COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch County Board of Commissioners voted during their work session Thursday to bring forward to next week’s meeting a jfunding request from the Branch County Memorial Airport.
The airport requested a $30,000 allocation last month but after a review there was not enough money available in capital outlay/contingency funding.
Commissioner Don Vrablic asked County Administrator Bud Norman if they could give the airport half of the request for now.
After Norman explained the options, Vrablic motioned,with a second from Leonard Kolcz, that the airport be given $15,000 at this time.
Once that money is exhausted, airport officials could come back and ask for another $15,000 to get through the rest of the year.
The Commissioners are expected to take final action next Tuesday.
The recession nearly a decade ago forced the county to reduce its allocation to the airport by 44 percent and it has not increased since that time.
Norman said last month that even with the additional $30,000, the airport will have to make some budget cuts just to get through the rest of the year. Branch County Airport Board Chair Joseph Best said last month they were set back financially when they had to pay $80,000 over two years to clear a number of trees.
The trees were encroaching the runways which caused the airport to be downgraded from their General Utility Rating, thus they lost state and federal funds.
