The Ramsey County board of commissioners Tuesday approved an agreement for the sheriff's department to provide security at the Minnesota State Fair.
The agreement is only for the 2021 Great Minnesota Get-Together.
Discussions on future state fair security will begin in the fall.
"We will have a meeting so we can understand the experience of this year, and also decide whether or not or how to reflect on what happens next year," said board chair Toni Clark. "We want it to be clear that that's not our responsibility."
This comes after the fair decided to disband its own police department following the retirement of police chief Paul Paulos.
That happened in the spring, with Ramsey County sheriff's deputies staffing the state fair security headquarters since June.
Until now, the fair had paid volunteers from various police departments help out with security.
State Fair general manager Jerry Hammer says contracting with the Ramsey County Sheriff's office is the most effective and efficient way to keep the Great Minnesota Get-Together safe.
Under the plan, up to two-hundred officers, half of them Ramsey County sheriff's deputies, will patrol the grounds every day at $80 an hour.
"No one's being forced to work at the Minnesota State Fair," said Ramsey County sheriff Bob Fletcher. "It's been our experience since June 1st that out employees love working at the state fair. In fact, it's the best assignment they've ever had, many of them say, because people are there appreciating them."
The pay goes to $100 an hour on Labor Day.
The 2021 Minnesota State Fair, the first since the pandemic led to cancellation of last year's event, begins on August 26.
