The seven counties that are members of the Northwest Arkansas District Fair will be asked to help contribute for this year’s district fair due to damages from COVID-19.
The Boone County Quorum Court’s standing committees met Tuesday night and Justice of the Peace David Thompson gave other members of the Budget and Finance Committee a brief report on the subject.
Thompson said that as Boone County’s representative on the Arkansas Association of Counties he was asked to look into a request for funding for the fair because it wasn’t held in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Thompson said he had been in contact with justices of the peace from Baxter, Carroll, Madison, Marion, Newton and Searcy counties who also serve on the AAC.
He explained to them that the District Fair lost about $80,000 in revenue by not being able to host the fair in 2020. In Thompson’s opinion, that loss is “the epitome” of the American Rescue Plan funding, money that will go to all counties and municipalities to cover losses from the pandemic.
Thompson said fair manager Allison Black is going to write a letter to each county judge in the district requesting that each county contribute money based on population to be able to hold the District Fair this year. He felt that would be allowed under the Rescue Plan.
Based on that percentage, Boone County would contribute about $21,500 to the fair. If each of the other counties contributed, the District Fair would be possible again this year.
JP Jim Harp, chair of the finance committee, asked how it would be handled if one of the counties decided not to contribute.
“One of those counties that you mentioned wants [to host] the District Fair,” Harp said. “I’d be surprised if they chip in.”
Thompson said he would like to see Boone County make up the difference if absolutely necessary.
“We get the brunt of the benefit of the economic activity from it,” Thompson said. “We serve the other counties, whether they view it that way or not.”
County Judge Robert Hathaway asked what might stop all the other counties from deciding not to contribute if one did.
“The fact that they’re good people,” JP Rodney Sullins said. JP Jim Milum added that each county has representatives on the Fair Board and he felt they would agree to the proposal.
Thompson said that’s why he contacted the JPs in other counties and not members of the board. As the legislative branch of county government, JPs control the purse strings. He wanted them to have a heads up that such an application will be going to each of the county judges and they could be prepared for it.
Hathaway said he was considering appointing a committee of people outside Boone County government to look over all applications for American Rescue Plan funding to determine if those requests are valid.
