Friday, August 13, 1999
Hamilton refuses to join Butler in running airport
BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — Rocked by political bickering, a proposal for the city of Hamilton and Butler County to be equal partners in funding and running the Hamilton-Fairfield Airport has been defeated.
City council rejected the partnership proposal late Wednesday, agreeing only to consider providing money to the airport on a case-by-case basis.
Council members said they didn't think they could work with county officials and want the airport to be free of political battles.
The county commissioners recently angered city council members by not consulting them before voting to change the name to the Butler County Regional Airport. The name won't become official until the Federal Aviation Administration approves it.
“It raised some red flags for us,” Mayor Tom Nye said. “We were disappointed by the way the airport was renamed. If we couldn't get a good resolution out of a small issue like that, what was going to happen with a big issue?”
That leaves Butler County holding sole financial responsibility for the airport and having to ask Hamilton and other communities for handouts every time the airport needs money.
In recent years, Butler County, Hamilton and Fairfield shared the costs of operating the airport. But Fairfield pulled out late last year, saying the costs were too high and the makeup of the airport board was unsatisfactory.
The commissioners have been trying to form a 50-50 partnership with Hamilton and to persuade Fairfield and Union and Fairfield townships to contribute toward major capital improvements at the airport.
The loss of Hamilton from a partnership is especially disheartening for Butler County Commissioner Courtney Combs, who has worked hard to encourage regional financial support for the airport.
“I'm very disappointed,” he said. “I see this as a definite blow to trying to work together regionally.”
Mr. Combs had voted for changing the airport's name only after Commissioner Chuck Furmon said Mr. Nye and Hamilton Councilman Fred Southard told him they didn't oppose it. But there apparently had been a misunderstanding, and Mr. Nye, Mr. Southard and other city council members were upset with the commissioners' action.
“We were having a difficult time agreeing on things,” Mr. Southard said. “That was the straw that broke the camel's back.”
When Hamilton council asked the commissioners to reconsider the name change, Mr. Combs agreed, but Mr. Furmon and Commissioner Mike Fox refused.
“I'm sorry to see them pull away,” Mr. Furmon said. “I hope it will all come together, and I think it will.”
He said he proposed the name change because Butler County Re gional Airport is a name that encompasses all communities in the county and reflects the regional approach the commissioners want to take in funding the airport.
But Hamilton officials interpreted the name change as proof that the city and the county could not run the airport in a cooperative fashion.
“We feel that having one entity as the manager will be more practical,” Mr. Nye said. “The airport is a tremendous regional asset. If we let the airport become a political football, the airport and the opportunities it provides are going to suffer.”
Mr. Nye and Mr. Southard said they think the commissioners will do a good job of running the airport.
Mr. Combs is trying to set up a meeting with officials from Hamilton, Fairfield and Union and Fairfield townships to discuss regional funding for the airport.
“I'm hoping that level-headedness will come to the top and we can get this thing to come back together,” he said.
The commissioners have directed Tim Williams, county finance director, to analyze the costs of operating the airport and to determine whether the county can afford to run it.
“If we can't, I don't know what we'll do,” Mr. Combs said.
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