Sierra Vista city council on Aug. 28 heard a staff presentation and consultant overview of a proposed 20-year update to the Sierra Vista Municipal Airport master plan and was asked to approve the plan locally so the city can submit it to the Federal Aviation Administration for final review.
The plan update, presented by the airport consultant on the phone, covers projected aviation activity and facility improvements over a 20-year horizon and is intended to make the city eligible for FAA capital grant funding if and when projects are selected. "We are seeking approval tonight of the master plan locally with city council," the consultant said during the meeting.
The master-planning process involved a planning and advisory committee with representatives from the city, the FAA, the Arizona Department of Transportation Aeronautics Group and personnel from Libby Army Airfield, the consultant said. The update follows the city's previous airport plan completed in 2014 and included four planning-advisory-committee meetings and three public meetings, the consultant said.
Council members asked several follow-up questions during the presentation. One member said the 300-page document took time to review and pointed out the city website still listed a May 2, 2024 public meeting as the last posted meeting; the consultant acknowledged a July meeting had occurred and said the website update was an oversight. Another council member asked that a grants table show succinct project descriptions tied to listed funding sources rather than only listing source names (for example, CARES Act or ARPA) so readers can tell what each grant was spent on.
Council members also discussed operational matters noted in the plan. One asked whether the airport would need a full-time on-site airport employee as operations increase; the consultant and staff said current airport duties are handled by public works but acknowledged staffing needs could change if activity grows. Council members raised parking and vehicle-use questions after noting Border Patrol vehicles currently park at the airport; staff said there is not a known formal written agreement and described the arrangement as use of public facility parking because some federal personnel are not allowed to take vehicles home.
City staff also noted a related capital project: the Sierra Vista Municipal Airport Taxiway J rehabilitation contract has been awarded to Pavex and the contract is being finalized, information the city manager provided earlier in the meeting.
No final vote on the master plan is recorded in the transcript excerpt provided; the council motion to approve the resolution updating the airport master plan was moved and seconded during the meeting record but the vote tally is not in the provided transcript.
The plan will be submitted to the FAA after local approval; any projects on the airport layout plan must still be justified individually and compete for funding through annual capital program meetings with the city, the FAA and ADOT, the consultant said.
Local officials and residents who use the airport will be affected by future capital decisions if projects are selected for FAA or state funding; the master plan itself does not obligate the city or FAA to construct the projects listed in the document.