Supervisors approve beer at fairgrounds

The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a liquor license for Young and Wild Rodeo Co. to serve beer Saturday night at its rodeo event on Jefferson County Fairgrounds.

Beth Smith, along with her husband Bud Smith and three children, established Young and Wild Rodeo Co. and held its first rodeo at the fairgrounds a year ago as a fundraiser for a family friend, Addison Tarrence, 6, who lives with spinal muscular atrophy.

This year, to increase fundraising, Beth Smith said they want to host a beer tent.

?We?re hosting a rodeo beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, and it will probably run two hours, then Jason Brown of Des Moines is in concert,? Smith told the supervisors today.

?The fair association said all other fairs sell alcohol,? she said. ?The city is going to sell alcohol for RAGBRAI. The fair association is pretty much in favor of it.?

Supervisor Dick Reed said while he supports the Smith family?s event, he wanted to discuss setting a precedent.

?I think the event is important, but we need to discuss having beer at the fairgrounds,? said Reed. ?Let?s ask [Jefferson County Sheriff?s] chief deputy [Bart Richmond] here. It?s county property.?

Richmond was attending the board meeting today because the meeting agenda included hiring a new correctional officer for the county jail.

?During fair time, no alcohol has been served, but I don?t know that it?s a big problem to serve for this,? said Richmond.

Smith said she has applied to the state for the proper permits and has paid the required dram insurance.

?We?ll have one person dedicated to check IDs and only those over 21 will receive an armband to enter the beer tent,? said Smith. ?And the tent will be fenced.?

Fair board member Ben Godwin said the fair board has previously discussed having alcohol served at the fairgrounds during other events than the county fair.

?We?ve discussed it as a way to generate more money,? he said.

Smith said if the license was denied this year, she would shop around elsewhere for next year?s Young and Wild Rodeo.

Supervisor chairman Lee Dimmitt asked who had liability for the event.

Godwin said that would be the Smiths/Young and Wild Rodeo Co.

?I?m questioning the thought process of serving alcohol,? said Dimmitt. ?I think the city is wrong to set up a beer tent [at RAGBRAI]. I need someone to make an argument to convince me otherwise.?

Godwin said if beer isn?t sold at the rodeo, people would probably bring it themselves.

?Selling it on the grounds actually provides more control about who is served,? said Godwin.

Don Sanders of the Jefferson County Alcohol Task Force said the supervisors could consider sharing responsibility for the event.

?It?s about more than checking IDs,? said Sanders. ?It?s about crowd control, serving inebriated people and dealing with fake IDs.

?I recommend all of the people serving or working in the beer tent receive alcohol serving training.?

Smith said she has a trained bartender working the beer tent.

All three supervisors approved the request for the liquor license contingent on the servers being trained as Sanders suggested.

?We are approving it for just this one event,? said Reed.

In other business today, supervisors:

? Approved pay increases for two seasonal county conservation employees.

? Approved a pay increase, a 10-cent per hour longevity increase, for Bill Rose, secondary roads department, on his five-year anniversary.

? Approved hiring Kaleb Droz as a correctional officer.

?He?s no relation to Jerry [Droz, former county sheriff],? said Richmond.

He will be paid a sergeant?s salary and work at the jail. He will attend 40 hours of jail school, said Richmond.

?This brings the staff back up to a full 16,? he said.

? Signed the approved final plat of So Fair Farms Subdivision.

? Approved a resolution to vacate the closed portion of 170th Street enclosed as part of the Fairfield Municipal Airport. The resolution makes official what has been the practice for a number of years. No one had a comment during the public hearing on the issue today.

After today?s meeting, the supervisors planned to tour the renovated former Department of Health and Services building north of the courthouse. Plans are for the county attorney?s office to move in June 5.