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Longmont council votes to dissolve Airport Advisory Board after heated public hearing on noise
Summary
After hours of public testimony about rising aircraft noise, Longmont City Council voted 5-2 on April 14 to pass ordinance 2026-16 dissolving the Airport Advisory Board and to pursue a reset of airport governance and community engagement.
The Longmont City Council voted 5-2 April 14 to adopt ordinance 2026-16, dissolving the Airport Advisory Board (AAB) as part of a restructuring of how the city will oversee Vance Brand Airport.
The move followed a lengthy public hearing in which numerous residents described what they said was a sharp increase in low-altitude flights and repeated, disruptive noise. "There is still way too much noise from Vance Brand Airport," said Susan Scruggs, a longtime Oldtown resident, telling the council aircraft now fly noisily over her neighborhood starting before 6 a.m.
Proponents of dissolving the board argued the AAB had not been responsive to community concerns and that a reset of governance was needed. "This isn't personal and it's not personnel. This is structural," Council Member Popkin said during debate, urging the council to reconstitute oversight in a way that better manages airport operations and community impact.
Other residents and airport stakeholders urged caution. Several speakers, including pilots and hangar owners, said they value the airport and recommended alternatives such as a citizen assembly, task force, or a reformed advisory structure rather than elimination of the board.
Council members debated procedural options, including motions to table and proposed amendments to delay action for a formal task force. Legal and parliamentary questions were raised during the debate. Council members voting to pass the ordinance said the vote was intended to be a temporary reset that would force the council to take direct responsibility for the airport's governance and to plan a replacement structure.
Mayor Prom McCoy and other supporters said the change is intended to improve credibility and capability around airport oversight and to position the city for federal engagement, including talks with the FAA. Opponents voiced concern the move would alienate volunteers and that more preparatory work should have been completed before dissolution.
The ordinance passed 5-2, with Council Members Christrist and Prito recorded in opposition. The council directed staff to return with a plan for next steps for airport governance, including possible task-force or citizen assembly options and follow-up public engagement.
