It’s good that Douglas County commissioners have decided to take a look at the fee structure for buildings at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.

While it’s wonderful that the buildings are in such high demand, the fact that many of the facilities already are booked for most weekends through 2006 means that higher fees might be possible and that renting the buildings on an hourly basis might allow more groups to use them.

The rental structure is a balancing act for the county. It should be a high priority to give local groups and individuals affordable access to the fairgrounds buildings. These are public buildings, paid for by taxpayer money, and there is far too little reasonably priced space for meetings and events in Lawrence.

On the other hand, it’s responsible for the county to make sure that rental fees for the buildings cover the costs of operating and maintaining them. It also makes sense to look at how other fairgrounds handle use of their buildings. For instance, a space that Douglas County rents for $60 a day would rent for $30 or $50 an hour in Riley County. Renting space on an hourly basis, might encourage groups to pay only for the time they actually need a building, thereby freeing up space for other users.

Douglas County doesn’t have to have the highest fairgrounds rates in the state or even match what other counties charge. In fact, providing affordable space for the public should be a high priority for commissioners. But it’s smart to look at how other counties handle their fairgrounds rentals and make sure that Douglas County fees aren’t so low that they fail to cover the costs of operating the facility.