On Oct. 21, the Lewis County commissioners will vote to transfer the county’s ownership interest in the Chehalis-Centralia Airport to the city of Chehalis. Out of the three airports that the county owns, the Chehalis-Centralia Airport is its only profitable airport and serves all corporate aviation entering our community. A vote in favor of this transfer will not be in the best interest of the people of Lewis County and could negatively impact economic development for our entire county.
For the past 52 years, Lewis County and the city of Chehalis have jointly owned the airport, which is operated by the volunteer Airport Governing Board. The airport has seen much success under the leadership of the board and has grown to be financially self-sustaining and does not rely on tax dollars. Now, the county is preparing to transfer their 50 percent ownership to the city of Chehalis without compensation, giving them full autonomy to decide all aspects of the airport’s future, which in my opinion, is not the best decision for the citizens of Lewis County.
Lewis County Commissioner Bill Schulte is justifying this decision under three arguments:
Liability — Schulte has stated that the county incurs a huge liability through its airport ownership. However, comprehensive research of liability and accident claims shows that the present $20 million liability coverage is more than adequate to protect all stakeholders from losses. If the liability is a real issue for the county, how does the city of Chehalis, being a much smaller public entity, feel that they can accept it on their own?
A single owner will streamline the management process — Currently, the Airport Governing Board oversees all of the airport operations, which are directed by the airport manager and staff. The board is made up of volunteer representatives approved by the city and county and have a non-political focus on the aviation needs of our community. This small governance structure allows for quick decisions and efficient operations. Other than a few meetings with the city and county to report out on airport issues, involvement by the two entities is limited.
However, there may be streamlining and cost savings opportunities for Lewis County if it continue its participation as an owner of the airport. The Toledo and Packwood airports are also owned by the county and incur a significant cost to the taxpayers to cover operational, capital and administrative expenses. By consolidating operations with the Chehalis-Centralia Airport, staff to provide management and maintenance services, significant savings could be realized by the county and applied to other services within the county, benefiting the people.
Unrecovered costs — The airport currently pays the Lewis County auditor’s and treasurer’s offices approximately $14,000 annually, out of airport funds, for balancing the books and writing checks to pay the airport’s expenses. Schulte claims this amount does not cover the county’s true cost. If that is truly not enough, then two solutions exist; 1. Increase the amount the paid to the county 2. Have the airport contract with a certified accounting firm to provide the same services.
So residents of Lewis County, ask yourself this — If the concerns are so easily resolved, if the overall cost of operating the County’s airports can be reduced, if it is better for Lewis County to have a seat at the table when decisions impacting the county are being made at no cost to them – then how is this good for you?
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Jim Janson is chairman Chehalis-Centralia Airport Governing Board
