Ag Society to vote on fair alcohol sales

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Five amendments, including one that would allow alcohol to be served at grandstand events, will be voted on during the Van Wert Agricultural Society’s annual meeting being held this Saturday, November 14, starting at 9 a.m. The meeting will be held in the board meeting room in the Administration Building on the fairgrounds.

Fair directors will also be sworn in at the meeting, although four positions are now vacant, due to recent resignations. Fair board members being sworn in include new director Colin Harting, who represents Tully Township, as well as Curt Schaffner (Van Wert city), Roger Wilkin (Jackson Township), Mike Poling (Washington Township), Ann Marshall (Van Wert city), Ryan Adam (Harrison Township, Tim Short (Union Township), Aaron Knittle (Liberty Township), Brian Etzler (Willshire Township), Ron Owens (York Township), and CW Harting (county villages).

Those resigning include Board President Dave Evans (Hoaglin Township), Sarah Moser (Pleasant Township), and Kyle Gehres (Jennings Township).

In addition to the amendment allowing the serving of alcohol at grandstand events, amendments include ones that target more participation by fair directors, as well as providing more stringent requirements to be elected, and serve, as a fair director.

Amendments are as follows:

A change to Article XIII – Changing the article’s language to indicate that fair directors who miss any three meetings, not three consecutive meetings, as was previously stated, could be removed from the board.

A change to Article XVII – Changing the ban on alcohol sales and consumption on the fairgrounds to allow alcohol sales at grandstand events only during the fair, while consumption is limited to the grandstand area only. Alcohol sales would be at the discretion of the fair board.

Proposed Article XVIII – States that fair board meetings must be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

Proposed Article XIX – Lists five requirements for filing a petition for board director. Those requirements include:

• Purchasing a membership certificate for the year the candidate is seeking office.
• Completing 20 hours of volunteer service in the fiscal year the candidate is seeking office.
• Attending three regular board meetings of the society in the year the candidate is seeking office.
• Stating on the petition the specific board director’s position being sought.
• Collecting 10 or more certified signatures from members of the society who live in the area represented by the position sought.

Proposed Article XX – Provides several instances where fair directors can be removed from office, including:

• Failure to fulfill their duties without sufficient cause or excuse.
• Failure to donate 50 hours minimum throughout the year, not including committee and departmental responsibilities.
• Conviction for felony or theft offenses, as well as a criminal offense involving moral turpitude.
• Being found of unsound mind by court order.
• Being engaged in actions that cause, or tend to case, damage to the society’s property or reputation or creates potential legal liability for the society (first offense a warning; second offense a hearing to decide whether the director should be expelled from the board; a two-thirds vote of directors is needed to expel another director).

If the amendment passes, the voluntary service and meeting attendance requirements would be effective for candidates seeking fair directors’ positions in 2017 and thereafter.

The society’s board of directors (fair board) have been meeting on the third Wednesday of the month, starting at 7 p.m., since the end of this year’s fair, with the September 15 meeting a contentious one attended by a number of area residents who wanted to address concerns they had with operation of the fair.