Boulder needs a long-term airport commitment—but a forever obligation goes too far

On April 23, Boulder City Council held a study session to provide direction about the future of the airport.

My position, as I articulated at the meeting, is to continue to operate the airport with a real long-term commitment, a commitment with the same seriousness we apply to other major public assets like fire stations, Pearl Street, and our comprehensive plan. We know how to do long-term planning that creates confidence and certainty. We should apply that same rigor to the airport.

My position is also that the city should avoid locking away our future flexibility by agreeing to operate an airport in perpetuity—a covenant attached to FAA grant funding, strengthened in the FAA’s favor in 2022—at least without a serious analysis and broader public engagement on the this aspect.

A long-term commitment and a forever obligation are vastly different things, and I asked both before and during the meeting that we separate them and address them on their own terms.

The vote went ahead anyway, with councilmembers given exactly two choices: Scenario 1 (continue the airport indefinitely, and authorize FAA grants with perpetuity covenants) and Scenario 2 (essentially be ready to discontinue the airport).

I had to choose one, so I went with Scenario 2 because I felt the FAA perpetuity issue, along with major unanswered questions about governance and financial stewardship, was the most important concern for the city.

Scenario 1, alternatively, would remove future flexibility from future councils and comprehensive plans, and what that means in practice has not been fully explored.

What we do know is the far-reaching implications of FAA perpetuity covenants have not been part of the core public engagement process around the airport over the past few years, they have not been presented for serious public analysis elsewhere, and the idea of accepting perpetuity covenants of this magnitude is not something we have have an agreed-on and understood process for.

My vote was for future flexibility, long-term financial sustainability, and most of all, making sure we and the public know what an airport perpetuity commitment is getting into and then making a decision consistent with good process. That is separate from maintaining the airport and making it successful for the long-term, which support and said with my vote.