HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-07-31-minutes-department-head-meeting-event-center07/31/2017 MINUTES 1
COMMISSIONERS' MINUTES
KITTITAS COUNTY, WASHINGTON
COMMISSIONERS CONFERENCE ROOM
REGULAR MEETING
MONDAY 9:40 A.M. JULY 31, 2017
Board members present: Chairman Paul Jewell & Commissioner Obie
O’Brien. Excused: Vice-Chairman Laura Osiadacz.
Others: Mandy Buchholz, Deputy Clerk of the Board II; Jill Scheffer,
Event Center Director; Kittitas County Fair Board Members: Greg
Zempel, Roylene Crawford, Clay Myers & Lisa Young, HR Director.
REGULAR MEETING DEPARTMENT HEAD EVENT CENTER
REQUEST INTERNATIONAL ASSOC.VENUE MGMT. EVENT CENTER
Jill Scheffer, Event Center Director requested the Boards permission
to attend the International Association of Venue Mangers Conference,
August 5th - 11th 2017, in Tennessee. Chairman Jewell questioned why
Ms. Scheffer thought being away at a conference in August would be a
good time to be gone? He stated that he is not keen on sending her
away leading up to the County Fair. Commissioner O’Brien stated that
he is not thrilled with the idea of her being away at that time
either. He questioned if the expense was in her budget. Ms. Scheffer
stated that the conference registration is free to her and she has
already registered etc., because originally Commissioner Osiadacz
was okay with her attending the conference, but has now changed her
mind. She stated that she has talked to Staff and the Fair Board and
everyone is supportive of her attendance of this conference. She
stated that she has all her contracts for this year’s Fair done and
the airline tickets are purchased and are non-refundable. She stated
that she will be reachable by phone and e-mail. Ms. Scheffer stated
that she can look at the cost to “transfer” the flight to a
different time. She stated that there is a conference in October in
Pittsburgh but it would not be exactly the same as far as the
emphasis on “venues”. She stated that 2 nights of the hotel will be
refunded. Commissioner O’Brien stated that he has seen the e-mail
trail between Commissioner Osiadacz and Ms. Scheffer and can kind of
see why she thought Commissioner Osiadacz was approving the request
but at the same time he can see that there is no other Commissioner
approval either. He stated that Commissioner Osiadacz stated that it
was “not good timing”. Chairman Jewell stated he would prefer Ms.
Scheffer attend the Conference in October so if the cost to transfer
the flight is not significant then he would like to see it changed.
However if it is significant then she should report back to the
Board what the penalty would be. Commissioner O’Brien agreed, noting
that Ms. Scheffer was provided a training reimbursement form.
07/31/2017 MINUTES 2
LETTER VICE-CHAIR SIGNATURE – DOE EVNET CENTER
Ms. Scheffer presented the Board with a DRAFT letter for the Board
to review in response to a letter the County received in 2016 from
Department of Ecology.
Commissioner O’Brien moved to authorize Vice-Chair signature on the
letter as presented noting that the date should be revised to
reflect 7/31/2017. Chairman Jewell seconded, noting that upon
Commissioner Osiadacz’s return, Staff was to obtain her signature.
Motion carried 2-0.
REVIEW SPONSORSHIP MATERIALS DRAFT EVENT CENTER
Ms. Scheffer presented the Board with draft materials she has been
working on for sponsorship materials. She explained that they are
still very rough and just wanted to get the materials before the
Board to start getting feedback or see if it’s something they are
even interested in her pursuing. Chairman Jewell stated that he is
very interested and completely supports the idea. He encouraged her
to be sure and involve the Rodeo & Fair Board. There was discussion
on planning and how the funds would be used and how to incorporate
that information when seeking the sponsorships. Chairman Jewell
stated that this added exposure at the Event Center should be fairly
attractive to businesses. He suggested that she wait until the first
of the year. Ms. Sheffer stated that she was hoping to have things
ready for late fall. Chairman Jewell stated that if she can do that
great but if not the first of the year is a fair goal.
The Board questioned the Fair Board members present and how they
felt about the drafts. Clay Myers, Fair Board Member stated that
this is something in Ms. Scheffers wheel house and he fully supports
it. He stated it was one of the great skillsets Ms. Scheffer had
when they interviewed her. He stated the difference between Ms.
Scheffers and what former Director Webb was trying to do comes down
to their approach. He stated that Ms. Scheffer is going about it the
right way, asking questions and involving all parties. Roylene
Crawford, Fair Board Member stated that she thinks it’s great and is
very excited about it.
Ms. Scheffer was encouraged to move forward and keep the Board in
the loop. She was also encouraged to work closely with Commissioner
Osiadacz.
Meeting adjourned at 10:08 a.m.
KITTITAS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
07/31/2017 MINUTES 3
DEPUTY CLERK OF THE BOARD KITTITAS COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Mandy Buchholz Paul Jewell, Chairman