Ada County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday morning to reject two Les Bois Park lease proposals because of concerns about the applicants’ qualifications and other issues associated with their past business dealings.

Commissioners found that both proposals failed to adequately compensate Ada County for the use of its 64-acre facility on the Expo Idaho fairgrounds.

Now the future of live and simulcast horse racing at the track is in jeopardy — especially for this season. The live summer season was supposed to start the first week of May.

"I think all of us were very disappointed that we were not able to get acceptable proposals for us to continue racing,'' Ada County commissioner Fred Tilman said in Tuesday morning's public hearing in Downtown Boise.

"I want to make it very plain that with the motion we are making, it does not appear at this time that there will be live racing, particularly this year. From all of the input we’ve gotten from horse interests, the timing on this issue was very critical.

"It would by my advice to the horse industry that it doesn’t appear that there will be live racing. But that, of course, is not our decision. That’s up to other people in the industry.''

The two proposals:

• Spirit Valley Raceway proposed an annual lease payment of $50,000 in exchange for use of the property. The group is led by Dave Parrie, who owns Mr. Lucky's Bar on Chinden Boulevard in Garden City.

• The Alabama-Idaho Inc./The Greene Group Inc. proposed paying the county an annual lease rate of $12,000.

Under the previous lease agreement, Capitol Racing paid the county the equivalent of $300,000 a year.

Ada County Commissioner Sharon Ullman said the county has maintenance obligations of $25,000 a year for the facility. "So the $12,000 bid doesn’t even cover our expenses,'' she said.

Through the due diligence process, county staff identified several issues that raised concerns about both applicants’ current and past business operations. According to a statement released by the county:

Spirit Valley Raceway

• Company owner (Parrie) and its financial backer do not have any horse racing experience.

• Company owner has admitted to a violation of the Alcohol Beverage Control laws for his operation of another establishment.

• Company owner has a criminal background.

Alabama-Idaho Inc./Green Group Inc.

• The company’s nonprofit corporation, the Greene Idaho Foundation, has been the subject of an enforcement action taken by the Idaho State Lottery Commission.

• The Greene Idaho Foundation admitted to a violation of state law regarding its bingo operation in Post Falls.

• The Greene Group Inc. is under going another audit by the Idaho State Lottery Commission.

“While our preference would have been to continue horse racing at Les Bois Park, the reality is we can not afford to lock the county into a lease agreement with either company at this point in time,” Tilman said.

In March and April, the county conducted a national search to find a tenant for Les Bois after Capitol Racing ended its lease. Capitol ended is lease with two years remaining on the agreement, citing financial concerns with running the track.

The county received only two proposals.

The commissioners agreed Tuesday to continue to accept and review proposals from other qualified individuals and businesses interested in leasing Les Bois.

"We have not received acceptable proposals from either one of these applicants, but we’re certainly open and willing to consider any other proposals or any other negotiations on both of these proposals, as well,'' Tilman said. "But I do not want to give anybody any false hopes. We’re very disappointed with the fact that we could not make this a simple, easy seamless approach to a successful conclusion. But it does not appear at this point that that’s going to happen.''

Follow IdahoStatesman.com all day Tuesday for ongoing developments in this story.