Pitt County commissioners authorize support letter for airport financing flexibility; $250,000 appropriation to be considered in budget workshops

The Pitt County Board of Commissioners authorized the county manager or the chair to sign a letter supporting legislation that would expand local flexibility to use ad‑valorem tax dollars for airport operations and to require a public hearing before land acquisition, after a presentation from Michael Overton, vice chair of the Pitt‑Greenville Airport Authority.

Overton described a multi‑year revenue shortfall tied to a drop in commercial flights and said the airport is losing an estimated $80,000–$100,000 per month. He said the airport has multiple lines of revenue — fuel sales, hangar rental, personal‑property taxes — and that recruiting additional based aircraft and restoring flights could boost local economic activity. Overton asked the board to authorize a letter of support for legislation that would allow broader use of ad‑valorem tax dollars for airport operations and to consider a $250,000 county appropriation to help offset losses while revenue‑generation plans proceed.

The board moved and voted to authorize the chair (or manager) to sign the letter of support. Commissioners agreed to discuss the $250,000 appropriation during scheduled budget workshops (May 5–7); no appropriation was approved at the meeting.

Speakers in the record include Michael Overton (Pitt‑Greenville Airport Authority) and county staff who placed the request on the agenda for budget workshops.