OWENSVILLE — Owensville officials are bracing for a key discussion with the Gasconade County Commission over who will provide — and pay for — security at the 2026 Gasconade County Fair.

As City Marshal Scott Griffith approached the podium at the Feb. 2 meeting of the Owensville Board of Aldermen, he spoke on discussions that have been occurring recently about security at the fair.

With all members of the board present as well as Gasconade County Fair Board representative Nick Nolting, Griffith began to explain the plight currently faced.

In the past, the fair has been staffed by the Gasconade County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) on the inside and at the gates, and Owensville Police Department (OPD) covering the outside grounds as part of their usual jurisdiction.

This year, the fair board has concerns about rising costs.

“We — as the fair board and the members of it — we can’t continue to sustain the cost of everything with the carnival: the insurance, the fair security, amongst everything else that comes into that, going up drastically this year,” Nolting said. “We’ve got to find a resolution to start cutting some costs somewhere.”

They are seeking to obtain a 60-40 cost share with the city covering the higher amount.

“We’re not asking for something for nothing. We merely want to approach this in a way we can work together and collectively,” Nolting shared.

“We’re not asking for you guys to just bite the bullet and suck it up. We want to share some of the costs with you guys. We all in the community, we’re all here for the right reason. My kids go there. Your guys’ kids (and) grandkids go there — it’s good for everyone in this society,” he continued.

Nolting shared with The Republican on Tuesday that the fair board had budgeted $15,000 for the past two years with an actual cost of $13,200 in 2024 and $17,175 in 2025.

This year, the proposal provided by GCSO is $26,928.

“We just can’t afford it…and quite frankly, if we don’t start saving money somewhere, 10 years from now, we’re not going to have to worry about this because we won’t have a fair,” Nolting said.

The fair board approached Griffith seeking a potential solution. He provided a lower estimate of $21,103.56.

According to Griffith, this would provide adequate headcount of officers including those who would need to be hired specifically for the fair.

GCSO estimated a need for 18 officers to be staffed at the fair and Griffith shared that his numbers were about the same at 15 to 20 — or 15 extra — as they already regularly staff four or five officers patrolling outside of the fairgrounds as part of the jurisdiction.

In hiring additional officers, the city may also have to cover personnel related policy expenses such as drug testing, physicals and workman’s compensation.

“There’s a lot of moving parts to this and we’re trying to step through it now,” Mayor Kevin McFadden said.

McFadden and City Administrator Randy Blaske took the issue to the Gasconade County Commission meeting last Thursday (Jan.29).

“The commissioners’ position on this is (that) it’s called the Gasconade County Fair, but that’s just a name. Gasconade County has nothing to do with the fair…and they see policing as not their responsibility at this time,” McFadden shared.

On Thursday, they will have another conversation with the commissioners to discuss possibilities including a hopeful solution of cost sharing the difference with the city.

Regardless of the method in which the security coverage is funded, the responsibility will ultimately rest on OPD unless an agreement is reached with GCSO, the fair board hires a different entity or chooses not to hire anyone at all.

Griffith shared that he doesn’t feel it’s a good idea for the city or the fair to cut security efforts.

“What I’m understanding…is even if they come to us and we say, ‘no, we don’t want to pay this extra,’ we’re going to end up paying it anyway,” Ward 2 Alderman Matt Kramme asked, seeking confirmation.

“If you have an event in Owensville — any event — the police department has to provide adequate services for that event,” Griffith said.

Since the event is within the city limits, OPD will be required to cover the jurisdiction in the absence of any contract between the fair board and an entity providing security.

The question is whether anyone will be helping cover the costs.