When a county or a county agricultural society owns or holds under a lease real estate used as a fairground, and such society has the control and management of such lands and buildings, the board of county commissioners shall, on the request of such society, annually appropriate from the general fund not more than two thousand dollars nor less than fifteen hundred dollars for the purpose of encouraging agricultural fairs.

In any county in which there is located one or more independent agricultural societies, the board, for the purpose of encouraging such societies, may appropriate, in addition to the sum appropriated for the county agricultural society, a sum not greater than the amount appropriated for the county society.

In a county in which there is no county agricultural society, or in which there is no fair held by such society, but in which there exists an independent agricultural society that has held an annual exposition in each of three years previous to January 1, 1933, the board shall, on the request of the independent agricultural society, annually appropriate from the general fund not more than two thousand nor less than five hundred dollars for the purpose of encouraging such independent agricultural fairs.

No board shall appropriate money as provided by this section unless the director of agriculture has certified to the board that the county or independent agricultural society is complying with all laws, rules and regulations governing the operation of county or independent agricultural societies.

An appropriation so made shall be paid by the county treasurer to the treasurer of the society for whose use it was made, upon an order from the county auditor issued therefor.

Effective Date: 10-21-1953 .