Fair board to assume dump station and water bills; commissioners agree to staged transfer

The Bonner County Board of Commissioners on June 2 approved a phased plan for the fair board to assume responsibility for several fairgrounds utility accounts, including the RV dump station and associated water and sewer service, and to budget for additional water/sewer and gas accounts beginning with fiscal year 2027.

The fair manager provided invoice data from the controller showing a FY2025 cost of $2,165 for the dump station and an aggregated set of utility charges that would total roughly $39,649.23 for the next fiscal year if the extension office portion is excluded. The fair board said it would assume the dump station and related water/sewer account immediately and budget to take the separate water/sewer system and the fairgroundskeeper shop gas account by FY2027.

The board discussed timing and recommended clarifying who pays which utility bills during the transition and how to separate charges that the county has traditionally absorbed. The fair manager said the fair board is willing to install a paid RV dump kiosk and possibly a pay-for-use water fill station; the fair expects user fees could recoup capital costs rapidly.

A motion reflecting small edits (removing redundant language about county assumption where county already pays) was made and seconded; the board approved the fair board’s staged assumption of responsibility by roll-call vote.

Next steps: County staff and the fair board will refine contracts and budget entries to properly segregate accounts, explore options to recoup costs from campground users (credit-card dump kiosk, paid fill station) and present final budget allocations during the FY2027 budget process.