01-13-1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

Comm. Minutes--January 13, 1992 806 SPECIAL MEETING OF CASS COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JANUARY 13, 1992 MEETING TO ORDER Chairman Alon Wieland called the meeting to order about 8:30 AM with four members present as follows: Don Eckert, Steve Risher, Gene Shannon and Alon Wieland. Commissioner Toussaint was absent. Also present were State's Attorney John Goff, Auditor Michael Montplaisir, County Coordinator Bonnie Johnson, representatives of the Red River Valley Fair Association and their attorney, Jonathan Garaas RED RIVER VALLEY FAIRGROUNDS, Proposed lease/sale discussed John Golf said if the Cass County Commission wants to maintain the status quo on the land known as the Red River Valley Fairgrounds, his best advice is to define the responsibilities in a written agreement. Jonathan Garaas had prepared a draft lease agreement between Cass County and the Red River Valley Fair Association, which was presented at the last Cass County Commission meeting, however, some members of the County Commission talked about selling the fairgrounds to the Fair Association because of liability concerns. Mr. Goff said the liability issue is the most important issue from the County's standpoint, and responsibilities should be defined to limit it or something done to eliminate potential liability for the County. In the event of a lawsuit, he felt the County would be named since they own the property. Mr. Eckert said he would rather define the responsibilities through a lease arrangement, making the Red River Valley Fair Association responsible for the liability, but the County would retain title to the land. He said this entity creates a certain amount of economic development for the area, and he thinks the County should be involved. Mr. Shannon suggested making a gift of the property to the Red River Valley Fair Association and that the County find a way to pay off the special assessments from the Sheyenne Diversion project. MIL1, LEVY SUPPORT It was the consensus of the Commissioners present to continue supporting the annual mill levy to the Fair Association but they cannot commit future boards to that. TAX-EXEMPT STATUS/SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS State's Attorney John Goff believes the land would remain tax-exempt if owned by the Fair Association, except for special assessments. If there are any special assessments in addition to the Sheyenne Diversion Project, Kyle Anderson, President of the Red River Valley Fair Association, asked who would pay those. Mr. Risher said he could support having the County pay all special assessments for the same 15- year period that the Sheyenne Diversion specials are scheduled to run. CAMPSITE AT RED RIVER VALLEY FAIRGROUNDS Roy Faught talked about an agreement dated in 1979 between Cass County and the Red River Valley Fair Association pertaining to a campsite at the fairgrounds. A contribution of $4,000 was to be paid from Cass