Aldermen vote to pay Branson Airport amount due in 2010 for bringing in tourists

December 16, 2010|by KY3 News

BRANSON, Mo. – The Board of Aldermen finalized a decision on Thursday to pay a little more than a quarter of a million dollars to Branson Airport this year. Just a few weeks ago the city said it didn't have the money to pay the airport, but city leaders say they found other ways to fulfill the contract this year.

The city has already designated $35,000 for the airport in its 2011 budget but will owe the airport much more than that under its contract. Under an agreement, the Branson airport charges the city $8.24 for each arriving passenger.
----

News release from City of Branson spokesman Jerry Adams:

In a special meeting Thursday night, the Branson Board of Aldermen approved a budget amendment that will pay the Branson Regional Airport TDD over $257,000 this year under a pay-for-performance contract.

By a 4-2 vote, Aldermen directed the city administration to pay $257,555 to the airport. The payment will be made by the end of this week and cover all bills sent to the city by the airport so far.

The city had not allocated funds in the 2010 budget for the Branson Airport, but at the request of the Board of Aldermen last month, city staff came up with the allocation in this year’s budget. The money will come from an unexpected savings in a subsidy for the convention center and from a building demolition fund in the planning/development department that will not need funding until late 2011.

In order to make the 2010 payment before December 31, the Board needed to hold this special meeting to vote on the amendment’s final reading. The airport allocation amendment was approved on first reading Tuesday night.

For the 2011 budget, the Board included $35,000 toward airport payments. According to aldermen, that amount could be increased depending on the receipt of sales tax revenues during the course of next year.

Under the pay-for-performance contract signed by the city and airport four years ago, the city would pay the airport $8.24 for each passenger arriving who lived outside the Branson area. However, the contract also stated that payments were “subject to annual appropriation by the Board.”

|

|

|