Regional Affairs
City of Centerville needs to maintain airport funding
The City of Centerville, Iowa, should ensure that the Centerville Municipal Airport continue to be funded in the wake of potential budget shortfalls, AOPA told Mayor Marsha Mitchell in a letter this week.
Like many small towns across the country, Centerville faces tough budget decisions in the coming year, and AOPA Airport Support Network Volunteer Kathy Bratz became concerned when local officials began discussing eliminating all airport funding from the city budget. Bratz reached out to AOPA through the Airport Support Network for assistance, and Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president of local airport advocacy, weighed in with good advice for the city, explaining that cutting an airport budget means even less revenue for the city. Dunn told the city that the airport generates income and tax revenue for the city.
“According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, for every $1 spent on a general aviation airport, another $2.53 is generated in the local community,” he said. “That investment amounts to job creation and tax revenues accruing to the local economy.”
Although Dunn said the airport isn’t in danger of closing in the short-term, a decrease in budget means a decrease in services.
“Members in Iowa and around the country can rest assured that AOPA is looking out for their airport,” Dunn said. “Centerville Municipal Airport may not have traffic like large GA reliever airports, but it’s just as important to the association, its members, and the national transportation infrastructure.”
March 12, 2009
