Oskaloosa council approves amended 28E agreement for South Central Regional Airport over public opposition

The Oskaloosa City Council on Monday approved an amended and restated 28E agreement with the City of Pella concerning the South Central Regional Airport (SCRA), despite public comment urging the city to withdraw and several council members saying they would vote no.

The agreement, placed on the Dec. 16 agenda at the mayor’s direction, revises the intergovernmental compact to reflect a recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling and changes governance and approval rules. Among the changes discussed at the meeting, the draft requires the SCRA Board to obtain approval from the Oskaloosa and Pella city councils before proceeding with additional land acquisition, eminent-domain actions or construction. It also revises representation on the SCRA board and financial responsibility language.

Why it matters: The item reopened a long-running regional debate over a proposed regional airport that residents and some elected officials said has divided the community for decades. Public speakers said the project threatens family farms and property rights; supporters said the amendment preserves options for future economic development while aligning the agreement with the court ruling.

Public comments at the start of the meeting were sharply critical. One landowner, identified in the meeting as Mister Baster, described generational ties to family farmland threatened by the airport proposal and asked council members to “vote with your conscience and not vote the way you might feel you are expected to.” John Banchro, from rural Mahaska County, told the council the project has been discussed for roughly 25 years and noted earlier votes and legal actions that have shaped the current dispute.

Nick Ryan of Oskaloosa’s Ward 3 said the debate is about property rights and government transparency and urged council members to withdraw from the 28E agreement or vote against the amendment: “We must strive to ensure that the decisions that are made today don't cast a dark shadow on future generations,” he said.

Council discussion was mixed. Several council members described long personal consideration of the project and said they no longer see it as viable or a local priority. One council member, speaking from prepared notes and not identified by name in the transcript, said, “I’m gonna vote no on this tonight,” and listed urgent local priorities including 911 service, a lack of housing and a $70 million-plus wastewater treatment facility as reasons to stop pursuing the airport now.

Other council members argued the amendment would put the agreement into step with the current legal and intergovernmental status quo, preserve the SCRA’s corporate existence and assets, and require additional approvals before any further airport-related steps. Supporters noted the amendment’s explicit requirement that the SCRA obtain council approval before eminent domain or further land purchases.

After debate the council voted to approve the amended and restated 28E agreement. The meeting record shows the motion carried following a roll-call vote; the transcript does not provide a clear, complete named vote tally for each council member in the recorded excerpt.

What the amendment says (as described at the meeting): it increases each city’s representation on the SCRA board in some sections, requires council approval for acquisition and eminent domain (Article 6 and Article 9 references), and clarifies that the approval does not waive the City of Oskaloosa’s right to pursue damages allowed by law related to prior conduct under the original 28E agreement.

The council action does not itself start any new land purchases or construction; the amended agreement adds procedural approvals the SCRA must receive from both city councils before any future steps.

Provenance: The city placed the amendment on the Dec. 16 agenda. The item was introduced and discussed beginning in the transcript at 1114.9995 seconds and the final roll call on the measure appears at about 2170–2199 seconds in the transcript.

Ending: The council approved the amendment to the 28E agreement and left in place procedural checks requiring future council action before any additional SCRA land acquisitions, eminent-domain steps or construction. Several council members and commenters said the issue will remain politically and legally contentious in the community going forward.