Airport expenses up thanks to winter weather

story by Aric Mitchell
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The aftereffects of 2011’s winter weather continued to resound with the Fort Smith Regional Airport Commission on Tuesday night as Airport Director John Parker pointed out overages in the budget brought about by January and February’s spate of storms.

The City Wire reported in February that the total cleanup activities necessary for keeping the Airport operational exceeded $40,000. As Parker presented the financial reports at the March 22 meeting, he noted where the discrepancies occurred.

"Our chemicals are at $21,673, which is 78.8% of the budgeted amount," Parker said. "We anticipate that that number will move higher by the end of the year to more than 100%. Motor fuels are also at $3,978. As many of you are feeling the effects of gas prices, so are we. The price per gallon has been much higher than we anticipated when we planned the 2011 budget."

Parker also noted that cutting edges for snow plow blades accounted for close to $4,000.

Despite the large expenses, the Fort Smith Regional 2011 budget still appears to be in satisfactory shape to members of the Commission. Operating revenues are just 0.6% lower than they were at this same point in 2010, accounting for 14.2% of the budgeted amount, while operating expenses are slightly higher by 0.7%, accounting for 14.6% of the budgeted amount. In dollar amount through March, those percentages translate to $295,956.15 in revenues and $265,646.16 in expenses.

"Our commodities have seen higher numbers than anticipated," Parker said. "We’ve used a little more fuel than expected, and the costs have been much higher. We will continue to track these numbers throughout the rest of the year."

Following the presentation, accounting firm BKD gave a clean bill of health to the Airport’s finances, with no issues reporting. Each year the Airport undergoes a financial audit as required by Arkansas Statute and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

"We think the Airport is doing a great job with their financials," said BKD representative David Coleman. "Mr. Parker’s reports to the Commission every month are key in being able to stay on top of issues as they occur."

Parker added that "no issues reporting" was a testament to what a great job the staff has done with keeping the Airport profitable.

"It all starts at the point of purchase, and from there it’s a matter of constant reporting. This is like the Super Bowl for Kathey Boze and her staff, and they did excellent," Parker said.

In other news, Parker reported that the Airfield Electrical Project, which had undergone delays due to weather, is now operational with one final assessment to come. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Fort Smith Regional Airport Commission will be held on April 26 at 5:30 p.m.