Fort Madison, IA – Fort Madison voters will decide, in November, who should oversee the city airport.
Residents will be asked whether the Fort Madison Airport Commission should be dissolved. The public vote is needed because the panel was formed by a public vote around 50 years ago.
City Manager Byron Smith says the panel is in charge of day-to-day activities at the Fort Madison Municipal Airport. "They have the final decision in who they rent hangar space to," he says, "they also set the standards and the rates on what the hangars cost."
The Fort Madison City Council called for the special election after expressing concerns about the airport commission's management and communication with the city. Smith says, in particular, the rental decisions.
Aldermen have already voted to remove commission Chairman Vern Peck from his post. City Manager Byron Smith says the airport could come under his oversight if the voters decide to dissolve the commission.