Airport authority idea still up in the air

With the go-ahead from commissioners, the Coeur d'Alene Airport administration is exploring a plan that would give cities a say in the airfield's future. 

So far, it's hit and miss.

In August, Coeur d'Alene Airport Director Steven Kjergaard proposed a Joint Powers Agreement to protect the airport's continuity and political stability. The agreement would create a five-member administrative board intended to manage the "business" side of the airport and oversee long-term planning.

Last week, commissioners Chris Fillios and Bill Brooks gave Kjergaard the green light for reaching out to city leaders. Whether the JPA comes to fruition is still unknown, Fillios told The Press on Tuesday. 

"We might conclude that it is better to leave the airport as is or to proceed, but at this point, it is exploratory," he said.  

If implemented, the board would divide jurisdiction over the airport between Coeur d'Alene, Rathdrum, Post Falls, Hayden and Kootenai County.

In a Tuesday email, Commissioner Leslie Duncan said her JPA concerns are "threefold." She explained that a significant worry is how the agreement would impact airport users and taxpayers. 

"The agreement as presented leaves the users with little input which can lead to a bigger issue and potential for one person (director) to operate as a sole governor," Duncan's email stated. "We've seen locally where elected boards end up being rubber stamps for the directors' (superintendents/administrators/chiefs) wishes against the needs of the taxpayers."

Other issues Duncan expressed were:

• Whether the joint powers board is elected and more costly, or appointed and "not directly accountable to the taxpayers"

• What incentive cities have to "partially fund the airport and take on the liability"

If the JPA moves forward, Duncan said, she would prefer a dedicated committee — like the Optional Forms of Government Study Commission — be tasked with gathering data on "how an authority would benefit the citizens of Kootenai County." 

"The sample agreement presented has deep flaws," she said. "Why are the county commissioners so eager to give away control of an invaluable asset without due diligence?"

Kjergaard told The Press that he plans to begin meeting with city officials this month.

"This is probably going to be a multiyear process if the agreement is approved," Kjergaard said. "It will probably be two or maybe three years before the authority takes fruition." 

City leaders expressed mixed feelings about the JPA on Tuesday — mainly related to the collective $250,000 in annual grant and capital funding they would need to provide. The five entities would also front the cost of each board member's $2,400 annual salary.

"There is some benefit of talking about what's going on at the airport and how it affects the community," Rathdrum City Administrator Leon Duce said. "But it's a pretty big buy-in for the city." 

Ultimately, Duce said, the city council would decide whether to join the agreement. But even hypothetically, the financial burden is evident. Rathdrum's 2022 budget is about $8 million, Duce said. $3 million comes from property taxes. 

"A 3% property tax increase would generate about $90,000 for the city," he said. "So a $50,000 new, ongoing expense for the city would be a pretty substantial financial commitment."

How the five entities would divvy the $250,000 annual expense would be determined through agreement provisions. The August draft implied that the entities could split it evenly — at $50,000 each — or prorate the sum by population size.  

"Right now, nothing is budgeted (for the airport), so it is a concern to me, because I don't know where the money would come from," Post Falls Mayor Ron Jacobson said. "I'm not shutting the door on anything ... But I would have to look at the whole impact." 

Like his neighboring officials, Coeur d'Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer said the city would have to "evaluate how that dollar amount investment would benefit the city." However, as the airport's presence grows, Widmyer said decision-making should represent the city's needs. 

"Coeur d'Alene is over 50,000 of the population of Kootenai County, so we're almost a third of the county population," he said. "The city of Coeur d'Alene should have a voice in the airport's business." 

Kootenai County commissioners already appoint individuals to the nine-member airport advisory board, which recommends funding priorities and creates long-range goals. As an advisory board member, Hayden City Administrator Brett Boyer said he expressed some concerns to Kjergaard about how it could affect the city earlier this year.

"The city of Hayden surrounds the airport, so anything that happens at the airport concerns us," Boyer said. "We want to make sure the city can work well with whatever entity has authority over the airport."