The Oldham County Airport Initiative is Dead
Today, February 17th, 2009, the Oldham County Fiscal Court unanimously voted to terminate the airport initiative and dissolve the airport board. It will also return all money remaining for further airport studies to the Kentucky Department of Aviation—close to $109,000.
This is a great victory for the county, as the overwhelming majority of its citizens did not want the airport. In a recent county-wide survey conducted by ETC Institute, an independent polling firm, reported the following:
· 70% of the respondents did not support the development of an airport; 17% support an airport; and 13% were either neutral or unsure.
· 65% of the respondents would not support the airport, even if local taxes were not increased; 22% would support it under this condition; and 13% were neutral or unsure.
· 89% of the respondents would not support the airport if it resulted in additional long-term taxes; 7% would support it even under this condition; and 4% were neutral or unsure.
· 71% of the respondents did not want any more state department of aviation funds spent on studying the airport initiative; 18% would support spending more money for more studies; and 11% were neutral or unsure.
The only immediate concern remaining is the number of arm injuries encountered in fiscal court today, as some members patted themselves (and the airport board) on the back for taking such extraordinary measures to ensure the airport initiative was fully studied. This is county politics at its worst! Had NOA not kept the pressure on the airport board and fiscal court, there would have been an airport built in Oldham County.
The fact of the matter is the survey (which NOA supported from the beginning) provided the political top cover for the magistrates to vote against the airport initiative. Without the survey results, this airport initiative would have continued—despite overwhelming evidence it was going to cost the county a great deal of money over the long term. The costs would have been financial and environmental, and measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars.
One question that just will not die is, “What was the true charter of the airport board?” While some members of the fiscal court and the airport board itself may truly believe the board’s charter was simply to weigh the pros and cons of building an airport, the role of an airport board is clearly spelled out in the Kentucky Revised Statutes. The airport board has a very clear purpose—to build and maintain an airport. Nothing Judge-Executive Murner can say will change this fact. He does not write the rules for airport boards, nor can he re-define the role of an airport board to suit his liking. So, it appears those in charge of local government did not take time to read the rules before taking money from Kentucky Department of Aviation–an action which could have cost the county dearly.
As it turns out, the big loser in this airport initiative is the Kentucky Department of Aviation, which lost nearly $100,000 when it funded the Oldham County Airport Feasibility Study—before the county even determined whether or not the citizens of Oldham County wanted an airport. However, Oldham County lost in the process as well, as the credibility of some of its elected officials is now clearly in question. In the past two years, airport proceedings have provided plenty of evidence showing the “good old boy network” is alive and well. I have no intention of documenting all the questionable actions surrounding the airport initiative. However, there is a bit of good news in this whole debacle, and this is what I’d like to close with.
Two magistrates—Mr. Scott Davis and Mr. Bob Leslie—were quick to recognize the airport initiative for what it was—an attempt to establish flying club for Oldham County aircraft owners. There was no substantiated evidence the airport would provide significant economic growth in the county, or bring any major business investment. Both Davis and Leslie understood this and tried to end the airport over a year ago. Their open and frank assessments were largely ignored by other government officials. Perhaps now is the time to let them take the lead in returning some credibility to county government.
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