Rental cars coming to the Jackson County Airport following approval from the County Commission Monday night.
Airport Manager Jim Young said he was approached by two residents who were willing to provide rental cars for ground transportation. Young said the residents pitched the idea to the Airport Board. Young said reservations would be done online. Commission Chair Joey Denson said the County would not be involved in the rental process.
“They’re going to house a couple of vehicles there in one of our hangars,” Denson said. “And they’re going to pay a hangar fee like if an aircraft was in the hangar. And if someone flies in and they needed transportation, they can rent this vehicle, use it. They’re responsible.”
The addition of rental cars to Jackson County’s airport was discussed by the Airport Board, who recommended sending the issue to full court for further discussion. It was unanimously approved by the Commissioners.
Young said the hangar rental fee would be $200 a month for the vehicles. Young said other hangars that store airplanes are rented at the same rate, so the county does not lose money by not having a plane in there.
“It will be one hangar,” Young said. “We looked at one section, but it’s not enough. They’re going to have two cars, so there’s not enough room to put two cars in the smaller section. So we’re going to rent the entire hangar.”
Before approval, there was some question about impacts to grant possibilities. Fears were expressed that leasing to a private company could close the doors for additional funding. Young said that would not be an issue.
Young said the airport is property of the Corps of Engineers, so they could receive some money from the arrangement. Young said this is normally a small percentage of gross revenue.
Another concern about the cars was that the cars were described as “blacked out.” Young said the windows were tinted, but they were street legal.
The vehicles will be insured and maintained by their owners, but Commissioner approval was needed for them to run a business out of the airport.
Young said there are other small airports that have tried to have ground transportation in the past. Historically, it has been unsuccessful, as vehicles were often returned with little to no fuel.
“We can see if it’s going to work,” Young said. “Let them try it. But if it doesn’t work, we’ll just have to pull the plug on it.”
In other business, the Jackson County Commissioners approved amendments to the county longevity pay policy. The changes in language clarified who is eligible and defined a full time employee.
Commissioners approved a resolution on the Purdue Opioid Settlement, making Jackson County eligible for new funding.
Commissioners approved a resolution regarding the TCRS Study, allowing all county employees to participate in a new TCRS study. The measure only grants eligibility to one employee, who works in the school system.
Commissioners voted Denson to continue as Commission Chair.