Board to consider changing SLN's name

July 19--Salina might be a thousand or two people short of achieving metropolitan status, but the city and Saline County are firmly entrenched in a "micropolitan" area, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Based on that designation, the FAA Report on General Aviation and Commercial Service Airports classified Salina Municipal Airport as one of 467 "regional airports" in the country, said Tim Rogers, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority. The study included 2,952 airports.

A micropolitan area is a "small city," or urban center of a county, counties or region, that sports a population between 10,000 and 50,000, according to wordspy.com. Cities are considered metropolises when they reach 50,000 in population. Salina's population, according to the 2010 Census, was 47,707.

"Is it time to finally make a name change?" Rogers asked the airport authority board Wednesday morning.

The switch to Salina Regional Airport would require a board resolution, he said. Hundreds of signs and the airport authority's letterhead would have to be changed, along with the airport website.

Rogers estimated the cost to change signs "over time" to be $2,500. Letterheads and other printed materials are already done in-house, he said, so those costs would be minor.

Consultant Jim Gregory, of Wichita, has been asked how he would "roll out the name change" to prospective tenants, Rogers said.

The regional designation means "we've met the criteria" board chairman Dr. Randy Hassler said, serving a larger, perhaps more urban, area.

Rogers said he will prepare a resolution for the board to consider as soon as the Aug. 15 meeting. Meanwhile, he will coordinate with the city, county and Salina Area Chamber of Commerce.

Budget questions

Pondering the 2013 budget, Rogers asked board members to advise him whether to use cash on hand and an expected $85,000 a year from two recent building leases to hold down the property tax levy.

The airport authority is on track to end this fiscal year Dec. 31 with a surplus of net operating income, said Shelli Swanson, manager of administration and finance.

The property tax levy is currently 4.007 mills. One option for 2012, Rogers said, is servicing long-term debt with an increase to 4.516 mills. For the owner of a house in Salina appraised for tax purposes at $100,000, raising the mill levy just more than half a mill would increase property taxes by about $6 a year.

Given the airport authority's nonprofit status, board member Jeff Thompson suggested that "we apply the excess cash on hand."

Heat wave causing expenses

During this lingering heat wave, the airport authority has paid for nine service calls to work on air-conditioning equipment at leased buildings. One entire unit had to be replaced at America Jet, 2010 Rogers Court, at a cost of $7,587, Swanson said.

But in most cases, Rogers said, airport authority maintenance workers have been able to locate and fix problems -- among them blown fuses.

Utility costs "continue to be a challenge," he said, especially in vacant buildings, where at least minimum services must be maintained.

Shooting range fundraising

Saline County Sheriff Glen Kochanowski outlined efforts to raise money for a public/private shooting range on county property south of Salina.

The complex, which would give county law enforcement officers a dedicated place to hone weapons skills, may include a 1,000-yard-long rifle range.

The sheriff's office currently shares a Kansas Highway Patrol range west of Salina.

Built with donations, the proposed range would be built to National Rifle Association specifications, with input from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, Kochanowski said.

Operations would be handled by the county and volunteers, he said, and a fee would be assessed to outside users.

The sheriff's office has been working on the project for three years, Kochanowski said.

"It isn't gonna cost any one of you anything in the form of taxes," he said. "I have some people who are really excited about raising money."

Jail expansion planned

Kochanowski also reported briefly on the Saline County Jail expansion. He advocates using a special sales tax to pay for the estimated $25 million project to expand the jail from 192 to 400 beds. The county is housing 220 or more prisoners on weekends.

Adding cells for the growing number of female prisoners and increasing the size of the county's juvenile detention center from 10 beds to 40 are part of the preliminary plans.

"We have that much trouble with young people in the county," he said, and the cost to house juveniles out of county is $140 a day.

Kochanowski said he doesn't advocate any expansion that would count on housing prisoners for other jurisdictions. The pay to house an adult prisoner ranges from $30 to $40 a day.

The out-of-county market for prisoners tends to "dry up" at times, the sheriff said.

Kochanowski said officials also are working on programs to reduce the jail population.

-- Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by email at [email protected].

Copyright 2012 - The Salina Journal, Kan.