Billings Logan International Airport has maintained a municipal governance for decades, while big and small commercial service airports in Montana have been overseen by airport authorities since the 1970’s.
The Billings City Council approved a consultant to facilitate the transition, on Monday night.
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The city will pay $622,000 for analysis and guidance on a transition plan from consultant Steve Baldwin Associates out of Albany, New York.
Jeff Roach, director of aviation & transit for the city of Billings, says the airport has been self-sufficient and does not receive state, county, or city taxes.
He says Billings is moving toward exceeding one million passengers annually and is the 55th busiest cargo airport in the nation, and now would be the right time to make the change.
“Airport authorities operating under a board can also respond very quickly to changes in the industry,” Roach said about the efficiencies of airport authorities. “And that's important for a larger commercial service airport as we continue to expand the number of passengers and air cargo operations. It's very important for us to be able to be flexible and to respond quickly to changes within the industry.”
Roach says the work will get started as soon as the agreement is signed.
There will be opportunity for public comment during the process.
