To: Board of Supervisors
From: Greg Baer, Director of Airports
Report Title: Fix a public hearing to consider adopting new rates for Buchanan Field and Byron Airport
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
FIX a public hearing for September 9, 2025, to consider adopting a resolution that will supersede Resolution 2018/524, to adopt new rates and charges for Buchanan Field Airport and Byron Airport, effective October 1, 2025.
DIRECT the Clerk of the Board to publish the Notice of Public Hearing in accordance with section 6062a of the Government Code.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Airports Division operates as an Enterprise Fund and finances all of its operating costs from rents and other fees. The revised fee schedule is intended to cover costs for new and existing services provided by the Airports Division. The fees include a new Hangar Waitlist Fee and a fee for Gate Access Control. The new fees are expected to result in an additional $9,500 annually for the Airport Enterprise Fund.
BACKGROUND:
The most recent rates and charges for the County Airports were adopted on October 16, 2018, and include CPI escalators every 3 years. Two new fees are being introduced: a Hangar Waitlist Fee and a Gate Access Control Card Fee.
The County’s Airports Division owns, maintains, and rents out 185 aircraft hangars comprised of small T-hangars and larger box hangars. Like most airports, County Airports staff maintains hangar waitlists for those desiring to house their aircraft at Buchanan or Byron Airport, or move to a different hangar based on size, location, or price point. Typically for airports, there is an administrative fee charged to be placed on a waitlist, and it’s also common for an annual maintenance fee to be collected to account for the staff time required to manage the waitlists. The County has not yet had an established fee to maintain these lists that require staff’s routine attention. As evidenced through the County’s current practices, a free waitlist program inherently results in individuals remaining on a list who may not fully intend to accept a hangar when offered, resulting in an artificially long waitlist. Airports management and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) consider the waitlist details for certain business decisions; therefore, the waitlist accuracy is important. A waitlist program that includes annual updates by applicants as well as a maintenance fee will result in more precise waitlists. The Hangar Waitlist fee will consist of an initial $40 fee with an annual maintenance fee of $30. The Aviation Advisory Committee is recommending the establishment and implementation of this fee.
The Airports Division currently collects a deposit for airport access gate cards that must be refunded. This system incurs costs associated with issuing physical gate cards and maintaining the security infrastructure, as well as significant staff time from the issuing of access cards and the processing refunds for deposits. The Airport is requesting to terminate the deposit system in place and, instead, institute a $30 user fee for airport access gate cards. The institution of this fee will work towards achieving the County Airport’s dual goals of recovering its costs to operate the airports and sustain economic self-sufficiency as an enterprise fund.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If a public hearing is not set, and notice is not given, as recommended, the County could not adopt a rates and charges resolution necessary to recover costs to operate and maintain the two airports. Rates and charges would continue to be imposed under Resolution 2018/254.