The city of Lewiston is asking the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport to reprioritize its budget after getting a request more than double what it was expecting.

City councilors discussed the $459,000 request in depth for the first time Monday since it came two months after it was due to the city. City Manager Alan Nygaard said it includes $209,000 for maintenance and operations and $250,000 for capital projects like taxi lanes and utilities on the airport’s south side to support the development of private hangars.

The airport’s draft budget proposes the use of federal coronavirus relief funds for expenses like passenger improvements at the terminal, a truck, a tractor, a skid-steer loader, advertising signs and directional signs. But Nygaard and city staff have suggested that the airport use that money for its south side projects, then spread the other needs over several years to reduce the impact on both the city and Nez Perce County, which jointly own the airport.

“That puts us a little behind in trying to work with the numbers when you get them two months late,” city Administrative Services Director Dan Marsh said, noting that the ask feels more like $559,000 since the city has already earmarked $100,000 for the passenger improvements on the terminal’s second floor.

City fiscal officials had penciled in a $200,000 line item for the airport as they worked through the 2021 fiscal year budget over the last several months, leading them to ask airport management to consider the different approach. But City Councilor John Bradbury supported funding the full request to help the transportation facility to continue to regain its footing after years of missteps led to the loss of Horizon Air, one of its two passenger carriers, and other problems.

“If they weren’t spending this additional money, I’d be concerned,” he said. “I think that the key to economic growth of this valley depends on getting routes restored and the flights restored, and this is not the time to be cutting what they think needs to be done to get the airport up to snuff.”

Councilor Cari Miller said she would like to see a long-term strategy from the airport so she can fully assess its request. And Councilor Bob Blakey brought up an online petition asking the city and county to intervene over the airport board’s recent decision to terminate the lease of longtime tenant Stout Flying Service, suggesting that the city could use its budget contribution to put pressure on the board to reexamine the issue.

Blakey also said prospective leaseholders should be on the hook for the money it will take to build infrastructure on the south side, not city and county taxpayers.

Nygaard said he hasn’t gotten a response from airport officials about the city suggestions, but said that another joint meeting between the city and Nez Perce County officials may be needed so they can review the budget requests together.

In other business:

Councilors voted 6-1 to award a $348,000 contract to M.L. Albright and Sons to level the ground and provide access for drilling on the Nez Perce Grade site for the city’s newest well. Funding for the project was included in the $42 million water bond voters overwhelmingly approved last year, but Bradbury voted against it over his belief that the city doesn’t need the well and can draw enough water from the Clearwater River.

The council also voted to approve the first reading of a revamped ordinance governing civil defense and disasters. The new code section provides an appeal process for people cited for not obeying emergency orders, but councilors voted unanimously to remove provisions that made those violations criminal rather than civil matters.

Mills may be contacted at [email protected] or (208) 848-2266.

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