Airport director pitches joint-powers plan

A proposal that would shift Coeur d'Alene Airport authority away from Kootenai County sits on the desk of commissioners for consideration. 

The Joint Powers Agreement, presented by Coeur d'Alene Airport Director Steven Kjergaard, would create a five-member administrative board to oversee airport operations, property management and long-term planning.  

If formed, the board of airport commissioners would include one appointed representative from Kootenai County, Coeur d'Alene, Rathdrum, Post Falls and Hayden elected officials. While the draft agreement states that elected officials and government employees could not serve as airport commissioners, Kjergaard said officials could revise the document. 

Implementation of the Joint Powers Agreement would provide three advantages for the airport, Kjergaard said — protection, continuity and political stability.

"When I say protection, I mean airspace," Kjergaard said.

Unlike the county, cities have no land-use requirements for property around the airport, he said. he believes city leaders feel less obligated to implement protective measures because they don't own any stake in the operations. 

"This is continually an issue for us because the (Federal Aviation Administration) constantly asks me what we are doing about nonconforming (land) use in our approaches," Kjergaard said. "We can't do much. We work with the cities as much as we can." 

Maintaining continuity while doing long-term projects is challenging for the airport due to frequent changes in county leadership, Kjergaard said. 

He said most capital projects at the airport span five to 10 years — longer than some county commissioners remain in office. 

"It's very difficult to have a continuity plan in place when we are constantly changing commissioners and having issues with that," Kjergaard said. 

The ebb and flow of elected officers also impact the airport due to conflicting political beliefs, he said.

"Once you pull away from the politics that follow those three seats, we can run the business of running an airport," he said. "That's the goal of creating this authority."

While Kjergaard said airport administration had considered the agreement for several years, his proposal this week stems from a want for continuity to conduct significant projects over the next decade.

Those projects are:

• The FAA runway decoupling plan

• Possible construction of an Air Traffic Control Tower

• The 10-year facility development plan

• Consideration of increased commercial services 

"Those are four pretty major projects that are all going to be taking place over many years of decision making and funding," Kjergaard said. "How do you plan for that when you have a continuity issue?" 

Joint Powers Agreements are already active at the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport, Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey, and Spokane International Airport, Kjergaard said. Kootenai County already has two joint power authorities — Kootenai County Emergency Services and the Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board.

"Throughout most states, authorities are extremely prevalent," Kjergaard said. "North Dakota, Utah and Oregon have quite a few. They're not unusual."

Due to the newness of the proposal, commissioners held off on a decision. They will pick up the conversation again at the end of October, Commissioner Chris Fillios said. If supported by commissioners, Kjergaard will begin outreach with city officials.

"We have a lot of irons in the fire right now with building onto the justice center and the American Rescue Plan Act," Commissioner Leslie Duncan said. "I don't think we can dedicate a sufficient amount of time to this."

Several individuals spoke against the proposal at the Tuesday meeting. An airport hangar owner, John Huckabay, said the agreement would cause an increased burden on taxpayers. Under the joint powers agreement, the five entities would provide a collective $250,000 annually for FAA grant match and airport capital projects. 

"I have said it before, the airport director is writing checks that we taxpayers can ill afford to cash," he said.

Huckabay is one of several individuals suing Kootenai County over airport management and operations. Huckabay said Tuesday that the group is contemplating more legal action if commissioners authorize further funding on a new airport facility or the Joint Powers Agreement.

"I know from experience that the board of county commissioners does not want the input of the airport users," Huckabay said. "This means our only options are through the courts." 

Steve Anderson said the proposed airport commission is unnecessary because the Kootenai County Airport Advisory Board already exists. County commissioners appoint the nine-member advisory board to recommend funding priorities and create long-range goals.

"(The advisory board) are people that are coming forward and volunteering their time," Anderson said. "The fact that you've got that board seems completely redundant if you're going to relinquish your powers over to the city and have one representative." 

Unlike the advisory board, the five-person commission would have the authority to implement — rather than recommend — action. Partnering entities would also pay each board member $2,400 annually. 

Anderson said the proposal seems "stacked" against hangar owners and pilots who would be limited to one potential representative.  

Elsa Brooch, a Spirit Lake resident and airport user, said she's concerned because the proposal adds "another hierarchy to the bureaucracy." 

"They're operating under an elected official, but it seems to me they're just going to become another government employee," Brooch said. "What do I have as a recourse when I'm not happy with a government employee?"

The appointing entity could remove a board member in a two-thirds or four-fifths vote, according to the document.