City officials and airport tenants met to discuss hangar fees, the airport’s waiting list and possible ways to increase hangar supply. Mayor Laura Almond said the city aims to balance fair rents for tenants with fiscal responsibility.
The conversation centered on three immediate issues: whether current monthly rates are appropriate, how to shorten a long waiting list for hangars, and whether the city should pursue lower‑cost sunshade hangars or develop ground leases to attract private investment.
Tenants told council members that current rate methodology includes a $100 surcharge for each additional airplane registered under a single renter and compared hangar rent to private storage prices. City staff reported that standard older T‑hangars are roughly 40 by 20 feet, while newer box‑style hangars measure about 50 by 30 feet; a 12‑by‑24 storage unit elsewhere costs about $115 per month, a figure tenants used to question comparative value. The meeting record showed one listed nightly tie‑down fee of $8.
Members discussed building new, lower‑cost sunshade hangars to create steady monthly revenue with low upfront capital; staff said other airports have long waiting lists for that product. Engineering consultants present flagged that an updated Airport Layout Plan (ALP) and TxDOT approvals would be prerequisites for larger development, and that limited city funds mean some options would require grant matches or private ground‑lease finance rather than direct city construction.
Participants also considered a strategy to extend the taxiway and develop adjacent ground leases so private parties could build and finance new hangars. Previous estimates discussed at the meeting included an $800,000 figure tied to a taxiway project path that had not been advanced, and a possible multi‑million dollar buildout costing several million dollars that would likely require bond financing and would not necessarily pay for itself in the near term.
Staff described smaller, lower‑cost approaches: siting sunshade hangars along a fence line that would require only modest ground improvement and could be tied to TxDOT grant packages. The discussion closed with agreement to include hangar supply and funding as lead items for the upcoming airport layout planning work.
The meeting did not include any formal vote on rate changes or commitments to build hangars; participants described options and staff said they will return with proposals and grant‑planning steps.