Harrington approves FAA reimbursement agreement for airport runway lighting tests

The Harrington City Commission approved a reimbursement agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration to cover costs associated with test flights for a runway and PAPI lighting project. Staff said the FAA requires the city to pay upfront for potential test flights and will reimburse the city afterward.

City engineering staff and the consultant Lochner told commissioners they expect the engineering firm can coordinate contractors, the FAA and test flights to occur on the same day, which would reduce costs. The city manager and consultant said the FAA requires upfront payment in case multiple visits are needed, and the maximum figure presented was $29,801.52; staff estimated the actual cost owed after scheduling and reimbursements could be closer to $10,000 for the test‑flight work and that the city might ultimately be responsible for about one‑third of the upfront amount if scheduling is efficient.

KDOT (Kansas Department of Transportation) staff were reported to be tracking to match about 50% of the city’s obligation. The engineering consultant said grant-matching details remain under negotiation and the FAA is examining whether fiscal‑year match timing can be aligned to cover more of the project cost.

City attorney/staff counsel (Brad) reviewed the reimbursement agreement and said indemnification and disclaimer language were typical for this type of federal reimbursement agreement. The airport budget has funds to front the payment, staff said; if necessary, a future budget amendment could be used.

A motion to consider the reimbursement agreement with the FAA for the runway lighting project and to authorize the mayor’s signature carried on a roll call vote. The motion instructed staff to execute the agreement and pursue available grant/matching funds.

Staff said the project will continue under the existing engineering contract; the agreement specifically covers the cost of test flights to confirm lighting operation.