Knox County Commission approves tax note, airport contracts and budget transfer

Knox County Commissioners on March 11 approved a package of financial and airport actions, including a tax anticipation note to cover county cash-flow needs, a partnership to move airport parking to ParkMobile, a cooperative services agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for wildlife response, the recording of a wetlands covenant on airport land and a transfer from the 2024 budget into reserves.

The commission approved the consent agenda — minutes from Feb. 18 and Feb. 24, department reports, warrants and reserve withdrawals — by voice vote before taking the package of action items. All formal actions recorded at the meeting passed on unanimous 3-0 votes with no abstentions or opposing votes.

Tax anticipation note Kathy, Finance Director, described the county’s routine use of a tax anticipation note (TAN) to meet operating cash needs before annual tax receipts arrive. She said the lowest interest bid was 4.99% but required the county to open a deposit account with that bank; the county selected its incumbent bank, Machias, at roughly 5.02% because of an established relationship and bundled services the county receives. The commission approved the award of the 2025 TAN, 3-0.

ParkMobile parking agreement Jacob, the airport manager, told commissioners the ParkMobile contract requires no upfront fees for the airport. ParkMobile’s model would add about $0.90 to the airport’s $6 overnight parking rate for users who choose to pay through the app; the vendor supplies signage, transaction data and a mobile payment option. Jacob said ParkMobile projects higher compliance and increased revenue, and the commission approved the partnership, 3-0.

USDA cooperative services for wildlife The commission authorized the airport manager to sign a cooperative service agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Wildlife Services. Jacob said the agreement carries no cost to the airport unless the county activates the federal service; if activated, Wildlife Services would deploy personnel and equipment and bill the airport up to agreed limits. The measure passed, 3-0.

Recording of wetlands covenant for airport property Commissioners authorized the county administrator to sign a declaration of covenant and restrictions after staff discovered a 1995 wetlands restriction had not been recorded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as previously assumed. The covenant will preserve the parcel as wetlands; commissioners noted the oversight prevented other uses, including a proposal earlier raised by the children’s museum. The action passed, 3-0.

Transfer to reserves The commission approved a transfer from the 2024 budget to reserves to account for retirement budget items that were projected but did not occur. Staff explained the county budgets for potential retirements at 50% of projected cost and moves unused retirement-budget balances into reserves at year-end. The transfer was approved, 3-0.

Votes at a glance - Consent items (minutes, department reports, warrants, reserve withdrawals): approved 3-0. - Award 2025 tax anticipation note: approved 3-0. Finance noted lowest bidder required a deposit-account relationship; county selected incumbent bank (Machias) despite a small rate difference. - Authorize ParkMobile parking management and agreements: approved 3-0; no upfront cost to airport, ~90¢ app fee added for ParkMobile users on top of $6 overnight rate as explained by airport manager Jacob. - Authorize cooperative services agreement with USDA APHIS Wildlife Services: approved 3-0; no cost unless service is activated. - Authorize county administrator to sign declaration of covenant and restrictions on airport property (wetland preservation): approved 3-0. - Approve transfer from the 2024 budget to reserves (retirement-related funds): approved 3-0.

What the votes mean Commissioners said several of the airport measures are standard practice (ParkMobile and a USDA cooperative agreement are commonly used by airports) and emphasized that the county did not expect up-front costs from those agreements. Finance staff warned that TAN interest costs vary year to year with cash flow and grant timing; staff offered to provide historical TAN-interest spreadsheets to commissioners.

Next steps County staff will finalize vendor agreements (ParkMobile), record the wetlands covenant, execute the USDA cooperative agreement if needed, and complete the TAN paperwork with Machias. The commission did not set additional conditions at the meeting.