The Oneida County Board this week formalized a state-mandated policy about donations to the county, but not before calming concerns to one organization that is deeply dependent on donations: the Oneida County Fair. Fair Board President Fred Andrus had some concerns...
"...We get a lot of donations, do they have to start designating it for the fair? How does that affect our current budget. We have money set aside for long range plans, again, I'm concerned how this is going to affect the fair..."
Corporation Counsel Brian Desmond told Andrus the donation policy would not affect the fair...
"...I don't think it will affect the fair. Basically what it says is if they make the donation..without any terms or conditions attached to it, we can use it for any purpose we want. If someone says to the fair, here's $500, the fair can use that $500. This refers to a donation where it has to be used for land, we used to get a lot of land donations, where it has to be used as a park, if it isn't used as a park it has to revert back. If someone gives you $500 for the fair, it's for the fair..."
Andrus said he was concerned that it would affect larger donations, but Desmond again assured Andrus about the donations...
"...We have to report all donations over $1,000 that don't fall into the county's fundraising efforts. The fair, as probably everybody here would agree, is an established fundraising effort, you would not have to report those donations...that's what you do. No one would be shocked to find out that the fair runs on donations..."
The county board approved the new donation policy.
