After months of wrestling over developing an airport improvement fee Williams Lake city council has decided instead to add $5 to the existing passenger facility fee.
During a committee of the whole meeting Nov. 13, council unanimously approved the $5 amount, which will increase the amount to $20.
Council also agreed it would be implemented in May 2019 and that the city will establish an airport operators committee that will include all stakeholders.
“We don’t want to price ourselves out of the business,” Mayor Walt Cobb said referring to the original proposal for a $10 improvement fee that was presented to the public earlier in the fall.
Read more: City’s proposed airport improvement fee doesn’t fly with Pacific Coastal Airlines
Because the region had two summers of wildfires in a row, the airport collected extra money because of landing and take-off fees and fuel contracts, Cobb said, but added he did not want to count on more fires to keep the airport viable, which was why he supported an increase because there are things that need to be improved such as the road to the airport and the terminal itself.
Coun. Scott Nelson said the city has applied for many grants for the airport with the hope to not have to subsidize the airport through general revenue.
“99.9 per cent of the time it’s been self-sustaining and that’s our challenge. As chair if the finance committee, I support an increase in fees because I don’t want to do it off the back of the taxpayers.”
Chief financial officer Vitali Kozubenko, in a report to council noted projects for the airport that include airside improvements for 2018 and 2019 totalling $2.6 million and groundside improvements totalling $1.183 million for 2018 and 2019.
They include projects such as a fuel system upgrade, removal of trees, an airport investment master plan, a runway sweeper, a tractor snowblower, airside electrical rehabilitation which would cost an estimated $1.7 million, an emergency fire pump, groundside passenger arrival and departure upgrade, and the airport road rehabilitation estimated to cost about $800,000.
Laura Nadin-Young, director of airports with Pacific Coastal Airlines said she would not want to see the travelling public paying for infrastructure improvements of the entire airport.
She was the one who suggested there be a commitee for stakeholders to have input.
Coun. Marnie Brenner said she liked the idea of a committee because it will tap into experience and knowledge of people like Nadin-Young who work with various airports.
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