St. George council pauses proposed airport hangar lease policy after hours of public comment

The St. George City Council on an unspecified date opened a public hearing on a proposed noncommercial hangar leasing policy for St. George Municipal Airport and then voted to continue the item for further work after extensive public comment.

The policy draft presented by city staff would set new lease terms and administration rules for hangars on city-owned airport property. Dustin (city staff) told the council the draft extends base lease terms to 20 years with two five‑year extensions and would require a 3% transfer fee based on Washington County assessed value, to be deposited into a restricted account for taxiway improvements and airport construction. Dustin also described wait‑list and notification rules that would remove applicants after two consecutive forfeitures and provisions allowing applicants to refuse a hangar dimensionally unsuitable for their aircraft while retaining their place on the list.

Why it matters: The draft touches on the length of leases, resale and transfer fees, subleasing rules and operational requirements for aircraft — items that affect small aviators, hangar investors and the city’s ability to fund future airport maintenance. Several speakers warned the proposed language could reduce investment in new hangars, penalize hobbyist pilots and conflict with FAA guidance on airport rates and charges.

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Northwest Mountain Regional Manager Brad Shuster told the council he supports stakeholder consultation and urged a formal user‑consultation period, saying, “I’ve never seen a situation ... where the sponsor of a FAA‑obligated airport went literally from written document and straight to ... approval.” Jason Blake, interim president of the Southern Utah Aviation Association, and multiple individual hangar owners echoed calls for a stakeholder working group and more time for review.

Hangar developers and builders raised specific finance and term concerns. Troy Belliston, who said he negotiates and builds hangars, asked for longer lease security and clearer protections for return on investment, and said elements of the draft “give the city the right to terminate that lease under various circumstances,” which he said would undermine financing. Several speakers also criticized a proposed 10% share of sublease profit as unfair. Carson Stilson, a private pilot and content creator who said his hangar‑build videos reached large online audiences, warned the fee “affects people like me” and argued the policy would discourage small‑scale general aviation activity.

Council response and outcome: Mayor Randall closed the public hearing. Councilman Steve Kemp moved to continue the item so staff can work with stakeholders to clarify policy purpose and adjust fees and terms; Councilman Jimmy Hughes seconded. The council voted unanimously to continue the matter to a future date to allow additional stakeholder input and policy revision.

Discussion versus decision: The council received the public record and took a procedural action to continue the item; no final policy was adopted. Council members said the vote reflected a need for clearer wording—particularly about FAA obligations, what the city may or may not encumber on federally assisted airport property, and how revenue would be used for taxiway work.

Clarifying details captured from the hearing: - Proposed lease term: staff described it as 20 years with two five‑year extensions; some stakeholders summarized that as a 30‑year effective term and disputed whether extensions were at city or lessee option. - Transfer fee: 3% of assessed value at time of sale, stated by staff as based on Washington County Assessor rates; not an appraisal fee. - Use of fee: staff said fees would be deposited into a restricted account for taxiway improvements and airport construction. - Wait‑list rules: applicants notified by email/phone; forfeiture if unreachable in 14 calendar days; two consecutive forfeitures lead to removal from the list. - Sublease/profit share: draft includes a 10% profit share on subleases; several commenters framed that as a “tax” on hangar owners. - Aircraft activity requirement: draft included language that aircraft be flown once every six months; commenters said long‑term kit builds and parts delays make such a rule onerous.

Speakers (attribution whitelist): - Dustin — City staff presenter (airport policy lead) - Brad Shuster — Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Northwest Mountain Regional Manager (nonprofit) - Mike Bridal — Hangar owner / private pilot (citizen) - Troy Belliston — Pilot and hangar developer (business) - Carson Stilson — Private pilot and content creator (citizen) - Michael Green — Representative, St. George Airport Museum (citizen) - Randy Owens — Pilot / aerobatic pilot (citizen) - Jason Blake — Interim president, Southern Utah Aviation Association (nonprofit) - Brett Wayne — Former airport commissioner / hangar owner (citizen) - Celeste Madarazzo — Engineer and airport user (citizen) - Lloyd Carmine — Former airport advisory commissioner (citizen) - Mayor Randall — Mayor, St. George City Council (government) - Councilwoman Danielle Larkin — St. George City Council (government) - Councilwoman Natalie Larson — St. George City Council (government) - Councilwoman Michelle Tanner — St. George City Council (government) - Councilman Steve Kemp — St. George City Council (government) - Councilman Jimmy Hughes — St. George City Council (government)

Authorities referenced (from the hearing): - FAA rates and charges guidance / appendix (policy) — referenced by Brad Shuster and commenters to argue for user consultation - Washington County Assessor rate (local assessment standard) — referenced by city staff as basis for 3% transfer fee - Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding (federal grant program) — referenced by commenters when discussing taxiway/apron funding and allowable uses of AIP funds

Proper names: [{"name":"St. George Airport","type":"location"},{"name":"Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association","type":"organization"},{"name":"Southern Utah Aviation Association","type":"organization"},{"name":"Washington County Assessor","type":"agency"},{"name":"Federal Aviation Administration","type":"agency"},{"name":"Airport Improvement Program","type":"program"}]

Searchable tags: ["airport","hangar leases","FAA","AIP","St. George"]

Provenance (topic intro/finish): - {"block_id":"s836.5","local_start":0,"local_end":164,"evidence_excerpt":"Item number 5 is a public hearing consideration of adoption of the city's non commercial airport hangar leasing policy. And Dustin will be presenting this item."} - {"block_id":"s4024.38","local_start":0,"local_end":170,"evidence_excerpt":"So my automatically seconded motion, mayor, is that we continue this item to a date on, not certain so that we can put some more, work into this policy primarily to clarify what its use and purpose is for and also to maybe adjust some of the, the fees and other things that maybe are out of line."}