Airport vote moved to Aug. 1
The Kalispell City Council vote on whether to close down the city-owned airport on the south side of town has been delayed until Aug. 1.
City Manager Doug Russell cited the expected absence next week of council members Kari Gabriel and Sandy Carlson in suggesting the delay on what could be a historic vote. The council previously set July 5 for the airport vote.
When the July 5 vote was established at an earlier work session, the council had hoped to bring a degree of closure to the contentious Kalispell City Airport issue with the up-or-down vote, but “some of that was predicated, however, on having a full council for discussion,” Russell said.
The airport’s fate has for years remained one of the city’s most heated issues, with proponents of a closure viewing it as a financial liability and airport supporters arguing its benefits substantially outweigh the costs.
The most recent of several reports commissioned to study options for dealing with the airport was released last year. It estimated that closure would cost $1.7 million less than continuing airport operations as is, but would require $2.2 million more in up-front costs.
In the meantime, the City Council will revisit the topic during its next work session July 11.
Council member Phil Guiffrida agreed with Russell’s suggestion, adding that public comments sent by email and delivered during the council’s June 20 meeting had presented some new alternatives, including possible bonding and tax levy proposals.
“There’s a lot of things I think we can discuss more, now that we’re getting all this public comment. That’s what we’re supposed to do with public comment,” he said.
Guiffrida also criticized as incorrect a series of financial claims in a paid advertisement that has appeared recently in the Daily Inter Lake, and noted the pro-airport ad had not included the names of the individual or group that paid for it.
The ad is being paid for by an organization called City Airport Users and Pilots through Red Eagle Aviation.
“The reality is, I want [Gabriel and Carlson] on the record on this, for the discussion and their vote,” Guiffrida said. “We’re already starting a media push, and we’re going to get the polarization that we got last time where we can’t find the middle ground.”
Kalispell Mayor Mark Johnson asked the city staff to prepare a generic cost estimate of the leases that the city would have to buy out should it opt for closure. Those numbers have been a sticking point in previous airport debates since appraisals on the leases might not remain accurate for long and hiring an appraiser could be costly.
Johnson said he doesn’t want the vote delayed any further.
“The first of August, we want to be through with this,” he said.
Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.