I want to express my appreciation for Jay McCully’s KALB news story on September 9th regarding the Pineville Municipal Airport (“Airport”) agenda items from the latest City Council meeting. Following the social media comments on the story, I believe it’s important to provide the public with information about how these agenda items came about.
For perspective for anyone who doesn’t own an airplane or serve as a Fixed Based Operator (“FBO”), please consider the cost of leasing a spot for your camper for weekend trips to your hunting lease; or if you’re fortunate enough to own a travel trailer or boat and need to store it during the recreational off-season, how much does the storage facility charge each month for the space used to park your boat or travel trailer?; and if you need to rent a 10x10 storage unit from a local facility because you lack space at home, what do you pay monthly for that space?
The City currently receives twenty-five and no/100 dollars ($25.00) per month for the land which the hangars at issue occupy and both Airport-related ordinances introduced at the last Council meeting are designed to allow the City to obtain a reasonable price for the property it leases while operating the Airport.
To be clear, the two Airport agenda items address different situations.
One item concerns the expiration of the agreement with the Airport’s Fixed Base Operator (FBO), which is a private, commercial entity. The current FBO’s agreement expired in May, 2022. The FBO is the only commercial establishment at the Airport.
The second item relates to the numerous comments on news story focused on the “hanger leases”. Initially, due to a lack of documentation (some hangers were built in the mid-1970s), the City mistakenly understood that it owned the thirteen (13) hangar buildings at issue. I met with a group of hangar users and was given documentation showing the hangar buildings were owned by people other than the City. I asked City Attorney Mark Vilar to confirm the information provided and we now know that the 13 hangar structures are owned by persons or entities other than the City.
The hangar structures sit on parcels of Airport property that, in several cases, were leased approximately thirty-five (35) years ago (“Airplane Storage Space Leases”). All of the Airplane Storage Space Leases have expired and have not been renewed. The 13 hangars are occupied by non-commercial airplane owners who have told us that they fly their airplanes as a hobby. The hangar owners pay the City twenty-five and no/100 dollars ($25.00) per month for the land the hangars occupy. This monthly payment is the same amount paid at the inception of the leases approximately thirty-five (35) years ago.
As required by Louisiana Law, including the Louisiana Airport and Landing Fields Law (in particular La. R.S. 2.135.1); Louisiana Sale, Exchange, or Lease of Property by a Municipality Law (La. R.S. 33:4711 et seq); and the Louisiana Public Bid Law (La. R.S. 38:2181 et seq), the City introduced ordinances at the September 9, 2025 Council meeting that specifies terms that must be included in future Airplane Storage Space leases. The Airplane Storage Space Ordinance specifically states that the minimum monthly charge for the space the hangar owners lease is one hundred fifty and no/100 dollars ($150.00) per month which is a reasonable amount.
In fiscal year 2023-2024, the City spent $114,465 at the Airport and in 2024-2025, the City spent $40,912 at the Airport. These expenses were for repairs, utilities and grass cutting while generating only $4100.00 in Airplane Storage Space rental fees. The only other revenue received by the City was sales tax generated by FBO operations.
If the ordinances are adopted by the Council at the next Council meeting, the City will provide an opportunity for bids to be submitted for the Airplane Storage Space rentals as well as for the FBO. ANY qualified person/entity who wishes to use the parcels of land upon which the hangars sit, including the current Tenants, or who would like to be the Airport’s FBO, including the current FBO, can submit a bid for consideration.
I have an obligation to the City and the citizens to operate within budget and to be fiscally responsible with City funds. These ordinances accomplish both.