County OKs $400K to help bring Denver flights to area

The Whitman County Commissioners on Monday approved using $400,000 to help Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport entice an airline to provide flights to Denver.

The commissioners on Monday also scheduled a Dec. 21 public hearing to discuss a proposed code regulating marijuana operations in the unincorporated areas of the county.

The $400,000 funding for the airport comes from the county’s .09 economic development fund, made up of state sales tax dollars.

Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport Director Tony Bean joined Monday’s commissioner’s meeting and said the money will help the airport reach a fundraising goal of $1.5 million.

He said that in order for an airline like United Airlines or SkyWest Airlines to provide flights to Denver, they need $1.5 million as a revenue guarantee. Bean said a revenue guarantee underwrites the profitability of the airlines’ service for a two-year period.

Bean said that revenue guarantee used to be $1 million, but it has gone up as demand among airports has increased.

“We’re competing with airports all over the region and all over the country,” he said.

To reach this number, the airport also has a $780,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, and money raised from the Pullman Chamber of Commerce, Moscow Chamber of Commerce, Avista, several businesses and private donors.

The airport will also ask the Pullman Lodging Tax Advisory Committee this week for a grant of $100,000.

Commissioner Michael Largent asked Bean about the airport’s chances of getting those flights to Denver if it raises $1.5 million, and Bean said they were “very good.” He said those flights could be available as early as Spring 2021.

“But that’s the threshold,” he said. “Because I don’t think they would have given us a figure if we didn’t have a chance.”

Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson also joined the commissioner’s meeting and said the airport is seeking two 50-passenger flights to Denver.

Bean said getting these services will also enable the airport to determine the appropriate size and amenities needed for a new terminal. He said the general contractor for the project will be brought on board this month.

Bean said the new terminal will be paid for with millions coming from CARES Act funding and the Federal Aviation Administration. He said the airport will not need money from the community for that project.

Marijuana hearing

The commissioners on Monday also set a public hearing for 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Dec. 21 to discuss the new marijuana code proposed by the Whitman County Planning Commission.

Since spring 2019, the planning commission was tasked with taking public comments and drafting an ordinance laying out rules for marijuana operations.

A county moratorium on marijuana growers, processors and retailers in the unincorporated areas of the county began March 2019.

Among the rules in the proposed code, outdoor pot producers and indoor marijuana facilities must be at least 1,000 feet from the property lines of schools, playgrounds, retirement facilities and several other “sensitive uses.”

Commissioner Art Swannack on Monday said he would like to add residences to that “sensitive uses” list. Commissioner Dean Kinzer said he would like to increase that distance to 1,500 feet.

Swannack also proposed an amendment to the code that would ban outdoor marijuana growing.

The draft code can be found at whitmancounty.org/272/Planning-Division.

CARES Act

The commissioners announced that four local human services nonprofits that requested CARES Act money will receive their full funding request.

Palouse River Counseling in Pullman will receive more than $65,000, Pullman Senior Citizens Association will receive $5,350, Council on Aging will receive $10,000 and Emmanuel Baptist Church in Pullman will receive $1,000.

Budget approval

The commissioners on Monday also approved a $17 million general fund budget for fiscal 2021.

The 2021 budget is down about $100,000 compared to the 2020 budget. It includes $10.65 million in personnel expenditures, plus another $6.37 million for operations.

The sheriff’s office accounts for almost 25 percent of the spending, or $4.17 million. General government expenditures of $3.1 million and $1.2 million for the auditor’s office were the other major expense categories.

Together, those three areas account for slightly less than half of the projected 2021 expenditures.

Projected revenues amount to $15.96 million. That’s about $1.1 million less than the current year. It leaves an estimated $1.07 million deficit in fiscal 2021, which will be filled primarily with about $800,000 from cash reserves.

The general fund budget, which covers general government operations, is financed through a combination of property taxes, sales tax collections, grants, fees and other miscellaneous revenues.

The total 2021 budget is $59 million, down about 8 percent or $5 million from the current year. That includes $17 million in general fund expenditures, as well as $13.6 million for county road operations, $6.6 million for the solid waste department and $1.59 million in capital expenditures.

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com. Lewiston Tribune reporter William L. Spence contributed to this report.