Wausau finance committee approves short-term budget shift to cover airport furnishings and apron work

The Wausau Finance Committee on June 24 approved a temporary budget modification to cover shortfalls for two Wausau Downtown Airport capital projects: $37,000 for terminal furnishings and about $37,400 for airport apron work.

Committee members said the measure avoids capital borrowing by drawing on local-share funds currently assigned to a runway design project and anticipated reimbursements from the Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics.

City staff said the terminal furnishing need arose after project scope and eligible reimbursements were clarified during the design and funding review. "There's two issues going on with the airport's capital projects. One is the terminal building — furnishings were overlooked and so they are looking for $37,000 to complete that project," a city staff member said. The apron shortfall was described as $37,400 and attributed partly to sections of work that were ineligible for federal or state funding and additional pavement work for the Jones hangar.

Carl Kemper of Becker Hoppe Associates told the committee the $80,666.40 local-share allocation for the 1331 runway reconstruction covers design work spanning 2025–26 and that only a portion of that budgeted amount is likely available this year. Staff described a funding plan that would temporarily use part of the $80,666.40 for the furnishings and apron shortfalls and then replenish that runway-design account when state or federal reallocations (about $90,000) become available later in the year.

Alder Gisselman moved and Alder Tierney seconded a motion to use a combination of the $80,666.40 already budgeted for the 1331 runway reconstruction and expected Bureau of Aeronautics funds to cover the terminal furnishings and apron work. Committee members approved the motion by voice vote.

Committee discussion noted an option to increase capital borrowing if the anticipated reimbursements did not arrive on the expected schedule, but members favored using the internal capital allocation and the expected BOA reimbursements to avoid borrowing.

The committee recorded no roll-call objections and the item will proceed to council as required for final authorization.

Less critical details: the committee described the terminal furnishings as lobby/lounge furniture (desks, tables, chairs) and said staff solicited interior-decorator bids that lowered the proposed furnishing cost relative to earlier $90,000 estimates.