Editorial...A Possible Solution to the Airport Dispute
The issue of transferring title on lands from the Grove Airport trust authority to the City has blossomed into a full blown donnybrook. The Airport board is passionate about keeping title to the land in its name; the city is equally driven to transfer the title to the land to the City, to protect the land from seizure in case of a lawsuit.
Victor Bird, Chairman of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, told The Observer Thursday that a possible solution is to title the land under both entities.
"We have a duty to protect the investment made in the airport by both the Federal and State governments and it is absolutely necessary that the public entity, the City of Grove in this case, have an interest in the land. This could be accomplished, I believe, with both the city and airport trust authority holding title to the airport land," Bird said.
"The necessity for the city holding title or partial title to the land is illustrated in the Grand Lake Regional Airport litigation and it is my opinion, reaffirmed by the attorney general, that the public entity have an interest to protect the land. There is $600,000 in state money invested in that airport and $800,000 in Federal money and yet the public entity, in this case the County, has no legal title to the land and it is now basically owned by the airport manager, Paul Staten."
Bird said he would send a letter this week to both Mayor Nuckolls and the Airport Trust Authority Chairman emphasizing the importance of a government entity holding title to airport property. If the issue is solely to protect the land from seizure as a result of a lawsuit, and not about "breaking the trust," then joint title might solve the problem.
What Bird cannot solve are the other underlying issues in the dispute between the airport board and the city…outside influences attempting to have the City Manager's employment terminated, petty politics, power plays, jealousy, controlling people, allegiance to one group or another…
But perhaps his suggestion for a joint title should be considered. And, perhaps a joint meeting of the airport board and council could be convened, after declaring a 30-day cooling off period, to discuss a solution.
Otherwise, the attorneys will be the winners and the public will be the loser. Most certainly the matter will end up in court and be dragged out for two or more years, just as in the Grand Lake Regional Airport situation. In '03'-'04 the airport board paid out $15,483 in legal fees when this issue first arose. A protracted court action could bankrupt the airport trust this time.
Victor Bird, Chairman of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, told The Observer Thursday that a possible solution is to title the land under both entities.
"We have a duty to protect the investment made in the airport by both the Federal and State governments and it is absolutely necessary that the public entity, the City of Grove in this case, have an interest in the land. This could be accomplished, I believe, with both the city and airport trust authority holding title to the airport land," Bird said.
"The necessity for the city holding title or partial title to the land is illustrated in the Grand Lake Regional Airport litigation and it is my opinion, reaffirmed by the attorney general, that the public entity have an interest to protect the land. There is $600,000 in state money invested in that airport and $800,000 in Federal money and yet the public entity, in this case the County, has no legal title to the land and it is now basically owned by the airport manager, Paul Staten."
Bird said he would send a letter this week to both Mayor Nuckolls and the Airport Trust Authority Chairman emphasizing the importance of a government entity holding title to airport property. If the issue is solely to protect the land from seizure as a result of a lawsuit, and not about "breaking the trust," then joint title might solve the problem.
What Bird cannot solve are the other underlying issues in the dispute between the airport board and the city…outside influences attempting to have the City Manager's employment terminated, petty politics, power plays, jealousy, controlling people, allegiance to one group or another…
But perhaps his suggestion for a joint title should be considered. And, perhaps a joint meeting of the airport board and council could be convened, after declaring a 30-day cooling off period, to discuss a solution.
Otherwise, the attorneys will be the winners and the public will be the loser. Most certainly the matter will end up in court and be dragged out for two or more years, just as in the Grand Lake Regional Airport situation. In '03'-'04 the airport board paid out $15,483 in legal fees when this issue first arose. A protracted court action could bankrupt the airport trust this time.
posted by Editor | 2:30 AM
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