Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Assets Revenue topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee explores fairgrounds camping, airport share and private contracting to boost county revenue
Summary
Richland County members discussed using underused assets—the fairgrounds and Ash Creek Forest—to generate revenue through campsites, events, and public-private contracts; the Tri County Airport budget and the county's share (reported around $32,560–$37,000) were also reviewed.
Richland County committee members spent substantial time on June 22 reviewing county land assets and brainstorming revenue options, including developing campsites at the county fairgrounds and exploring third‑party contracting to operate overnight camping.
The county administrator presented the Tri County Airport budget and said Richland County's share was cited as about $32,560; earlier in the discussion the administrator also referenced an approximate share of about $37,000. Committee members noted the need to reconcile those figures and asked for time to review the full budget. "I believe, is about $37,000," the administrator said during the presentation; later the administrator specified "32,560." The article reports both figures as presented to the committee and flags the inconsistency for staff clarification.
Members discussed the fairgrounds as a near-term site for campsites, with one member noting the fairgrounds are used intermittently and could be adapted quickly to trial camping opportunities. The committee raised operational questions: staffing for monitoring, compliance with health and sanitation rules, and whether a technology-enabled reservation system would be needed. Supervisor Frank suggested contracting operations to a private operator so the county would "hire somebody to take care of it" and receive a baseline revenue while avoiding full operational responsibility.
Committee members recommended inviting Marty Richards to a future meeting to advise on tourism and campground operations and to examine examples from nearby counties such as Sauk County's White Mound Park as potential models. Staff were asked to follow up with cost estimates and potential operating models before the next meeting.
