Ruling Ends Six-Year Dispute Between Property Manager, City

The city of Wetumpka, AL is not in violation of federal obligations concerning hangars at Wetumpka Municipal Airport, according to a ruling from the FAA. The decision marks the end of a six-year dispute between the city and a property manager with leases at the airport.

According to a formal complaint filed in 2012, McDonough Properties said the city was failing to provide long-term rental leases required under the requirements of FAA grant assurances. They also accused the city of failing to provide a viable airport, as stipulated by the grant assurances.

But the FAA sided with the city, according to reports from the Wetumpka Herald and the Montgomery Advertiser. The tenants had charged that the city had "failed to provide rental structure which makes the airport self-sustaining” and “took actions which operated to deprive it of its rights and powers” resulting in economic discrimination. But the FAA sent a notice last week saying that the city had not violated any of its federal obligations.

Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis said that with the case closed, it was time to move forward. He said the city would be "working with tenants and meeting their needs."

There are 82 GA airplanes based at Wetumpka Municipal (08A), which reported 39,400 operations last year.

FMI: www.faa.gov