A resident who said he has lived in Longmont for more than 40 years pressed the council on Tuesday to be transparent about an administrative transfer fee waiver for the municipal airport and how that discount is presented in the proposed budget.

Scott Stewart told council the draft budget indicates the airport receives a 50% waiver of the administrative transfer fee that is otherwise charged back to enterprise funds. "That's taking money out of our general fund," Stewart said, asking that the budget note the waiver with an asterisk so the public understands the airport is not being charged the full amount.

Stewart also read a figure from the proposed budget showing the airport contributed $23,758 in tax revenue in 2024 and urged staff to ensure the financial presentation does not give the appearance that the airport is a major revenue source. "For 261 acres to be bringing in revenue of $23,758 — just put an asterisk next to the thing so we're honest in our presentation to the community," Stewart said.

Why it matters: Stewart argued the airport's administrative fee waiver reduces general-fund revenue and asked for clearer disclosure in budget documents. Staff acknowledged the fee-waiver language in the budget materials and said fees and charges are reviewed annually to assess whether operating expenditures are recovered.

Council and staff response: No formal motion or vote was taken. Staff proceeded to the next agenda items and the budget presentation continued; the council did not adopt a policy change or a new disclosure during the study session. Stewart asked staff to mark the budget to make the waiver clear to the public; the city’s budget team collects questions and makes clarifications as part of the ongoing budget process.

Clarifications from the record: The comment refers to an administrative transfer fee policy that appears in the city's budget materials; the draft budget notes an airport discount of 50% on that charge. Stewart requested clearer labeling so the public can see the discount and better understand what portion of operating costs the airport pays into the general fund.