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County plans for airport self-sufficiency, Placerville East‑end development and grant use
Summary
Jennifer Fanich, airports division manager, told supervisors the airports fund is an enterprise fund that currently depends on general-fund transfers; the division is pursuing FAA and Caltrans grants, a market‑rate lease study, and a feasibility study to develop the Placerville Airport east end to increase revenue and reduce net county cost.
Jennifer Fanich, manager of El Dorado County Airports, briefed the Board on Feb. 5 about the airports division’s push toward operational self-sufficiency, grant-funded capital projects and a feasibility study to develop the east end of the Placerville Airport.
Fanich said the airports division runs Placerville and Georgetown general-aviation airports and currently operates with a net county cost: about $620,000 for Placerville and roughly $188,000 for Georgetown in the current budget. The airports are an enterprise fund and receive FAA and Caltrans grant funding for capital projects; Fanich emphasized that FAA grant use requires charging market-rate rents and leases for certain services.
Why it matters: Fanich said increasing hangar capacity and ground leases on the Placerville east end (a graded area identified for development) could generate new rent revenue and strengthen the airports’ financial sustainability. She recommended a lease and market-rate rent study to ensure compliance with FAA requirements and to inform future development decisions.
Key details: The division operates 13 county hangars and 96 privately owned hangars at Placerville; Georgetown has 21 hangars. Placerville sells Avgas and jet fuel; Georgetown sells Avgas. Upcoming projects include an updated five-year capital improvement program and a development feasibility study for the Placerville east end that would rely heavily on FAA grant matching funds.
Ending: Fanich and staff asked the board to note the airport’s enterprise status, support a market-rate lease study and endorse use of FAA and state grant funding for capital improvements that reduce reliance on general-fund transfers.
