During Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting, the Ector County Commissioners’ Court unanimously approved a resolution in support of $15 million for Schlemeyer Airport general airport improvement projects.
These funds were previously turned down by the Court in July of 2021 as that $15 million was for targeted for runway extension.
Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett said this resolution would allow the county to spend the $15 million from TxDOT Aviation on improvement projects at the airport.
“We have at least $15 million worth of projects that need to be done,” Fawcett said. “What this does is not only relieves the Ector County taxpayers, but it also speeds up that process. If we would have had to spread out $15 million dollars over five years, but instead we can use that $15 million right now and it’s the state’s funding rather than ours.”
Mark Merritt, the chairman of the Airport Advisory Board, spoke to the Court that Schlemeyer Airport wants to remain a C/DII and not upgrade to a C/DIII. Merritt said if Schlemeyer wanted to turn into a C/DIII that it would take way more than $15 million. Merritt said the airport would have to be rebuilt.
Merritt told the Court if Schlemeyer Airport upgraded to a C/DIII that could attract larger aircraft including freight flights from UPS, FedEx or Amazon.
“The (Airport Advisory Board) wants this to be the best (C/DII) airport in the state,” Merritt said during the meeting. “We are probably nowhere near that now, but we would like it to be. This would be a start. This would kind of get us there.”
Ector County Commissioner for Precinct 1 Mike Gardner expressed during the meeting that he’s “leery” about accepting these funds.
Gardner said after Tuesday’s meeting that he’s going to remain cautious, but he said he knows the airport could use these funds for improvement projects.
“I do want our airport to stay at the level that it is,” Gardner said. “I don’t want bigger airplanes flying over those houses and landing out there. I want to make sure whatever we do doesn’t tie us into a commitment of having to take x-amount of dollars and match x-amount of dollars.
“As long as we can take that money and use it how we need to use I’m good with it. I just don’t want us to get committed to having to take a certain amount of money every year.”
Though the Court approved the new resolution for general airport improvement projects, Fawcett explained this resolution still has to be approved during the 88th legislative session.
Fawcett expects a decision about this resolution to be made in May, but he said he will be monitoring the situation to ensure the language doesn’t change from Tuesday’s resolution.
“I’ll be staying in contact and making sure during those appropriation hearings that the members are informed as to what the history behind this is,” Fawcett said. “They have already allocated this money. We aren’t asking for new money. We are asking for this particular language change, so that way we can use it the way that local government wants to use it.”
The Court also approved the Ector County Sheriff’s Office to purchase new equipment through Axon including 16 body cameras, two docking stations, 16 respond licenses, 15 basic licenses, eight pro licenses and 16 device storage.
Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said after the meeting those body cameras are for jail supervisors and transport officers.
“It’s a liability issue,” Griffis said. “It could save that officer from an allegation, but it also helps us determine if that officer did violate a policy or the law.”
The Court also:
>> Approved a $5,000 donation from Villa & Sons Construction, Inc for the Sheriff s Office.
>> Approved the 2023 Annual List of Gifts and Memorial to the Ector County Library in the amount of $57,077.22.
>> Approved the appointment of Timothy Benton, M.D. as Acting Local Health Authority in absence of the appointed Local Health Authority for the Ector County Health Department (ECHD).
>> Approved an increase from $70 to $150 in the District Clerk’s locked cash drawer.
>> Approved action to reinstate the Employee Action Committee (EAC).
>> Approved a Replat of a Portion of Lots 8, less the North 337.46 feet, Block 11, Pleasant Farms Subdivision A, Subdivision of 4.33 acres in Section 48, Block. 43, T-3-S, (Prec. 4).
>> Approved the renewal of Astound (Grande Communications) Internet service contract for the Annex.
>> Approved the upgrade with Keefe Commissary.
>> Approved the Accounts Payable Fund Requirements Report for February 28, 2023, and review County financial statements and reports.
