Airport staff seek council sign-off on rental-car amendments, propose quarterly board briefings

Airport staff briefed the council on Feb. 3 about rental-car concession agreements and governance options for the Idaho Falls Regional Airport Board.

Director Turner (speaker 12) said the RFP process produced a new rental-car agreement that raises fixed rent for certain concessions from about $195,000 under the old contract to roughly $302,511 under the new contract (figures shown exclude application of the 10% privilege fee). Because the third concession agreement added brands and space, staff proposed two near-identical amendments to address how the 10% privilege fee would apply so that the fee would be applied over market rather than duplicating fees in certain brand-combination scenarios. The amendments are scheduled to appear on the upcoming Thursday consent agenda alongside the third concession agreement.

Staff noted a minimum annual guarantee floor of $200,000 for each contract year and that ready-return stall pricing has moved closer to market in recent bids. Councilors asked clarifying questions about privilege fees, minimum guarantees and timing for the consent agenda.

The airport director also recommended shifting much of routine airport-board business into quarterly briefings at council work sessions to improve public access and reduce the repeated staff effort needed to run separate board meetings at the airport venue. Staff said board meeting attendance and recording at the airport had been uneven and that quarterly updates with ad hoc sessions for urgent items would conserve staff time while preserving transparency. Councilors discussed the governance implications, and staff committed to drafting language and options for a future policy change and to retain a quarterly financial update schedule.

Staff said the third rental-car concession and amendments will be brought forward for council action on the regular agenda and that they will work with legal and finance to finalize the language.