Kenneth Brown
of The Crossroads
Users of the Kindersley Regional Airport are concerned with new fees, penalties and other changes in an airport bylaw that’s now up for adoption.
Kindersley town council gave a first reading in November to the Airport Bylaw, which is intended to regulate the Kindersley Regional Airport, and to provide for airport authority, rules, regulations and fees.
The municipality then issued a public notice regarding the bylaw and it was advertised, as is the town policy.
Representatives of the Kindersley Flying Club and an air spray business operating at the airport appeared at a council meeting on Dec. 11 to express concerns with the proposed changes.
A common concern focused on the airport’s advisory board because the delegates believed the board was going to be removed. A councillor told the delegates that the board was not being removed but that related language within the Airport Bylaw was being removed.
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The airport operates under a regional partnership between the Town of Kindersley and the rural municipalities of Kindersley, Antelope Park, Milton, Oakdale and Prairiedale. Each member municipality appoints a representative to the advisory board.
One of the delegates asked council members if the town had consulted with any of the airport’s users before introducing the new bylaw. The delegate also asked if the town had consulted with any of the rural municipalities involved in the partnership, an arrangement that he claimed provides $85,000 in annual operating grants to the airport.
Mayor Rod Perkins, along with more than one councillor, admitted that the town “dropped the ball” on consultation. But a specific answer regarding which users or partners had been consulted was not provided.
The delegates were also concerned about changes to the fee structure. The new bylaw adds landing fees of $10 for recreational users and $14 for commercial users. The landing fees apply to all aircraft whether they are permanent local aircraft or transient aircraft.
Changes have been made to the tie-down fees, which was another concern for the delegate from the flying club.
A concern was also presented about a new provision regarding penalties at the airport. If any user has three violations within a certain period, the user’s licence to operate at the airport will be suspended for a year.
Perkins told one delegate the best way to avoid his concern with the suspension is to not violate the rules and regulations. Council members addressed the other concerns including one regarding the ambiguity of the new bylaw.
A councillor explained to the delegates that the town wants to move to a more robust cost recovery model at the airport. The councillor said it costs more than $100,000 a year to operate the facility and it only generates about $12,000 in annual revenue from the users.
The town employs cost recovery models for certain facilities and utilities. The idea is to have the airport’s most frequent users pay more than those who use the airport less often.
One of the delegates said he rents a lot, pays rent for the hangar he built and pays the existing annual tie-down fee, so charging him landing fees is double dipping.
Council members told delegates that the airport is an excellent facility, to which the delegates agreed, and the extra revenue would help to keep the airport in good shape. The flying club delegate said he believes the new fee structure will deter people from using the airport.
The second and third readings of the bylaw were scheduled for the Dec. 11 meeting, but council deferred the readings to a future meeting.
Council passed a resolution to hold a special meeting on Dec. 21 at 4 p.m., and to table the readings until that time. The delegates were asked to submit a proposal before the meeting to give an alternative to landing fees.
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