The Tooele County Commission has denied a request for $460,000 in tourism tax money from the company that put on Country Explosion last July.
The commissioners also denied a request from Miller Motorsports Park for another $50,000 in tourism money to help Miller draw tourists to the county.
The pair of funding requests for 2015 were tabled at the commission’s October meeting. They were denied at the commission’s meeting on Tuesday.
“We have offered the company and principal owners of Country Explosion months and months of opportunity to make things right with local vendors and the county,” said Tooele County Commissioner Shawn Milne. “And they have consistently let us down. I am very disheartened at the carpet bagger mentality that seems to have played out.”
Country Explosion left the county holding a $63,000 bill for damages at Deseret Peak Complex, and a $36,800 bill for sheriff’s office and dispatch services after the July concert.
The county also recently paid $103,000 to Staker Parsons Companies for work on the additional parking lot south of SR-112 from Deseret Peak. County officials claim that Country Explosion was supposed to pay the bill, but didn’t.
Country Explosion also has outstanding bills with local businesses, according to Milne.
The commission voted unanimously to allocate zero dollars of tourism money to Country Explosion for their 2015 concert.
Wednesday morning, Darren Brady, manager and registered agent for Country Explosion, said he was unaware of the county commission’s action on the request for tourism funding, but the show will go on in Tooele County.
“We are planning on returning to Tooele at either Deseret Peak, Miller Motorsports Park, or just doing it in a farmer’s field somewhere in Tooele County,” Brady said in a text message to the Transcript Bulletin.
Miller Motorsports Park asked for $100,000 in the initial round of tourism grants approved in May 2014, but was only awarded $50,000 with the caveat that they advertise Tooele County in their commercials, according to John Cluff, chairman of the county’s tourism advisory board.
Miller requested another $50,000 when the county re-opened applications for more tourism grants later in 2014.
Milne said he did not have the same “carpet bagger” feeling about Miller Motorsports Park as he did about Country Explosion
“They [MMP] have a permanent presence in our community,” he said. “They make a good investment in our community and employ a lot of our folks. They bring tourists into our county.”
Milne said he could support the idea of giving Miller Motorsports Park more tourism money.
Commissioners Jerry Hurst and Bruce Clegg also praised Miller Motorsports Park for its involvement in the community and its ability to attract people into the county for events.
“They fill their stands with people that come in on airplanes,” Hurst said.
However, the $50,000 already awarded to Miller Motorsports Park was an adequate amount for this year, he said.
Hurst and Clegg voted for a motion to turn down the request from Miller Motorsports Park. Milne voted against the motion to deny the request.
