Commissioner Clark and colleagues spent more than an hour debating how Stearns County should respond to actions at the regional airport authority and how to protect county taxpayers.

"They could levy 10,000,000, and we couldn't do a thing about it," Commissioner Clark said, arguing that a formal limit on the authority's property‑tax levy should be the board’s top priority. An administrator referenced a memorandum, prepared with input from a Sherburne County official, that reflected areas of agreement (including a possible levy cap) and areas of disagreement, chiefly how to provide county representation on the airport authority governing board.

Why it matters: The airport authority is governed by an enabling resolution that, as staff noted, can only be changed if all four member entities agree and after a series of public hearings. Commissioners said the levy issue and board representation are the two most immediate concerns for county taxpayers. Clark and other members want transparency and direct county involvement if the authority will levy property taxes that affect Stearns residents.

What was proposed: Commissioners discussed three technical routes: (1) negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the airport authority to impose a levy limit or operational agreement; (2) seek a nonvoting liaison or ex‑official participation initially, allowing counties to observe and influence operations; or (3) reopen and amend the enabling resolution so elected officials could be appointed as voting members — a path staff said would require public hearings and unanimous agreement of all four entities.

Points of contention: Sherburne County has been resistant to adding county commissioners to the governing board, while Benton County and several Stearns commissioners expressed support for elected representatives. Commissioners also questioned how the regional local‑option sales tax is used; staff confirmed that the sales tax proceeds are generally restricted to capital uses, such as construction and federal match, not operations.

Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to continue discussions with the other entities, pursue possible MOU language and explore nonvoting liaison arrangements as a near‑term measure, while recognizing that adding elected voting members would require reopening the governing‑document process. No formal action or vote was taken tonight on the airport authority.