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Sedgwick County weighs joint hangar at Jabara as KHP moves from Cook Airfield
Summary
County staff and Kansas Highway Patrol presented a proposal for a shared hangar at Colonel James Jabara Airport that KHP plans to occupy beginning in fiscal 2027; staff estimated a worst-case project cost near $7.7 million and annual operating costs of about $840,000, and commissioners agreed to place a nonbinding green-light item on a future agenda to pursue MOUs and next steps.
Sedgwick County commissioners discussed a proposal to build a shared hangar at Colonel James Jabara Airport that would house Kansas Highway Patrol and the county sheriff's aircraft, review cost estimates and legislative funding, and authorize staff to pursue memoranda of understanding toward a final agreement.
County staff opened the discussion by saying updated plans and a cost analysis were available and that the City of Wichita's willingness to contribute remained uncertain. The sheriff argued a dedicated hangar at Jabara would give county aircraft more secure, permanent space and improved operational safety compared with the county's current leased space.
Colonel Eric Smith of the Kansas Highway Patrol told the commission the 2025 legislative budget language (referred to in the meeting as Senate Bill 125) authorized the highway patrol to lease or construct a hangar facility at Jabara and directed the agency to find a partner. He said KHP intends to move its aircraft from Cook Airfield to Jabara and that funding to lease a facility is appropriated beginning in fiscal 2027, though the agency had preferred funding to build and own a facility.
"The legislature authorized the highway patrol to enter into a lease and to have the lease or construct a hangar facility for KHP needs at Jabara Airport," Colonel Smith said, explaining the statutory direction that led KHP to seek a local partner.
County staff member Lindsay presented cost estimates the county characterized as a "worst-case" scenario: roughly $5.1 million for the building and about $2.6 million for site work, for a combined construction estimate near $7.7 million, plus contingency and top-side costs. Staff also estimated annual operating costs of about $840,000 and explained a projected net new annual impact to county budgets in the low six figures depending on grant awards and assumptions.
"These are conservative numbers," Lindsay said while presenting the spreadsheet, adding that airport-authority grants and a commitment from KHP to use its on-staff mechanic could reduce the county's debt-service and operating burden.
Justin Wagoner, the county counselor, told commissioners that the legislature included roughly $650,000 in the budget for a law-enforcement aircraft fund and that altering that transfer in future years would require additional legislative action. "That $650,000 that the legislature put in the budget was appropriate to the law enforcement aircraft fund and will be included in the annual transfer on an ongoing basis," Wagoner said, while cautioning there is risk if the county makes long-term commitments that depend on future legislative action.
Several commissioners praised the public-safety benefits of keeping air assets in Wichita and signaled support for moving forward, but others urged caution. One commissioner said Cook Airfield remains a lower-cost, functioning alternative and that commissioners should seek a firmer state or city commitment before the county takes on long-term debt. That commissioner pressed for a binding contract rather than only an MOU or a one-year proviso.
Commissioners and staff discussed the likely contractual path: an initial memorandum of understanding followed by a series of formal agreements (sublease with KHP, operating agreement, and agreements with the airport authority). Counsel warned that the state's standard contract language may permit withdrawal if legislative funding is not continued, which is a point of concern for commissioners weighing long-term county liability.
There was no formal vote at the meeting. Commissioners indicated a near-consensus to place a public agenda item on a near-term meeting (described by staff as next week) to publicly "green light" negotiations or approve a temporary MOU so staff can proceed with LOIs, MOUs and CIP planning ahead of the county's 2027 capital-improvement budget process.
What happens next: staff said the county would add the project as a CIP item for 2027, negotiate MOUs and site agreements with the airport authority and KHP, and bring formal agreements back to the commission for approval during the budget/CIP adoption timeline. Commissioners asked staff to continue engaging the City of Wichita to seek a shared contribution toward the county's projected gap.
Funding and risk: staff emphasized multiple funding scenarios. In the meeting's most conservative estimate the county's new annual budget impact was presented as roughly $82,000—to about $102,000 depending on accounting and the extent of grant awards; staff presented alternative scenarios that could reduce that impact through grants and service arrangements. Counsel noted that a change in the legislature's future actions could alter the expected $650,000 transfer and that any change would require legislative action.
The meeting closed with staff and commissioners agreeing to pursue formal steps while some commissioners continued to press for a stronger, binding state or municipal commitment before the county assumes long-term obligations.
