Desert Aire airport district looks to put levy on November ballot

DESERT AIRE — Residents of Desert Aire will probably see something new on their November ballot — a levy proposed by Grant County Airport District No. 1. The district operates the airfield at Desert Aire and serves the Mattawa community at-large.

The airport district was created in 1994 when the Desert Aire Owners Association (DAOA) saw the need for assistance in running the airport. The Grant County Commissioners allowed the formation of the airport district, which encompasses all of Desert Aire and some additional land on both the north and south sides of Desert Aire.

While the airport district has the ability to levy taxes, over the years, district leaders have chosen not to. But in light of the recent state auditor’s report, that is changing.

The Washington State Auditor’s office on March 16 released its findings from its audit of Grant County Airport District No. 1. The audit looked at meeting minutes, internal controls for assets, disbursements and revenues, whether annual reports were being submitted correctly and on time, reviewed annual revenue and expenditures and evaluated the airport’s financial information for difficulties from Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2018.

The audit found two areas where the airport district was lacking adequate internal controls: in accurate reporting and having a proper lease agreement.

The auditor’s report stated that since the establishment of the airport district in 1994, a verbal agreement has been in place allowing the airport district to rent the airfield, equipment and facilities for $1 a year, plus property tax and an annual storage rental fee. Both parties thought a verbal agreement was sufficient and did not put anything into writing, according to the audit.

Since the audit was done, Ken Broda, Commissioner No. 2 for the airport district, said that a written contract has been located.

“We were unable at the time to provide them with the contract,” Broda said. “We have since located it and will be sending it in.”

The other issue the auditors had was with the way vendors were paid for the 2018 pancake breakfast that raised money for the airport. The auditor’s report stated that the expenses related to fundraising events were accounted for improperly, causing an understatement of expenses and revenues in 2018 by at least $4,512. The auditors were not able to get an accurate assessment of what had been under-reported due to insufficient record-keeping. The auditor’s office noted that the lack of accurate financial information reduces the transparency of the airport to citizens and hinders the efforts of the auditor’s office to provide accurate information to the state legislature.

The annual pancake breakfast is one of the ways the district thanks the people of Desert Aire and the Mattawa area for their support of the airport. At the 2018 event, the commissioners chose the path of expedience when it came to paying for supplies.

“Instead of taking the receipts and having the county treasurer write a check, we paid them out of our funds,” Broda said. “They (the auditor’s office) took exception to that. I understand. We weren’t following the rules. We have nothing to contest there. We were out of compliance. Next year, we will be in compliance.”

Broda said that while he has all the receipts for the supplies purchased for the event, the reimbursements were not handled in a way that makes them open to the public.

Through the process of the audit, the airport district commissioners were told that it would be easier for them to get funding and grant money in the future if they had a reliable source of income, instead of being dependent on donations.

Since the formation of the airport district in Desert Aire, the commissioners have operated solely on the donations from community members who use the airport. Each year, the commissioners ask for $250 per lot.

In 2013, though, the runway was in need of major repair.

“There were 2.5- to 3-inch cracks in the runway,” Broda said. “It was not serviced as it should have been.”

The Washington State Department of Transportation aviation division helped the airport district secure a grant that not only allowed it to repave the runway but widen it. While the airport district did have to take out a loan for approximately $22,000, the grant was for almost $750,000.

“We have essentially a brand-new runway,” Broda said.

And the airport commissioners have more things they would like to do to improve the airport and its facilities. One of the things Broda mentioned was adding a fueling station. The Desert Aire Airport, the name for the airfield, has been used several times over the past few years during emergencies and wildland fires as a base of operation or as the airfield of choice to get injured workers to the hospital.

“That runway’s position out here in hinterland has just been magical,” Broda said.

Since most of the donations received by the airport are used for monthly expenses, building infrastructure without the help of grants is very difficult. In order to get grants in the future, the state is recommending that the commissioners put a levy on the ballot to provide them with a steady stream of income. The state has made it clear that it does not consider donations to be a reliable source of income.

“The purpose of the levy, as the state explained, would be to make us a much better target for them to give us further grants,” Broda said. “They noted that we don’t have a steady stream of income. They were wondering out loud how we pay the bills. That’s what’s driving the levy.”

At this point, the commissioners aren’t sure how much they will ask for. Broda noted that the state puts on a cap of $0.75 per $1,000 of assessed value. If the levy passes, Broda is encouraging the other commissioners to hire a bookkeeper to assist them with the financial end of the airport.

“If we are entrusted with the levy money, I think it would be prudent to do that,” Broda said.

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at [email protected].