GAA members now officially members of NEARA board; attorney says no change in operations
The Gadsden City Council appointed current members of the Gadsden Airport Authority to the Northeast Alabama Regional Aviation board — positions they've filled for years without having been officially appointed by the council.
There was no discussion of the issue during the council meeting; in the work session, City Attorney Lee Roberts told council members this won't change the way anything has been operating.
GAA members had served on what's often called the FBO board, he said, but nobody had told the city that its leaders needed to appoint them to it.
The issue was raised in litigation — still pending — related to the proposal to sell property at the airport to Pilgrim's Pride for construction of a rendering plant. The proposal has drawn widespread opposition, and spawned proposed legislation and legal actions.
Council member Thomas Worthy asked for clarification on the action, and Roberts delved into city government history in an effort to provide it.
The Gadsden Airport Authority was created under the previous administration, back when the city was looking at creating a residential development near the airport. The plan was for a complete development, with its own school, fire department and grocery store.
However, the city got an attorney general's opinion saying that city couldn't spend money on residential development, Roberts said. At the time, there had been a bond issue for land purchases, and for an industry in the area.
Creating the Gadsden Airport Authority allowed that entity to deal with land issues.
When a new administration was elected, Roberts said, they discovered the site work would be far more costly than anticipated because of bad soil in the area, and that the property was subject to gas leases that would complicate residential development.
The NEARA was established, Roberts said, because some financial accounts — for revenue from hangar rent, fuel sales and the like — must be kept separate from the GAA accounts to be in compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Roberts said neither he nor former City Attorney Roger Kirby handled the establishment of NEARA; when they formed a new board or authority, he said, they routinely gave information to the city clerk to add it to the city's appointment list. That didn't happen with this entity, he said.
Responding to questions, Roberts said NEARA does not vote on property issues at the airport — that's handled by the GAA. He said NEARA handles operations at the airport, taking in revenue from sources such as hangar rent and fuel sales, and pays the employees at the airport.
He said its revenues typically do not cover those costs, so the city provides additional funds to NEARA as an outside agency.
Members of the GAA — Billy Billingsley, Kenneth Robertson, Spencer Williams, Robert Turk, Tim McCartney and Jonathan Welch — were appointed to serve terms on NEARA's board of the same duration as their terms on the GAA.
Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: GAA members appointed officially to NEARA board
