Determining Airport Fees In Craig (CO)

Moffat County Commissioners in Craig (CO) are considering boosting airport fees to both cover increased security costs and to keep up with Joneses. Right now, the regional airport charges small planes $12 a night and $59 a month for those left more than 20 days. The owner of a large plane pays $14 a night and $69 a month for those planes left more than 20 days.

While county commissioners tabled the pending rate hike, it's set to show up again on the agenda for their October 13th meeting.

But already, you can hear the grumblings of pilots who don't want to pay a penny more for what they call "bare-bones" service. At $60 a month for a single engine and $120 a month each for three different aircraft types, including a multi-engine plane, a turbo-prop or a helicopter, the proposed fees are too expensive, some say. The Craig Daily Press quotes one owner, Jeff Harding, as saying, "In 27 states, I've never experienced fees this high for what's there."

Harding has parked his airplane at Craig/Moffat for five years. "At other airports, it's usually more secure and they have 24-hour surveillance," Harding continued. "(A lower fee) I think I could go for but I think those numbers are too high based on what Craig has."

Here's the rub: Even by increasing fees along the guidelines proposed by a county advisory committee, the airport might stand to gain as little as $2000.

Right now, Craig/Moffat doesn't charge home-based aircraft a tiedown fee. To do so, some pilots say, would be like taxing them twice. "There are very few airports that don't charge a tie-down fee," advisory board member John Ponikvar told commissioners this week. "By not having fees, I think it's not being used appropriately as we look to making improvements in upcoming years."

Ponikvar says there are several airplanes parked at Craig/Moffat that simply haven't left the ground for more than a few years. In essence, he said, they're junk. Charging tie-down fees for all aircraft would encourage owners of the dilapidated aircraft to move 'em, fix 'em or sell 'em.

"When people have to park their motor home or boat, they take it to a storage space and have to pay for that," he said later. "I just think that when you have an airplane you plan to have some expenses."

And they just keep getting more expensive, don't they?

FMI: www.co.moffat.co.us/Airport/default.htm