Fair Board and Stand Down discuss funds

PLAINS – The Tri-State Stand Down may have moved to Trout Creek but unfinished business plagued the Sanders County Fair Board meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

The bulk of the meeting focused on payment for the event.

According to Chairman Chris McGuigan, it cost $500 to put the Stand down on in 2012 and $2,500 in 2013.

Organizer Billy Hill has paid the fairgrounds $500 for 2013, however, the $2,000 remains to be unpaid.

According to McGuigan, the fair board obtained the amount the VA paid Hill to put on the event through the Freedom of Information Act.

According to the documents, Hill received $5,200 from the VA. Of that money, $2,500 was to go for the use of the facility.

“You were paid by the VA $2,500 for the use of this facility. We only received 500 dollars of that. My question is what happened to the $2,000 that were owed?” McGuigan asked.

Hill stated he had entered into a verbal agreement with Fair Manager Mike Hashisaki. According to Hill, the agreement was to charge $500 for the event – the same amount for the first year the event was held.

“The whole point here is our verbal agreement was substantiated by his acceptance of the $500 the first year,” Hill explained. “He chose to personally violate or break that agreement the second year and charge me the $2,500.”

He continued to explain the $500 that was paid was to replace the cost of the facility and the $2,000 was supposed to be donated back to the Stand Down to help offset expenses.

However, Hashisaki said there was no verbal agreement. He told the board the only time he met with Hill was to hand him a letter stating what the fairgrounds was worth. The letter stated the fee for the buildings were $500 per month, totaling to $2,500.

Hill said he had the money at home but had not paid the remainder in question because the fair board never decided whether or not they were going to donate that money.

At the November fair board meeting, Hill asked the board to donate the fairgrounds. The fair board never made a decision because they were awaiting the information they requested from the VA Office.

Now with that information in hand, they were ready to address how much they thought was owed to them for the facility.

Hill asked again for the money to be donated to help offset his personal costs of putting on the event.

“I need some help and I’m asking for help,” Hill said.

Sanders County Commissioner Tony Cox criticized both sides for the way they acted throughout the process.

“I would criticize both of you – the board for lack of making a decision and dragging it on for months and I’d criticize Bill after I hear that he turned in a bill for $2,500 and then turned in $500 to the fair. That’s not right,” Cox said. “Both of you have made bad choices.”

During negotiations held earlier in the month, Cox, McGuigan and Hill discussed the fact that the parties involved should have had a written contract that could have protected both parties.

“I’d like to move on and get the board and Bill to simply continue the negotiations – come up with a fair price that both sides can live with because everyone in this room supports the veterans and wants the Stand Down,” Cox said.

After further discussion, Vice Chairman Bruce Icenoggle suggested the board move on.

Icenoggle made a motion for the issue to be remanded to the county attorney for advice as to whether or not the board should move to collect the $2,000 or leave it to the VA to deal with. He also stated the board would negotiate with Hill and the veterans for the years 2015-2017.

The motion passed unanimously.

Director Jim Newman suggested Hill sit down and negotiate another contract for upcoming years. Since the Stand Down is already committed to Trout Creek, there is no way it will come back to Plains this year. But that doesn’t end the conversation for the future. Everyone was on the same page and wanted to continue negotiations for the upcoming years.