Bannock County Fair Board suspended

The Bannock County Commissioners have suspended the Bannock County Fair Board until an audit is conducted. The Bannock County prosecutor called an emergency meeting Friday to discuss potential legal issues with the fair board.

However, the North and South Bannock County Fairs will happen like normal. The prosecutor’s office can’t go into specifics as to why the audit is needed.

Ian Service, chief deputy civil attorney under the Bannock County prosecutor, said they did want to reduce any risk to the county when it comes to the money going through the fairground, make sure there’s no misuse of county funds and make sure everyone can equally access the fairgrounds.

According to county code, the Fair Board is supposed to just manage the two fairs. However, the Fair Board has generally managed everything to do with the North and South Bannock County fairgrounds.

“The commissioners, No. 1, are trying to protect the taxpayer base,” Service said. “The fairs will continue, and there won’t be that interference of misappropriation if at all.”

Service conducted an investigation last year and created an ordinance in November to narrow the scope of the Fair Board so it only deals with the two fairs. As of Friday afternoon, an outside company will begin to check all computers, documents and meeting records.

“Right now there’s the presumption that things are going well, but they could be better,” Service said. “You know, there’s good, there’s better, there’s best, and that’s what we’re looking after, and making sure our appointed bodies and full-time employees are doing everything right.”

Service says it’s his job to find out if the county could be at risk.

“We fix it first so that the county’s not exposed, and then second, if needed, investigate any wrongdoing,” Service said. “So we’re at the first part, the very initial first part. We’re not pointing fingers at anybody. We preserve everybody’s innocence at that point.”

One member of the Fair Board spoke with reporter Chris Cole over the phone after the meeting. The person said this board is brand-new and reconstituted, made up of business owners who bring dollars into the community. The person said it’s not right Bannock County is not only not giving them clarification on their purpose, it is questioning them while they were simply trying to serve the community.