Commission authorizes city manager to sign FAA grant for airport taxiway reconstruction

The City of Lewistown Commission authorized the city manager to sign a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant agreement to partially reconstruct Taxiway A and a Taxiway C intersection at the Willowtown Airport.

Commissioners were told the majority of project costs are expected to be grant-funded; federal aviation grants typically require a local match, which staff said is commonly 5% or 10% depending on the year and program. At the meeting one commissioner indicated the expected match for this grant would likely be 5% but the exact amount was not finalized at the hearing.

During discussion commissioners and staff described the airport as largely self-funded (paid through tenant rents) and noted the administrative difficulty that the FAA has recently required both city and county sign-offs for grant documents despite a long-standing joint resolution that delegates some authorities to the airport board. Commissioners said the additional signature layers slow the process and suggested pushback to maintain delegated authority where appropriate.

The motion to authorize the city manager to sign the FAA grant agreement for reconstruction of taxiway areas was moved by Commissioner Robertson and seconded by Commissioner Day. The commission approved the authorization by recorded voice vote with all members present voting yes.

No specific construction schedule or final grant award date was announced at the meeting; staff said the project will proceed in phases and that further administrative steps and matching-fund arrangements will follow standard FAA and city procedures.