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Josephine County delegates airport lease-signing authority to airport manager; board approves order 2025-049
Summary
The Board of Commissioners approved Board Order 2025-049 to delegate authority to sign routine lease and permit-related documents at Josephine County Airport to the airport manager, while retaining board approval for expenditures above $10,000.
Josephine County commissioners on Thursday approved Board Order 2025-049, delegating authority to the airport manager to execute routine lease agreements, memoranda of understanding and letters of authorization for Josephine County Airport.
The 3-0 vote came after Airport Manager Mister Cristofori told the board the county frequently receives time-sensitive agreements — including a Forest Service land-use authorization required before helicopters can be staged at the airport — that must be signed quickly to enable operations. “They’re not allowed to land a helicopter on the airport unless we have an agreement in place,” Cristofori said.
The order updates an earlier 2021 document (board order 2021-035) and, according to Cristofori and commissioners, restores an operational practice used by prior airport directors. Commissioners and the manager said the delegation is intended to streamline day-to-day operations, not to shift budgetary authority to the manager.
“Anything that was over $10,000 would have to come before the board anyway,” Commissioner Smith said during discussion, stressing that large expenditures and the board’s oversight remain unchanged.
Commissioners said the delegation will allow staff to execute routine items such as building-permit authorization letters (for applicants who are not the landowner), memoranda of understanding with agencies and similar revenue-generating agreements without waiting for the weekly meeting schedule. Cristofori gave examples including a building-permit application related to the airport runway extension project and an agreement to host Forest Service helicopters at the airport.
The board approved the motion by roll call: Commissioner Smith — yes; Commissioner Barnett — yes; Commissioner Black — yes. The order was described in the agenda as an amendment to board order 2021-035; the chair noted scrivener errors in the draft that would be corrected prior to finalization.
Several members of the public had raised concerns about concentrating decision-making at the manager level and about perceived conflicts of interest involving a commissioner and airport tenants. Commissioners responded that the change restores previously held manager authority, reiterated the $10,000 threshold for required board approval, and encouraged concerned residents to meet with airport staff for on-site briefings.
Next steps: the board said it will correct minor typographical errors in the final board order before providing the signed document for implementation.
