Warren County Memorial Airport has had its donation request officially cut by an additional $50,000 by members of the county’s Budget and Finance Committee.
The funds would have been used for construction of a maintenance shed, an item tabled during the committee’s last discussion in May. Between then and now, the county’s legal counsel has determined the county cannot construct a building with the intent of allowing another entity to use it. In the case of the shed, airport manager Richard Crawford told committee members in May a portion of the building would be used by Centertown Volunteer Fire Department.
“We can’t build something out there and let another entity use it,” said County Executive Herschel Wells of the word he received from legal counsel. “The entire $50,000 needs to come out. We can’t build something and let the fire department use it.”
Crawford told the committee the building would cost closer to $170,000 and the fire department would be funding its portion of the building. Wells says that can’t be done.
“It’s our property and they can’t put money in it,” said Wells.
The airport has $81,000 from a land deal. While the funds are being held by the county, they can only be used on the airport.
Wells says if the airport decides it wants to move forward with building a shed, it has $81,000 to do it.
“They have $81,000. If they want a maintenance shed, they can build one,” he said.
The airport originally requested $661,000 from the county from its fiscal year budget 2015-16. In May, the committee removed $275,000 from the budget and tabled the $50,000 for the shed until the county’s financial situation was known.  
Committee members unanimously approved removal of the shed from the airport’s budget request.