City of Owensville on Feb. 17 has agreed to foot one-third of the costs to provide security at the 2026 Gasconade County Fair following approval by the Board of Aldermen.

Following weeks of discussion between the Gasconade County Fair Board (GCFB), Gasconade County Commission, the Gasconade County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), Owensville officials and the Owensville Police Department (OPD), funding for the fair coverage has been pledged at the county and city level at one-third with the GCFB picking up the final third.

The Republican spoke with Nick Nolting on Tuesday and confirmed GCFB is in agreement with the proposal and expects to provide approval upon review of the contract with the fair board and favorable conditions.

While the exact cost to the city is unknown at this time, it is estimated to be around $7,000, with the estimated proposal from OPD around $21,103 to provide coverage for the GCFB event.

“I don’t want to lock us in because we already know that the $21,000 figure is not accurate because you’ve got additional costs that need to be added into that,” Mayor Kevin McFadden said in the meeting. “So, I’d like to leave that as a one-third cost sharing of the total bill that would be assessed at the end of the fair and determine what everybody’s share would be.”

Owensville Chief Scott Griffith agreed, adding that the final amount could also go down depending on the actual coverage needed when the event occurs.

A consensus was taken with three of four aldermen in approval and Ward 1 Alderman Dan Breeden against.

Breeden shared his concerns and reasoning with The Republican Feb. 18, that as an alderman, his responsibility is saving taxpayer dollars. He indicated visibility into GCFB’s finances would help provide clarity as the reason for the need.

“The Fair Board says they are an open book,” he said. “I would like to see that book before blindly spending taxpayer’s money.”

According to Nolting, fairs in nearby areas do not fully cover the cost of security for their events. Their local governments provide funding.

For the agreement to become reality, an ordinance will need to be created and the contract signed by all relevant parties. Furture security needs will need to be determined after further negotiations.

Nolting shared that GCFB is grateful for the partnership of all aforementioned entities for their part in continuing to ensure fairgoers are safe and that the Gasconade County Fair tradition continues.