Clay County auditors find airport averages a loss; FBO reports growing jet fuel sales and 40-person hangar waiting list

County auditors and staff briefed the Clay County Commission on long-term airport finances and current operations on Feb. 13, concluding that the airport shows sizable year-to-year swings and an average operating shortfall, while the county’s new fixed-base operator said transient business-jet fuel sales are increasing and there is a waiting list for hangars.

Victor Hurlburt, county auditor, told the commission his office compiled about 15 years of cash-basis financials and found that ‘‘the airport essentially does average a loss of about $258,000 a year’’ when counting all funds, grants and debt service. He said that when capital grants and one-time transfers are removed and only recurring operating revenues and expenses are considered, the average deficit narrowed to about $76,000 a year.

Hurlburt said Fund 401 (the airport fund) shows cash of about $571,000 as of the end of 2024 and that the county’s net investment in airport assets net of accumulated depreciation is roughly $20,650,599. He also told commissioners the county’s last scheduled debt-service payment related to the airport is due in 2025.

Deputy County Administrator Donna Coontz and the county’s FBO operator, Kyle Eiser of Apex, described recent operational steps: the county contracted a professional FBO in 2024, revisited fee schedules and is preparing capital maintenance such as roof repairs and bank stabilization on a creek near the runway safety area. Eiser said Apex reduced self-serve avgas and Jet A prices when it took over, reported strong Jet A sales in early 2025 (surpassing last year’s monthly totals in the first two weeks of a month), and said the FBO has a waiting list of approximately 40 people seeking hangars.

Eiser said Apex secured a verbal commitment from a turbine business jet expected to base at the airport and that the FBO is in discussions with a maintenance operator interested in building a hangar to provide on-site maintenance. "We've already surpassed the 2024 Jet A fuel sales numbers for the entire month," he said, noting that attracting transient turbine traffic is a priority.

Citizens and pilots at the meeting urged the county and the FBO to prioritize on-field maintenance, clearer tenant rules and faster snow removal. Several pilots described difficulty getting aircraft out of hangars after a recent heavy snow event and urged a clearer operational standard for what constitutes an "active" aircraft and how hangars used for long-term storage should be treated. One airport user said many T-hangar end bays are being used as storage rather than for aircraft, and multiple speakers called for stronger enforcement of lease terms and for the county and FBO to recruit a maintenance facility and flight school.

Auditor Hurlburt told commissioners there are large swings in the airport’s year-to-year numbers largely attributable to reimbursable capital grants and periodic transfers; when those reimbursed capital grants are removed the operating picture narrows considerably. He also noted that the airport fund has received transfers from the general fund, CARES Act, ARPA and used-tax sources for capital projects such as runway rehabilitation and creek-stabilization work.

Commissioners asked staff to provide more granular information on how much of airport expenditures have been funded by federal grants versus county dollars, and to verify whether the county master plan includes cost estimates and market analysis for hangar expansion. Coontz said staff would bring a corrected lease back to the commission after removing an unintended fuel-minimum clause and would pursue roof repairs as permitted by the 2025 capital budget.

No commission action was taken beyond asking staff for follow-up information; commissioners said they want a plan that preserves federal grants that helped build airport assets while increasing on-field activity and reducing subsidies over time.