Share This Article
Judge Litty and Honorable Justices of the Court,
I write today to address the proposed ordinance to abolish the Airport Commission and replace it with an unknown entity, and to provide reasons to vote against this drastic change in county government.
As 2025 has arrived, I have been flying into Baxter County Airport since 1978 and based here full-time for the last three years. I have directly observed the changes in this airport and the significant value delivered to this community as managed by the Baxter County Airport Commission.
Flying an aircraft is easy, it’s like driving a car. The tricky part is all the rules and regulations, the complicated airspace and airport operations, the safety and security procedures, and for sure, the severe consequences of mistakes. And it takes money, a lot of money, that is provided for this airport from two sources: the rents paid by airport tenants and businesses, and grants from the federal and state governments.
Our airport must compete with other counties and cities for these funds and this airport commission has established the relationships, and the trust, to successfully win these competitions.
The members of this airport commission are all airport users, and four of them are also hangar tenants, some flying from this airport for more than 30 years. They bring a combined body of experience and airport knowledge that has resulted in the significant positive economic impact the airport brings every year to the local economy. Most county residents are not affected directly by the airport…. some do not even know we HAVE an airport. But ALL of them benefit from the more than five million dollars every year this airport Commission has worked to bring to the county.
And the students at Mountain Home High School know about the airport and the airport commission. Three to four hundred of them visit the airport every year to learn about the rewarding aviation careers available to them. Thanks to this airport commission, three others have experienced airport operations and management internships, working for academic credit at the airport during the school year. And in the last three years, eight of them have experienced aviation scholarships leading them to those careers.
In discussion with folks about the Judge’s proposal to abolish this airport commission, I hear three very good questions:
Why are we doing this? What will happen if we do it? …. and what will happen if we don’t do it?
The answer to why are we doing this?… is, “I don’t know”. There have been no solid reasons or justification to destroy an effectively operating Commission and replace it with some unknown entity. Such drastic change in the structure of county government requires significant investigation to understand and to establish very good reasons for that action.
The second question?…. what happens if we do it – again, we do not know. There are 91 public-use airports in the state, all created and use airport commissions to manage their airports in cooperation with the local government administration.
Finally – what will happen if we do not do it? Well… that one we know. The airport will continue to be well-managed and operated, it will continue to grow the amounts of outside funds to be spent here, and it will continue to well-serve the taxpayers of Baxter County bringing business people, critical medical services and the all-important tourist and recreation traffic to benefit our citizens.
This issue has been proposed in a rush; published for only four-business days after a major holiday period with no research or investigation done on what the impact of this will be and no justification provided for the drastic action to change the structure of county government by destroying an effectively operating Commission.
I urge the court to vote tonight AGAINST this proposal to abolish the Baxter County airport commission.
