Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 • Fair manager concurs with grand jury findings

Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, edition of the Lassen County Times.

After receiving a complaint, the Lassen County Grand Jury looked into the operation of the Lassen County Fair and the junior livestock auction.

According to fair manager Jim Wolcott, in 2008 there was an issue regarding junior livestock auction participants receiving their payments in a timely manner. He said the fair had been looking into the issue and reviewing the contract even before the grand jury contacted him.

The grand jury reported that Wolcott said the Lassen Junior Livestock Auction Committee had not secured a line of credit for the auction prior to the fair, and as a result, payments were delayed following the auction.

The grand jury reported Wolcott provided a proposed contract with the Lassen Livestock Auction Committee, which addressed the issues of credit line, access to financial records and payments to junior exhibitors selling animals.

Wolcott said the contract had been revised in that the committee is required to give payment within 30 days of the auction.

The grand jury commended Wolcott for identifying and addressing the issues in a timely manner and recommended the contract be approved to ensure proper payment to the junior exhibitors selling their animals at the fair and junior livestock auction.

Wolcott said he agrees with the grand jury’s findings and the problem has been taken care of.

In its report, the grand jury said the junior livestock auction is held on the last day of the fair and provides a venue for the junior livestock exhibitors to sell their market animals. The junior livestock auction committee, a nonprofit organization, contracts with the fair to organize and conduct the sale during the Lassen County Fair.

The Lassen County Fair is an annual event held during the third week in July. Fair attendance over a five-day period is approximately 45,000 people. The fair receives funding through the Department of Agriculture, via the division of Fairs and Expositions with pari-mutual monies.

The fair receives a base allocation from the state of $150,000 per year for the general operation of the fair. In 2008-2009, the fair’s budget was $679,575.