At the June 18 Airport meeting, commissioner Sandy Martin suggested establishing an emergency fund. The airport has received Covid funds this year and has executed some long-term leases. With some expenses ahead in preparing the airport’s master plan, she asked to build a back-up account into the 2022 budget. Martin said creating a separate account, rather than just listing a line item, would help keep the reserve funds for a true emergency.
Commissioner Morris Pate wondered if setting money aside might send a message to the quorum court to further curtail the county’s contribution to the airport. Martin hoped it would instead demonstrate the commission’s fiscal responsibility and the continuing path toward self-sufficiency.
Odds and ends
- The gate on the east side of the airport is now finished, and signs will be placed to remind people to no longer drive automobiles across the runway. Hangar tenants will be notified of the new rule. The gate can be locked open during meetings of the Special Operations Rescue Team, or on other occasions when the gate would have to cycle too frequently. That arrangement would also allow the airport to give the gate code to fewer people.
- The airport does not charge pilots to tie down an aircraft for short periods. For long-term tie-downs, the airport has charged $30 per month, and that fee will increase to $50. That increase only affects a small number of sites, because the tie-down locations near the terminal must be available for general aviation uses and events.
- The monthly fly-in was planned the day after the meeting, with good weather in the forecast. A group of Cessna 310s was expected to attend.
- The commissioners had voted by email to hire a mowing contractor, and that vote was formalized.