Resident cites FAA Part 16 complaint, urges city review of airport lease amendments; council approves amendment

A Grand Prairie resident who said he has filed a formal Federal Aviation Administration Part 16 complaint urged the City Council on Monday to direct staff to review minimum standards and lease classifications for the municipal airport, saying local rules may be at odds with federal grant assurances.

Resident Vance DePasquale told the council his filing followed months of unsuccessful, local efforts to resolve disputes with airport management. “This is not about personalities,” DePasquale said. “This is about process and compliance.” He asked the council to authorize staff to pursue a compliance‑focused review of minimum standards and lease classifications and to consider interim operating authorizations while that review is underway.

City staff then presented item 10, an amendment to an existing mineral lease with Total Energy. Cindy Mendez, director of public health and environmental quality, said the amendment would add roughly 69.27295 acres to an existing lease under a five‑year term, and that the offer matches prior terms: $500 per net mineral acre and a 25% royalty. Mendez noted the tracts lie largely along Fish Creek in the flood plain and explained that, if the city declined to lease, the Texas Railroad Commission could treat the city as an unleased mineral owner, delaying royalties until operator costs are recovered.

Council members asked about inspection and enforcement. Mendez said Grand Prairie has a gas‑well pad inspector who monitors drilling, fracturing and production and that a third‑party inspector performs additional air‑emissions testing; she said Arlington has a comparable program.

Curt Johnson moved to approve item 10 “as presented by staff.” The motion carried 8–0.

The council did not take separate action on DePasquale’s request at the meeting; DePasquale said his preference remains a local resolution and that the Part 16 filing exists because local remedies had been exhausted. The record shows the lease amendment passed and staff presentations noted inspection practices and flood‑plain locations; no further staff directive related to the Part 16 request was recorded in the meeting minutes.

The matter may proceed to administrative review at the FAA if the complainant pursues that process; the council’s formal vote approved only the lease amendment as presented.