save long‑running rodeo

Becky Knox King, president of the Red River Bridal Association, told Burkburnett commissioners she and volunteers built the rodeo grounds “from scratch” and asked the city not to upend the association’s decades‑long relationship with the facility. King said the club brings visitors and community benefits and that recent contract language sent to the group felt like a “slap in the face.”

The board heard that review by staff and the city attorney concluded the prior lease had expired and could not simply be renewed in its current form. The city manager (Lindsay) said staff provided a draft temporary use agreement intended to allow the rodeo to continue this year while addressing basic protections — chiefly insurance, permitted uses and termination language — and to give staff time to evaluate long‑term facility needs.

Residents and supporters spoke at the meeting, including Bill Lockwood, who said that the association’s volunteer work had created a successful, tourism‑drawing rodeo and warned that a city takeover or aggressive contract language would be a “tragedy.” King and others said sponsors had already backed away and that uncertainty had hamstrung preparations for June events.

Legal counsel (Annabelle) told the board the older agreement is expired — she cited language and missing provisions that leave the city exposed — and that the temporary document contains standard boilerplate (indemnification, immunity, insurance) intended to place the city in a legally protective position. Commissioners debated the insurance requirement, with one speaker noting the city had asked for a $2,000,000 general liability policy for city‑owned property and others calling that level onerous for a volunteer association that buys event‑specific coverage.

The commissioners did not vote on a final agreement at the meeting. Instead they agreed to convene a small negotiating group — three commissioners, the city manager and the city attorney — to meet with the Knox family and Red River Riding Association representatives, review the temporary use agreement line‑by‑line, and draft changes for board consideration (with a target of bringing a revised temporary agreement back to the commission). Several commissioners said the city might consider covering additional insurance costs this year to avoid canceling the rodeo, while others warned doing so could set a difficult precedent.

Next steps: staff and three commissioners will meet with the association and the city attorney to negotiate changes to the temporary use agreement; the board indicated it could consider a short‑term (six‑month) agreement at its next session so the rodeo can proceed pending final terms.