County commissioners are right to try to draw the line on providing sheriff’s officers free of charge for area events.

Plans to charge some event organizers for the cost of providing sheriff’s officers to direct traffic and perform other duties is bound to produce an outcry from some residents, but it nonetheless seems to be a valid decision.

The new policy was reported Tuesday following a decision by Douglas County commissioners to charge $920 to offset the additional overtime that would be incurred by the Sheriff’s Office in connection with this summer’s Lawrence Memorial Hospital Triathlon. Planners expect about 500 participants and an equal number of spectators at the event to be staged Sept. 15 at Lone Star Lake.

The group had asked the county to station sheriff’s officers at key intersections to divert traffic and handle unruly drivers. The service had been provided free of charge in the past, but budget concerns prompted commissioners to reconsider that policy. Not only will the triathlon be asked to pay its own way, a similar standard may be applied to other county events, such as the Douglas County Free Fair and high school and university athletic events.

The triathlon organizers pleaded their case by pointing out the additional tax revenue produced by people attending the event who also buy gasoline, stay in hotels and make other purchases. County officials shouldn’t be unappreciative of that revenue, but much of that tax revenue goes to the state or the city and wouldn’t be available to boost the sheriff’s budget.

Organizers complained that the cost of providing sheriff’s patrols probably would make it necessary to raise the entry fee for triathlon participants. That’s unfortunate, but why should the county as a whole pay for the service? If the cost of entry fees is getting out of line, perhaps more sponsorships could be sought.

County commissioners also pointed out that, in some cases, many parking and traffic duties could be handled by volunteers. It cost the county $10,000 just to control the parking lot at the county fair last year. As one commissioner said, there’s no reason to pay officers $35 an hour to tell people where to park. If fair organizers are asked to pay for the parking lot service, there is little doubt they would find a way to do the job with volunteers or less-expensive workers.

Commissioners decided not to set a firm policy on providing free security but will review the situation during budget talks this summer. Deciding who should receive free services and who should be charged won’t be easy either for the county or for the Lawrence Police Department if it decides to consider a similar policy. Should the cost of providing security services be added to the cost of an event by raising ticket prices or parking fees? Or is it a community-wide service that taxpayers already pay for to have officers directing traffic and preventing traffic jams at major events? It will be dangerous to provide free services for one event and charging others for the same service. How do you decide?

It would be nice if the county could afford to provide officers free of charge for anyone who asks, but the current financial picture simply doesn’t allow that. It won’t be easy, but the county is taking the right action by trying to draw the line.