Nearly one year after St. Louis County moved to sell the South St. Louis County Fairgrounds to the City of Proctor, city officials are balking at signing the paperwork.
The city had asked for the fairgrounds last year, and the county quickly agreed as part of a long-term effort to shed nonessential real estate and services.
But a higher-than-expected estimate for property insurance for the fairgrounds, some $20,000 per year for the city, caused councilors to balk, said Mayor Steve Anderson, and the fairgrounds remain county property.
"We're working with another carrier, and I'm optimistic we can work something out," Anderson said. "I still think this will happen, but we don't want to do something that's going to be a burden to our taxpayers."
While it's unclear who their future landlord will be, neither the Sunday night stock-car races nor the upcoming South St. Louis County Fair, which runs July 7-11, have been affected by the slow move of the sale.
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"We're working with all the partners to make sure we have something that works for everyone," Anderson said, noting the city hopes to find a policy that will hold the tenants -- the fair and speedway -- harmless.
County Commissioner Peg Sweeney, who represents Proctor, said the cost of insurance is far more for the city than it was for the county, which has a larger pool of property.
"That's a lot of money for a small city, with all the state budget cuts and all," Sweeney said. "They clearly are moving slow on this."
St. Louis County property manager Tony Mancuso said the sales agreement remains on the table for when Proctor is ready to sign.
"It sounds like they are getting closer," Mancuso said.
County commissioners voted 6-1 on Aug. 11 to sell the 85-acre fairgrounds to Proctor for $500, with permanent requirements that the city always use the facility for the annual fair, stock-car racing, horse shows and other public events.
City officials at the time said they wanted the fair to promote more events and bring more people and business into town. Several commissioners and county staff said the county can save money long term by reducing holdings that aren't part of "core" county services. The issue came to the forefront as the county faced a $6 million gap for its 2010 budget.
"St. Louis County is getting out of the entertainment business," Commissioner Chris Dahlberg of Duluth said at the time.
