Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Airport Maintenance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission considers TDOT supplemental airport maintenance grant; airport manager explains allowable uses amid operational dispute
Summary
Commissioners approved moving a TDOT supplemental maintenance grant into the airport maintenance line and questioned allowable uses; the airport manager said the funds cover maintenance items (lights, filters, parts) but not payroll, and a tense exchange followed over airport operations and alleged conflicts of interest.
Benton County commissioners approved a resolution to appropriate $5,250 in a supplemental Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) airport maintenance grant into the airport maintenance line. County airport manager Rita explained the supplemental grant is a maintenance fund previously received in May, and to use it before the fiscal year ends the county needs to move the money to the maintenance line for reimbursement. She said the grant pays for maintenance items such as runway and hangar lights, fuel filtration parts, mower blades and other physical maintenance supplies, but not payroll or fuel.
Commissioner Fowler asked whether the grant could be used for payroll or to hire contractors for tasks like brush hogging; Rita replied repeatedly that payroll and tank rental are not eligible expenses under the grant rules. She said the grant has been used in prior years for bulbs for runway beacons and other parts and that the airport maintains an inventory of runway parts.
The discussion included an extended exchange between Commissioner Fowler and other commissioners about airport management, profitability and alleged conflicts. Fowler said tenants had questioned whether he should vote on airport matters because of painting aircraft; another commissioner responded that the accusation referred to work done “30 years ago” and that the airport has been subject to litigation and contested operations in recent years. Chair and other commissioners recommended staff-level review of airport fuel and financial records if needed and noted that questions about alleged conflicts should be pursued separately from the grant appropriation.
The transcript records the grant explanation and the ensuing debate about acceptable uses and airport operations; commissioners voted on the airport grant resolution after the discussion. The meeting also included a separate, later procedural move to suspend rules and add a resolution to appropriate $15,009.25 for protective vests for the sheriff’s department; the commission moved to vote on that item during the meeting.
