Airport authority adopts deficit budget for 2005
The Fayette County Airport Authority approved a 2005 budget Tuesday predicated on $212,649 gross profit, mostly from fuel sales and hangar rentals, and $236,744 in expenses, including $112,132 in payroll spending. But the $20,000 deficit wasn’t a concern, as board Chairman Fred K. Davis said the authority isn’t required to have a balanced budget and is used to such operational shortfalls.
“History is on our side, gentlemen,” Davis told the board.
Davis noted, however, that the deficit could swell by an additional $36,000 if Fayette County doesn’t come through with an anticipated $30,000 contribution and if the Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation’s anticipated $6,000 in annual maintenance fees falls through.
The payroll costs include $98,882 in wages, $10,500 in taxes, $2,500 for insurance and $250 for miscellaneous benefits.
Another big expense is $19,600 for airport liability insurance. Solicitor Mark Morrison recommended against paring the authority’s $2 million worth of coverage, noting that such a figure is reasonable in this day and age.
In other business, the board approved a $664,705 grant agreement that Davis said represents the second phase of its potable water system upgrade. The money will go for construction, said airport manager Sam Cortis.
The board also approved work changes related to relocation of the safety threshold for Runway 14/32. Cortis said the project involves pulling back lighting and end-of-runway markings 240 feet, in order to comply with federal regulations.
Cortis said the runway project would not result in any pavement changes on the 3,000-foot runway.
On another matter, Cortis said the storm water upgrade project is under way and the contractor should be finished in five working days. He also noted that the authority sold 8,300 gallons of jet fuel last month, and that the authority’s cost of obtaining it has fallen 20 cents per gallon since November.
Cortis said the authority is currently paying $1.84 per gallon for the fuel.
The board also accepted a programmatic agreement between the Federal Aviation Authority and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for an environmental assessment, a move that board member Timothy S. Mahoney said was a long time coming.
Board members Nick Ludi and Jesse Wallace also attended the authority’s last meeting of 2004.