Airport manager seeks refueler(s) and equipment; aldermen debate buying used trucks to restore fleet

Ty Dinsdale, airport manager for the City of Osage Beach, told aldermen the airports will request equipment in the FY2026 budget including at least one refueler truck, dedicated desktop computers for point-of-sale terminals and vending machines for terminal buildings. "I'm probably gonna have a refueler in the budget request this year. Possibly 2," Dinsdale said. He also reported that the new point-of-sale system is live at both airports and that he now plans to add a desktop and monitor dedicated to the system at each terminal.

Board members focused on the age and condition of the airport refueler fleet. Alderman Recker delivered an extended appeal to prioritize refueler replacement, saying many of the city’s fuel trucks date to the 1980s and that unreliable trucks can deter pilots and reduce fuel sales. "If I was a pilot and I pulled into that airport and I seen the age of those trucks, I wouldn't dare wanna put fuel in my plane that my livelihood depended upon," Recker said. He urged buying used refueler trucks now to jump-start a fleet replacement program rather than waiting to purchase new models.

Dinsdale said replacement is long overdue and provided operational context: the city should have two refuelers at each airport — one for avgas and one for jet fuel — for a total of four. He said airport purchases in prior years included used units and that refueler lifespans can run 15–20 years. "We're you should have 2 at each airport... So we should have 4 total," he said.

Aldermen discussed fiscal trade-offs. Purchasing used refuelers could allow the city to accelerate fleet turnover; staff estimates for new refuelers are significantly higher. Dinsdale and other staff also asked to buy vending machines (about $5,000 per airport in staff estimates) and dedicated desktop POS stations for reliability and accounting reconciliation. Dinsdale said vending services have failed in the past under private leases and that city-owned machines could provide more reliable service.

Separately, City Administrator Devon Lake reported that state agencies had extended timelines for two airport-related grants, preserving roughly $230,000 in expected reimbursements for the airport master plan and allowing the city more time to award construction and professional contracts. Lake said the extensions were required to keep existing grants active and thanked staff who handled the work.

Board members asked staff to include details in upcoming budget workshops, such as projected lifespans, repair history and whether cost estimates were for new or used trucks. Alderman Osteen asked that department heads include IT and maintenance input on line-item estimates in future budget materials so aldermen have comparable information when weighing replacements.