In a cozy room in the Flathead County Fairgrounds office, the county Fair Board members sat around a family-sized wooden table on Jan. 7 and listened to newly appointed member Joy Struble extol the virtues of a document scanner and e-mail.
This technology can make communicating and record keeping so much easier, she insisted, and help reduce dependency on paper.
All eyes fell on Paul Atkinson, a 19-year veteran of the commission, committed fisherman and reluctant technology user.
“I have e-mail, but I only check it once a week,” Atkinson said proudly.
Struble looked shocked, and recently reappointed board member Susan Munsinger good-naturedly welcomed her to the group.
Struble’s appointment and replacement of long-standing member Terry Fosberry is one of several changes facing the five-person volunteer board this year. Others include adjusting fairground policy after an internal audit performed last month highlighted problem areas and the goal of becoming financially self-sufficient.
This year’s three Fair Board vacancies received considerable attention, garnering 18 applications. At a Jan. 5 meeting, county Commissioner Dale Lauman was unsuccessful in his effort to have all three – Fosberry, Munsinger and Butch Woolard – keep their seats.
Commissioner Jim Dupont suggested replacing Fosbery with newcomer Struble, who received unanimous approval. Dupont said he doesn’t favor having members sit for an “inordinate” amount of time on a particular board and that new people bring fresh ideas.
Woolard, who first started on the board in 1979, was reappointed by a 2-1 vote, with Dupont voting no. Munsinger’s reappointment was also agreed upon by unanimous vote.
As a new member, Struble brings marketing expertise to a board that has expressed the need for it in the past. She has a Master’s in business administration and 15 years of experience working at larger companies. She also runs the logo wear for The Event at Rebecca Farms and has been in the valley for five years.
Her main goal coming onto this board is to help the fairgrounds become more profitable, Struble said.
“I look at the fairgrounds as such an untapped resource for the community,” Struble said in an interview last week.
She doesn’t, however, anticipate starting from scratch. Struble said she will look at the programs already in place with a marketer’s eye to see how they can be improved before considering new ventures.
“I want to adapt to what the community needs now,” Struble said.
But Struble’s appointment to the board was not enough change for Ron Thibert, an outspoken horseracing advocate. Thibert told the commissioners at the Jan. 5 meeting he disagreed with their choices.
“I think you made a mistake here today,” Thibert said.
Thibert later said that long-serving members, specifically Woolard, are too entrenched in past processes for any real progress to be made. Woolard acknowledged that Thibert has voiced disapproval with his leadership for years and that it has been normal for members of the horseracing community to do so whenever a board seat opens up.
The county commissioners eliminated horseracing from the fair schedule in 2006, citing concerns over high insurance costs and financial losses. Woolard said he still considers horseracing fiscally unviable.
“The last year we raced we were the most successful race meet in the state, and we only lost $13,800,” Woolard said. “We ought to come closer to breaking even than that.”
As the Fair Board’s chairman, Woolard cited increasing revenue as his biggest goal for 2010. The overarching financial objective is to be able to operate without relying on money from the county, he said.
“We’re not trying to make money, we’re just trying to make everything pay for itself,” Woolard said.
During the 12-month fiscal year, the fairgrounds are supposed to bring in $650,000 in revenue. With the fiscal year ending in June, the total revenue so far lands at $607,700. To make budget, the department needs to earn over $45,700 by June 30, according to Fairgrounds Manager Jay Scott.
Scott said he is focusing on finding more event sponsors to help shoulder the operating costs. The fairgrounds are famous for the Northwest Montana Fair, and they are also becoming an event center with a full, year-round calendar, Scott added.
Along with the budget, the Fair Board and fairgrounds manager are dealing with discrepancies found in an internal audit performed by the county. The audit findings highlighted problems in several areas, including accounting expertise, cash till management, petty cash amounts and revenue records for food rental booths. The audit also said cash was not being deposited in a timely manner and that the premium payout system was not efficient and has significant risks.
At the Jan. 7 meeting, Scott told the board members that he disagreed with the auditor on several points. He presented a written response, which included solutions for employee cash handling shortfalls and other issues listed in the audit.
Many of the remedies included a new staff member or better paid temporary staff, which could cost more money, Scott said. One of the department’s biggest challenges has been taking on more responsibility with less staff, he added.
Woolard said the audit was “kind of an embarrassment,” but it will prod the board to focus on financial accountability instead of just event planning.
There will also be a bigger focus on public accountability as well. The board will now post their meeting agendas online a week before each meeting to comply with open meeting laws. Meetings are scheduled for the second Thursday of every month, with January’s meeting as an exception.