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County delays decision on small airport change order after debate over whether project is airport or recreational
Summary
A contractor change order of just under $6,500 to pave access to a ballfield at the Southeast Iowa Regional Airport was presented to Des Moines County supervisors; the board debated whether the work is airport infrastructure or recreational and voted to table the funding decision until next week.
Chad Bird, City Manager for Burlington, presented a change order from the Southeast Iowa Regional Airport Authority seeking about $6,500 to pave an access area leading to the ballfield within the airport campus. The change order covers work that is either over the airport’s budgeted grant-eligible items or is not eligible for FAA funding.
Bird asked member agencies — Burlington, West Burlington and Des Moines County — to consider sharing the small funding gap; splitting three ways would be about $2,164 each, or about $1,700 each if the airport board also contributes. Board members questioned whether the work is part of airport access improvements or primarily recreational infrastructure serving regional youth leagues. One supervisor noted an allocation formula used for past airport local-match splits (De Moines County 13%, West Burlington 12%, Burlington 75%) and calculated De Moines County’s share at roughly $844 under that formula for the $6,492 estimate.
After discussion and a request from staff to review budget impacts, the board moved and approved a motion to table the item until next week to allow more time for consideration and follow-up.
Why it matters: the requested amount is small but touches on how partner jurisdictions allocate local-match funds for airport projects and whether particular improvements fall under airport or municipal recreational responsibility.
What’s next: staff will return the item to the board agenda next week with details on budget impact and possible cost-sharing arrangements.
