Stakeholders urge pause and financial review as county moves to take on FBO functions

Several members of the public pressed the board to slow the process of altering FBO operations at Sawyer Airport and to gather fuller financial information before approving a new operating model. Craig Kosha, who described himself as an experienced aviator, warned the board it would be "a grave mistake" to move forward without more study and said the county would be taking on a complex operation it is not currently staffed to run.

Jesse Bell urged the board to use its contractual right to review Cubic Aviation's books and recommended pausing approval of the new model and extending Cubic's contract until the county has a clearer financial picture. "This effort to take over the FBO has been built on a mountain of mistruths," Bell said, and asked commissioners to "hit the pause button" and extend Cubic's contract while staff gathers more information. Eric Sibley read from a prior staff memo that advised the county it lacked an experienced FBO manager and equipment, and that the timeline for an in-house transition would strain resources.

Commenters warned that uncertainty about inventory ownership, markups and staffing could lead to higher retail prices that push pilots to other airports and hurt local traffic. Several called for transparent reporting of costs, truck purchases and contractual details at future meetings.