Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 8.31.16

NEWS
2016 Fair a Financial Success
Revenues outweigh costs for Northwest Montana Fair, held over Aug. 17-21
BY MOLLY PRIDDY OF THE BEACON
After a week of blue ribbons, rodeos, funnel cakes, and carnival rides, it’s o cial: the 2016 Northwest Montana Fair, which ran from Aug. 17-21, was a rous- ing nancial success, bringing in more money than what was budgeted.
“It was a really outstanding fair,” Flathead County Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell said. “This fair was great all the way through and through.”
Campbell presented the results of some of the fair’s nancial measurements to the Flathead County Com- mission on Aug. 24, noting that the budget for this year’s fair was $97,500, and the events brought in a total of $113,000. The pro t will be put into reserves.
The real powerhouses this year were the grandstand events, the Trace Adkins concert in particular. More than 3,400 people bought tickets averaging $39 each, bringing in a total of $135,079. The concert cost roughly
Children enjoy rides at the Northwest Montana Fair on Aug. 20, 2016.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
$96,000, meaning the fairgrounds netted $39,000 from the concert after expenses, which is an increase of $57,000 over last year’s ticket sales.
Grandstand ticket sales skyrocketed by 45 percent,
with the concerts and rodeos both gaining attendance this year. The demolition derby attendance stayed rel- atively static.
Entrance gate revenues shot up by 12.6 percent, with the nal attendance count expected early next week, Campbell said. Parking revenues increased by 17 per- cent, and the parking lot was lled to capacity at some point each day the fair opened, except Sunday.
Food and beverage sales were up by 12 percent with reports still ltering in as of last week, Campbell said. Carnival sales and the Fair portion of the revenue were up 20 percent, and 1,042 people entered 7,750 exhibits.
Campbell also reported that the market livestock sale had an overall increase of sales, though the price per pound was down from last year. However, all of the animals, usually entered in the fair by 4-H and FFA par- ticipants, received greater-than-market prices from the bidders.
mpriddy@ atheadbeacon.com
Libby Mayor Recall Moves Forward After Court Hearing Judge rules Mayor Doug Roll has to post $25,000 bond to keep preliminary injunction in place
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
Opponents of Libby Mayor Doug Roll are again collecting signatures this week in the e ort to recall him.
The recall e ort resumed after a Lin- coln County District Court judge ruled that Roll would have to post a $25,000 bond to continue a preliminary injunc- tion that he had led against the recall petition.
Lincoln County’s election administra- tor said on Aug. 29 that she will continue to process signatures until the judge rules otherwise or Roll posts the bond.
In early August, a few months after a group of Libby citizens began gathering signatures to force a recall election, Roll led an injunction against the petition. On Aug. 23, attorneys for both sides of the
e ort met in court. During the hearing, recall organizer Tammy Brown and Mayor Roll both testi ed before Judge James Wheelis. On the stand, Roll stood by past statements that he had never violated the constitution or his oath of o ce, speci - cally when he unilaterally appointed a new city attorney earlier this year.
When Brown was on the stand, Roll’s attorney, Nicole Siefert, asked her if the mayor had committed any of the ve rea- sons for recall as outlined in Montana Code Annotated, including physical or mental lack of tness, incompetence, violation of the oath of o ce, o cial mis- conduct, or conviction of a felony o ense. Brown replied “no” each time.
Wheelis then ruled from the bench that the preliminary injunction would continue, essentially ending the recall
e ort. But later, in a brief led on Aug. 25, Wheelis ruled that Roll’s opponents could continue to gather signatures for recall until the mayor posted a $25,000 bond. In the ruling, Wheelis wrote that Brown may have misunderstood the law when she was testifying and that Roll could have violated his oath of o ce by hiring a new city attorney. The judge wel- comed additional arguments in the case.
The ruling allowed opponents of Roll to once again start gathering signatures, and by Aug. 29, they had given the local election administrator more than 200 unveri ed signatures. Supporters of the recall need to gather more than 300 signatures to force an election. Brown and her supporters were happy that the recall e ort was moving forward, at least temporarily.
“I feel like we’re nally back on track to making our community a bet- ter place,” Brown said. “The mayor has again demonstrated his utter lack of con- cern for the people of this community by attempting to sidetrack a citizen e ort into the courts, but Judge Wheelis lifted the temporary restraining order and has allowed the people of Libby the right to make their own choice in the matter.”
Roll was surprised by the judge’s deci- sion and said his attorney had led a petition to reduce the bond, as well as an argument to continue the preliminary injunction.
“If there are no grounds for this recall to continue, I don’t know how the judge can let it continue,” Roll said.
jfranz@ atheadbeacon.com
2016 HIGHLANDER CROSS COUNTRY FLATHEAD VALLEY YOUTH RUNNING CLUB
Coached by local High School Cross Country Athletes from FHS, GHS and CFHS.
PREREGISTRATION at both Three Rivers Banks beginning Wednesday, August 31st. at Three Rivers Bank 233 East Idaho Street or 552 North Meridian Road. Registration forms online at www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com.
LATE REGISTRATION Thursday, September 22nd, 5:15-5:30 pm at Lawrence Park. Practice will follow. FREE This program is free for all youth of the community, kindergarten through eighth grade.
CONTACT Amanda Beach, 406-755-4271, [email protected] or Linzi Napier, 406-212-5375, [email protected]
Sponsored by
Helping You Financially Around Every Bend of Life.
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AUGUST 31, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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