St. George council pauses hangar‑leasing policy after hours of public comment from pilots and businesses

St. George City Council on Tuesday halted final action on a proposed noncommercial airport hangar‑leasing policy after an extended public hearing in which pilots, hangar developers and aviation organizations urged the council to slow the process and convene broader stakeholder discussions.

Dustin, an airport staff presenter, said the draft policy had been revised since work meetings to clarify term and renewal language and to provide procedures for assignments and a 3% transfer fee based on assessor value, with funds restricted for taxiway improvements. "We went ahead and pushed that out to a 20 with 2 5 year extensions," he said during the presentation.

Speakers representing a cross section of general aviation — from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association to individual hangar builders and hobby pilots — asked the council either to table the ordinance or to convene a working group. Brad Shuster, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Northwest Mountain regional manager, urged more user consultation, saying, "All I'm asking you on behalf of these members is that you give them an opportunity to actually have dialogue about the final draft of the document." He told the council that FAA guidance typically expects user engagement before establishing rates and charges.

Several commenters urged longer lease terms and clearer financing protections. "I would suggest a 30 year term with 3 10 year extensions," said Troy Belliston, who helps develop hangars, arguing that long amortization timelines are necessary to encourage private investment and to protect owners who place substantial capital into hangars. Other speakers warned the proposed 10% profit‑share on subleases and the fixed 3% transfer fee would saddle small operators and narrow‑margin businesses.

Pilot and content creator Carson Stilson described the draft as favoring the city's interests while placing burdens on hobby pilots and small builders: "The new 10% sublease tax, because that's what it is, affects people like me who are directly just trying to afford our passion," he said, and he objected to a proposed requirement that an aircraft fly every six months.

Speakers also raised policy compliance concerns with Airport Improvement Program (AIP) assurances. Engineer Celeste Madarazzo asked the council to verify whether lease and sublease provisions and six‑month occupancy or flight requirements aligned with federal AIP obligations.

In discussion after public comment, council members acknowledged that notice and communication with airport users had been uneven. Steve Kemp, the council's airport liaison, said the city has a long wait list for hangars and framed the policy effort as addressing that supply‑and‑demand problem: "We have a problem. We have a wait list that is more than 50 or 60 parties long that have been waiting," he said.

Councilman Kemp moved to continue the item so staff and council could incorporate stakeholder feedback and clarify ambiguous lease provisions. The motion passed unanimously.

Next steps listed by council included scheduling additional stakeholder engagement, clarifying lease language about term, assignment and transfer fees, and posting updates via the city's newsletter and website. The council did not adopt the policy Tuesday and will consider revised language at a future meeting.