Des Moines airport terminal funding deserves a 'yes' vote, if a somewhat reluctant one
Polk County residents should vote to approve borrowing to help move forward Des Moines International Airport’s long-planned new terminal. The project is worthwhile, using the county’s bonding will save money, and the airport’s repayment plans mean county taxpayers won’t see any higher bills.
But this amount of public debt ― the Nov. 7 vote would authorize issuing up to $350 million in bonds ― should always get close scrutiny. That’s especially so when it’s so difficult to secure adequate public money for programs that serve a broader swath of the public than fliers and that address more crucial needs than air travel, such as education and public assistance.
Some key questions raised by the bond measure:
More: Des Moines airport asking voter OK of $350 million in bonds. Here's what to know
Is a new terminal needed at the Des Moines airport?
Any local resident who’s used the airport has probably delivered or heard jokes about showing up 30 minutes before departure and breezing through near-empty security lines. (Don’t do this; it's no longer consistently the case.) But data and projections show steadily rising use.
The airport served 2.9 million passengers in 2019, following a decade of steady increases. Ridership plummeted because of COVID-19, but the airport passed 2 million travelers for 2023 in August and is well on pace to surpass 3 million passengers for the first time. The airport says the current terminal’s physical limitations make it harder or impossible to add routes. As with any form of transit, greater frequency and more destinations make for better service, not to mention a selling point for those seeking to recruit events, workers and new businesses to the region.
The current terminal is also 75 years old, and renovations go only so far. A design expert told Bloomberg News in 2020 that “terminals are some of the most rapidly obsolete building types of our time.”
The Des Moines area continues to grow, and the airport should grow with it.
Could there have been other ways to pay for the new airport terminal?
Well, yes. The most sensible way to support aviation projects throughout the nation would be an increase in the Passenger Facility Charge, a per-ticket fee added to fares to benefit airports. It has been capped at $4.50 per flight since 2001, and, for a decade, Des Moines airport leaders, while noting the cost of a new terminal, have joined counterparts in advocating for an increase to at least acknowledge inflation. Central Iowa community and business leaders have lobbied for the change, too.
Congress has repeatedly declined to change the cap, including this past summer. Critics of a higher charge have said that it would simply be a cash grab by airports that already are well-subsidized and that higher airplane ticket prices are regressive. Clearly, like any entity, airports should be thoughtful stewards of their revenue – and the broad outlines of Des Moines’ plans reflect such care. But while it might be going too far to call air travel a “luxury,” that’s a far more accurate word than “necessity,” and it would be best for users to pay more of the freight for infrastructure work that makes their flights possible.
Additional support from fliers would be more equitable than all Polk County taxpayers taking on borrowing risk and 20 area governments contributing on their residents’ behalf. (Sure, we’re all happy when Iowa lands prestigious events like next year’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Newton, and some of us benefit directly, but does it follow that everybody is responsible to facilitate visitors’ flights?) But waiting for a better funding formula for this project would only delay improvements and add to construction costs.
As for the Passenger Facility Charge, advocates should not give up, and Congress should double the cap and then tie it to the inflation rate so future projects don’t bring about similar scenarios.
Should we be encouraging flying, given the role of air travel in climate change?
Commercial aviation, by most estimates, contributes about 4% to 5% of the annual global emissions that contribute to climate change. That’s a pretty big chunk, considering that COVID-19 has taught us that a great deal of flying can be discretionary. It is entirely fair to question whether this warrants a radical re-evaluation of the industry, because tinkering around the edges is not stopping global warming or its effects.
It’s a very big question. Research on mass production of sustainable aviation fuels, with Iowa-grown crops as an input, is burgeoning. Air carriers benefit greatly from economies of scale, so discouraging flying is a tricky business. The United States has precious few alternatives for going long distances besides emissions-spewing personal vehicles.
The best response might be that the future of aviation is beyond the scope of a public measure on borrowing. Des Moines’ terminal project is not going to be the mechanism of transformation on this issue. For now, it’s proper to consider the planet in your personal transportation choices, but as a practical matter, rejecting county bonding for the terminal won't make a scintilla of difference on climate change. Airport leaders believe the new terminal is needed to maintain the airport's competitive stature and have said they'll move ahead with the project even if the bond measure fails; it will just cost more.
Mark ‘yes’ on Public Measure Letter A
Polk County voters marking their ballots might wish the money were going to support their local schools or city services. But that's not the question on the ballot, and Des Moines airport leaders have made their case to support this borrowing authority.
― Lucas Grundmeier, on behalf of the Register editorial board
FURTHER READING: The brief, expensive life of airport terminals
This editorial is the opinion of the Des Moines Register's editorial board: Carol Hunter, executive editor; Lucas Grundmeier, opinion editor; and Richard Doak and Rox Laird, editorial board members.
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Ballot question
Here is the wording Polk County voters will see: "Shall the County of Polk, State of Iowa, issue its general obligation bonds or capital loan notes in an amount not exceeding the amount of $350,000,000, for the purpose of the undertaking of any project jointly or in cooperation with any other governmental body, including funds loaned to the Des Moines Airport Authority for the new terminal facility and apron projects which include purchase, acquisition, construction, reconstruction, equipping, improvement or enlargement of the Des Moines International Airport, owned and operated by the Des Moines Airport Authority?"
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: New Des Moines airport terminal bonding deserves voters' support
