Syracuse, NY -- Eight months after the Syracuse Common Council approved a proposal to turn over management of Hancock Airport to a regional authority, the turnover hasn’t happened. And it could be awhile. Mayor Stephanie Miner, who voted for the proposal while a member of the council in September, is taking a second look at it — with the idea...
Syracuse, NY -- Eight months after the Syracuse Common Council approved a proposal to turn over management of Hancock Airport to a regional authority, the turnover hasn’t happened. And it could be awhile.
Mayor Stephanie Miner, who voted for the proposal while a member of the council in September, is taking a second look at it — with the idea of making some changes.
Tim Carroll, director of mayoral initiatives, said Miner still supports the concept of an authority to run the airport. However, she and her staff are looking for ways in which the authority could better use the airport as a regional economic development tool, he said.
“She wants to explore ways to generate the biggest economic impact,” he said.
City officials have long viewed Hancock as an economic development asset. Many corporations consider the proximity and quality of air service when evaluating a community as a possible location for a new office or other facility.
Carroll said he could not yet provide details on what changes might be made to the proposed airport authority, because discussions are still taking place among Miner’s staff, different levels of government and the private sector. But he said the makeup of the authority could be changed to better reflect a “regional effort.”
Miner’s evaluation includes studying how other airport authorities around the state operate, he said. Most major airports in the state are run by state-sanctioned authorities.
By an 8-1 vote, the council approved plans in September to create the authority — plans proposed by Miner’s predecessor, Matt Driscoll.
Only Councilor-at-Large Lance Denno voted against the measure. He criticized the fact that the council would have no representation on the authority’s board of directors.
Under the proposal, an 11-member authority would consist of seven mayoral appointments; one appointment each by the Onondaga County executive, the DeWitt Town Council and the East Syracuse-Minoa school board; and one rotating appointment by the North Syracuse school district and the town councils of Clay, Cicero and Salina.
That structure is the result of the settlement of tax disputes with various municipalities and school districts. City councilors would serve on an advisory board, but they would not get a seat on the authority’s board of directors.
Driscoll proposed the creation of the authority to make it easier for the airport to borrow money to upgrade the facility and to attract more airlines to it, possibly driving down air fares. Borrowing by a state-authorized authority would not count against the city’s bonding limits.
The council’s vote did not actually create an authority, however. It was a request to the state to create one.
The Legislature did not act on the city’s request before the end of the year. Assemblywoman Joan Christensen, D-Syracuse, said no action was taken on it last year because of a desire by local officials to wait until a new mayor took office on Jan. 1 and had a chance to review it.
Christensen filed the legislation again early this year, but she said the Common Council will have to approve another “home rule” message requesting creation of the authority before the Legislature can vote on it. Last year’s approval was good only for last year’s legislative session, she said.
She said any changes to the authority’s board might require a change in the tax settlement with the suburban towns and school districts.
Christensen, who is retiring at the end of the year, expressed frustration at how long it is taking Miner to recommend changes to the legislation. She sent a letter to Miner recently saying she was “disappointed” that she cannot yet advance the legislation.
“I stress that this would be an ideal time to move this bill through the legislature and give our airport, as well as region, the competitive edge that so many other airports throughout this state already share,” she said in the letter.
Carroll said the review will take another month or two.
Contact Rick Moriarty at rmoriarty@syracuse.com or 470-3148.