The Carroll County Airport Commission convened Dec. 4 to discuss what to do about its dire financial circumstance. CCA is funded by an allotment from the county and revenue generated by hangar leases, fuel sales and fundraising. For two years, the Carroll County Quorum Court has allocated $40,000 annually, down from the $60,000 allotment in 2016. Commissioners have regularly pointed out that $40,000 was not enough to run the county airport.
The quorum court budget committee again set aside $40,000 in its 2019 draft budget, and commissioners forecast the CCA budget would run dry by early spring. Commissioners had asked for a commitment for $60,000 for three years so it could maintain the county facility and stay in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration requirements. There were also two loan debts to the county inherited from the previous commission, which current commissioners paid down regularly until the general fund no longer had sufficient funds.
The court’s budget committee proposed allocating $50,000 for next year only and forgiving $10,000 of the $19,000 loan obligation, but commissioner Sandy Martin pointed that amount only puts off the end result of a depleted budget for a few months, and CCA and the county will be back in the same predicament again next year.
“I’m tired of fighting with these people,” commissioner Morris Pate stated. “We’ve complied with everything they’ve asked. Where’s the rub?”
Commissioner Dave Teigen commented the response by the budget committee “would just extend the pain.” He pointed out County Judge Sam Barr approves who sits on the commission, so he should respect the commission’s assessment. Teigen declared commissioners know from experience what it takes to keep the airport operational and functional. “If they can’t comply with the very minimum requirements of this commission, we should let them run the airport.”
He contended shutting down CCA would make the county the laughingstock of the state if not the entire FAA system. “I don’t think shutting down the airport is a viable solution, and I personally don’t care to be a member of a sinking ship,” Teigen commented. “Let them run it, and see if they can do a better job, more power to them.”
Pate said if Barr had to appoint a new commission, the same problem would exist. “Just because you take the peanut away from the elephant doesn’t mean the elephant is not there,” Pate commented. He was also concerned if recent storm damage at CCA would ever be repaired if left to the county, which would make the airport look bad.
Commissioner Jason Tenant replied, “It’s dollars and cents to me.” He agreed the offer of $50,000 only postpones the inevitable for a few months because $60,000 annually is the bare bones requirement to keep the airport going. “We’re not threatening, we’re just presenting facts,” he said. The commission would be running around in circles again without adequate funding from the county. “We’ve got to be realistic.”
Chair Chase Tresler said he was willing to take the budget committee’s offer and see what other kind of deal could be struck, but commissioner Sandy Martin reiterated the budget committee refused to give the airport a commitment. She said members of the budget committee are bullying the rest of the court because no one else said anything about the airport.
Martin said they need to have a heart-to-heart talk with Barr because the airport will land in his lap. She contended the commission has in its monthly reports made the picture clear, but there must be a lack of understanding or a disregard of state law and FAA compliance issues at the county level.
She advocated against accepting the budget committee’s second offer, which would lead to the same imbroglio in several months. She wanted a commitment from the county because the commission was willing to make its commitment, and with the financial facts laid bare the choices now lay in the hands of the quorum court.
Pate was concerned if the commission accepted the counteroffer and paid off the loan in three years or so, the budget committee would then offer even less. Tennant concurred.
Teigen agreed it would be important to sit down with Barr because then the commission would have done everything possible to find resolution. He said he would have no problem stepping down if Barr thought he could find a better commission.
At that point, Pate called Barr’s office and asked him to come out to the airport and join their meeting. Barr said he had a previous commitment at that moment but agreed to attend the Dec. 21 meeting.
Tenant said if they could not get through to Barr, then the commission would simply be kicking the can down the road. Even though Barr does not decide on the budget, at least he would have heard their explanation of the predicament he might find himself in.
Martin explained the only way to make the airport self-supporting would be to build an array of hangars, but Teigen clarified it might take several years to get grant funding from the state because of the backlog of requests.
Martin declared, “This is not about us. We’re doing this on behalf of the county to save their asses. It’s not about us managing an airport.” She said the county does not seem to get the dilemma it will face when hangar lessees who do not have access to their hangars begin to take action. “We’re trying to help them [Quorum Court] understand,” she stated. “That’s all we can do.”