Benton County approves additional airport appropriations as fuel sales climb; commissioners debate truck rental vs. purchase

The Benton County Commission approved supplemental budget actions for airport operations after hearing from airport staff that fuel sales have risen sharply this fiscal year.

The commission voted to appropriate $5,000 to cover a shortfall in fuel-related tax liabilities, $50,000 to cover aviation fuel purchasing for the remainder of the fiscal year, and $3,000 to pay for rental of a fuel truck. Motions and seconds were recorded for each resolution and the measures carried by voice vote or recorded roll call.

Why it matters: Increased fuel sales and jet traffic have raised both revenue and operating needs at the county airport; the commission's supplemental appropriations move money into expenditure accounts so the airport can buy and distribute fuel and maintain safe operations.

Airport staff (identified during the meeting as Bridal/Rita) told commissioners year-to-date sales through February included roughly 32,340 gallons in total fuel sold and about 19,470 gallons of Jet A sales. Staff said a fuel truck was acquired to provide safer, quicker refueling for jets and that the truck’s capacity is about 2,200 gallons. The aviation-fuel tax rate cited at the meeting was 4.25%.

Commissioners asked about profit margins and overhead. One commissioner noted published “markup” figures but several also cautioned that truck lease payments, tank rent (a $1,000/month figure was cited), maintenance and labor reduce per-gallon net receipts. County staff explained that airport receipts are booked as revenue and must be appropriated into expenditure accounts before they can be spent; that accounting practice required the commission to reappropriate funds rather than spend directly from revenue receipts.

Commissioners discussed whether the county should continue renting a truck or pursue a capital purchase. Airport staff said single-point fueling can be important for certain jet aircraft and that grant programs previously available for fuel farms no longer fund revenue-producing projects; county staff and commissioners agreed to explore options and to provide monthly airport financials and minutes to the commission so the body can monitor revenue and expenses.

The commission approved the three airport resolutions during the meeting; staff said the increased sales have reduced the airport’s historical operating losses and that the supplemental appropriations are reassigning funds already collected rather than creating new expenditures from the general fund.

Ending: Commissioners requested monthly airport financial reports and minutes from the airport board and asked staff to look into longer-term options (single-point fueling, grant possibilities and truck-purchase cost) while using rental trucks in the near term.