Evans County approves 2026 budget including 3.63-mill airport levy to cover shortfall

Evans County approved a tentative 2026 budget that includes a proposed 3.63-mill levy intended to raise about $160,400 to cover the Linton Airport’s operating shortfall and to support planned projects, county staff said.

The levy was the central topic at a public budget hearing in the county commission chambers where airport board members, county staff, elected officials and residents discussed grants, past shortfalls and whether the county should assume ongoing airport costs. "We decided at 5 months ago that we were gonna do what we can to save this airport rather than lose a facility like this because once it's gone, it's gone," one county commissioner said during public comment.

Why it matters: Linton Airport officials and aviation supporters told commissioners the airport handles emergency medical and fixed-wing flights and requires local match money to qualify for federal and state grants. Airport representatives said the facility has had shortfalls in recent years — roughly $40,000–$80,000 in the most recent year — and sought…