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Commissioners debate facilities-use policy, alcohol rules and boat-ramp donation; attorney to revise draft
Summary
Board members discussed converting a proposed parks/buildings ordinance into a policy to standardize reservations, fees, insurance and fee waivers; commissioners debated restricting alcohol on county property and asked staff to ensure certificates of insurance are included; the board also reviewed a proposed donation of boat-ramp parking and an estimated $8,000 fence cost and possible grant funding.
The county attorney (S7) recommended that a proposed ordinance governing parks and county facilities be adopted instead as an internal policy to provide standardized reservation procedures, fees, insurance and delegated administrative authority. The attorney said the policy would allow the county administrator to grant fee waivers to nonprofits but that such waivers would be reported to the board at the next meeting.
Commissioners debated alcohol at county facilities. One commissioner (S3) urged that alcoholic beverages be prohibited on county property "unless approved by the board," citing a previous lawsuit at the senior center; other commissioners said the policy should allow exceptions for large events if the board approves them. Legal counsel said he would change the draft language so the Board of County Commissioners, not the county administrator, approves alcohol exceptions.
Insurance was a recurring concern. The draft requires event organizers to produce a certificate of insurance (COI) and tasks the relevant department or director with verifying coverage; commissioners asked that insurance certificates accompany facility requests and be included in the agenda packet.
The board also considered agenda item 11d: a property owner offered to donate parking adjacent to a boat ramp on Iron Bridal Road if the county installed a fence and gate to separate donated land from the owner's remaining property. Staff said the county’s insurance underwriter advised that acceptance would not raise liability coverage, and the attorney reported an approximate 6-foot chain-link fence cost of about $8,000; he also noted state grant programs may offset boat-ramp improvement costs.
Next steps: The attorney said he would revise the draft to reflect board direction on alcohol approvals and insurance verification and bring the updated policy back for consideration. Staff will gather fence quotes and pursue potential grant avenues for the boat-ramp improvements.
