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Council delays decision on BLM airport lease, asks for funding information
Summary
Bluff council debated a Bureau of Land Management lease for the town airport and deferred a final decision, asking staff to gather funding options and discuss the matter at an upcoming work session.
Council members discussed a BLM lease for the Bluff Airport and concerns about future capital costs before deciding to defer final action and address the subject at a future work session.
Longtime airport manager Jim Hook recounted the field's history and urged the council to sign a lease to secure the town's operations. "We have a great facility out there that has a lot of value," Hook said, noting the airport has been used for search-and-rescue staging and other operations.
Council members expressed concern about potential mid-term capital obligations noted in the draft lease and about how the town would fund runway improvements if required. Town staff said the lease language contemplates a review of rent or value at five-year intervals; council members noted the possibility of future projects (discussed in the town's capital plan) that could require substantial investment and asked whether the Community Impact Board (CIB) or other funding sources could help.
The council did not vote on the lease March 18. Instead it moved the topic to the April 8 work session and asked staff to seek additional information from the CIB and the BLM, including whether the agency will fund or limit certain uses and what the appraisal shows. The manager said she would follow up with CIB staff and request more detail to present to the council.
