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Airport manager outlines revenue and fees; board authorizes aviation legal services and equipment purchases
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Summary
Tullahoma Airport interim manager reviewed operations and revenue projections, proposed new user fees and hire of aviation legal counsel; the board authorized a contract with Thompson Burton PLLC and approved mower and vehicle purchases tied to airport operations.
Gavin Deshaun, the interim assistant manager at the Tullahoma Airport, presented an annual operations and budget update to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on April 27, outlining revenue assumptions, proposed operational fees and near-term capital work.
Deshaun said fuel sales remain the airportprimary revenue source and cited a projected fuel sales revenue figure of $1,300,000. He described three new fees designed to support cost recovery: an overnight fee, a facility-usage fee (tiered by aircraft type) and an increased callout fee. Deshaun also described recent capital work, including a vault and beacon replacement and forthcoming state-funded tree clearing along runway approaches.
On contracting, the board considered an authorization for the mayor and the Tullahoma Airport Authority chairman to execute a contract with Thompson Burton PLLC for aviation legal services. City materials and RFP scores presented to the board indicated Thompson Burton was the unanimous top choice; the firms proposed hourly rate was discussed during the meeting. Several aldermen asked for a practical spending cap; staff noted the firm requested up to $50,000 in the airportbudget and that purchases over the city threshold must be brought to the board. The motion to authorize contracting and funding passed 7-0.
The board also approved a $33,009.69 Sourcewell purchase (local match ~ $8,500) of a 20-inch Flex Wing rotary cutter mower to maintain grass runways and safety margins; the mower motion carried 7-0. Earlier in the meeting, airport staff discussed pausing hangar rent during legal review but indicated the authority will resume collections pending FAA counsel input.
Deshaun and other speakers also described tenant diversity (including an alert that Vanderbilt LifeFlight operates out of the field with no additional fees beyond a hangar lease) and reported outreach with state partners and base tenants. The board asked staff to continue negotiations on procurement terms and to ensure any high-dollar legal engagement follows purchasing rules.
The board took no additional immediate policy action on fee structures; staff said they would research equity and grant-assurance implications before any fee-specific adoption.
