WATERLOO — Plans to close one of the Waterloo Regional Airport’s three runways return for a possible decision this week.

City Council members are scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Monday to decide whether to begin decommissioning runway 6-24, which is in poor shape and ineligible for federal repair funds.

The issue was tabled during the Jan. 21 council meeting to seek input from the airport board. Members of that board met a week later and voted to ask the city for more time to evaluate the runway options.

Runway 6-24 is the shortest of Waterloo’s three runways and is used by smaller general aviation aircraft for takeoffs and landings. American Airlines’ commercial passenger jets utilize the other two primary runways.

General aviation pilots have opposed closing runway 6-24, which gives them a safer landing option when strong crosswinds make it more difficult to use the other runways.

But Councilwoman Margaret Klein has said the city shouldn’t be spending money on three runways when no other airport in the state, including Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, have three takeoff and landing strips.

She also noted the city was facing large future costs to upgrade the other runways.

Estimated repair costs for runway 6-24 have ranged from $300,000 for a temporary patching and overlay to $1.9 million to reconstruct it in a shorter and narrower format.

Runway supporters have noted the airport also faces a cost to remove the existing runway if it is decommissioned, although that cost has not been tabulated.

The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday in the council chambers in City Hall.

Staffer Tim Jamison’s most memorable 2019 stories:

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