The airport authority voted to raise the airport director’s delegation of purchasing authority from $10,000 to $15,000 to reduce delays on routine maintenance and supply orders, especially after the transfer of Sheridan Airport to the authority.

Sam (airport director) explained the change and the reason for a higher limit: a number of maintenance or supply orders at Sheridan have fallen in the $11,000–$12,000 range, and paying vendors was delayed when expenditures required board approval. “According to Sam, there’s been a number of instances where maintenance or supply orders have been in the range of 11 to 12,000 where payments been delayed to the vendor because of the time we live in board meeting,” a board member said.

The board approved the increase by roll call.

Sheridan staffing and budget questions

Board members reviewed budget items raised during county council budget hearings. They identified three items the council had questioned: (1) requests for two part-time maintenance staff to assist at Sheridan and one part-time accounting/administrative position covering both Exec and Sheridan; (2) the budget’s projected revenue for Sheridan after the airport transition; and (3) a proposed salary increase for the airport director tied to increased responsibilities overseeing both Exec and Sheridan.

Sam and other staff said Sheridan closed July 14 and budget submissions were due before that date, which complicated revenue and expense projections. Sam said the county council approved a part-time maintenance position for 2025 but had not yet approved the 2026 amendment; the council asked Sam to return in October to request an extension of the maintenance position in 2026.

Why this matters: The increased delegation of authority aims to avoid vendor-payment delays and keep maintenance on schedule. Staffing decisions and budget revisions will determine how quickly Sheridan can be synchronized with airport authority procedures and how fuel and other revenue sources are handled going forward.

Board direction

- The board approved raising the director’s delegation of authority to $15,000.
- Staff will return to the county council as requested in October to clarify and seek extension of maintenance positions for 2026 and to provide additional revenue/expense details for Sheridan.

Board members said they expect to monitor budget performance over the next six months as Sheridan’s revenue and expenses are reconciled with Exec operations.