HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-24-1990.Council increase airport board membershipt�
cape ('insistent, News Guerillas GENERAL NEWSSunday, June 24, 1490 13A
Council increases airport board membership
By Don Pritchard
hams Guar na n sae wvler
The Cape Girardeau City Council
gave first -mural approval Monday
to a new airport ordinance that,
among other things, erns the terms
of airport board members from six
to three years. It also Increases the
size of the board from five to seven.
Airport Board Chairman Jerry
McClanahan has said that adding
two members to the board will
"dBute" it
May"Gene Rhodes said the mb-
committee of the Chamber of Com-
merce's air transportation commit.
tee said it would endorse 16e larger
board if the additional numbers rep -
restated industries located at the
airport
Councilman David Limbaugh
was concerned about enticing that
requirement pact of the ordnance.
"What happens if here aren't
people from awn universe of people
who want to save and who are quat-
ified to serve?" Limbaugh said.
"then we've bound ourselves, I
chic. That's my gut reaction "
McClanahan said there should be
no requirement cat airport board
members be pikes.
-Councilman Al Spratling III also
expressed concern about limdting
the council's choice on, who serves
an the board.
"It's possible that the people
down in the airport may have as
much ofa vested iatemat WeanseDreg
wanting to get on the board to pm -
tea their interest,," Springing said.
"That might be considered s conflict
to a certain extent, but I don't have
any problems with considering that
they want to save, but I don't think
we want to lock it into the ordinance,
that they will be on the board."
Cou vile ire David Barklage said
the existing board members should
get the forgets terms on the new
board "as a courtesy." He said the
ordinance is not a reaction to "an
open and aggressive" airport board.
He said the staff was attempting to
bring the board into line with the
makeup of other advisory boards
repotting to the council.
But Councilwoman Mary Wui-
fem disagreed with Barklage, saying
she felt the ordinance was a reaction
to the airport board's recent critic-
ism of the city council and city hall
staff.
.If it is, I want nothing to do with
it," she said. -
City Manager Ronnie Fische
said ate new ordinance has been dis-
cussed for two and a half years.
"Truman Cott and Paul Miles, in
the very beginning when I came to
work for the city, two and a half
years ago, came to me and said their
interpretation of it (the old airport
ordinance) was that they had a lot of
authority to negotiate a contract,
enter into contracts and temp such
" this," Fisch" said. 'They felt
eirher they should have the authority
or we should change the ordinance.
It was just laid around because it
was kind of touchy and getting into
personalities. It probably should
have been dame a number of years
ago.,,
Wulf= said she could go along
with everything in the ordinance,
except for the number of board
members.
Limbaugh said City Attorney
Warren Wells increased the number
of hoard members to have undfomd-
ty among advisory boards in the
city.
"I just think it's good to have uni-
formity," Limbaugh said. "The
motive is surely not to dituu it"
Wella said he thought it was the
rnuecid concensus to inureaso the
board to seven members. He said
now of the council members speci-
fically asked him to do that
Wells said the number seven was
"pulled out of the air," brut there was
reasoning behind it.
"The board of adjustment has five
and they do have problems with
having sufficient members," Wells
said.
Barklage said increasing the
number of members should help the
board and avoid it becoming a
"club." He said for the first four
years he's been on the council the
import was rot discussed much, and
the board was kit to itself.
'They. (die board amembas) were
very close.. they well on together,
many of them, for years and years,'
Barklage said. "Of course they wer
going to become a small group. I it
think there is that tendency, th
madder the board, but I don't thin
Ws necessarily negative, it's ju
you get to know each other.'•
Limbaugh said he wasn't in fav
of increasing the size of the boa
for that reason,
"I'm just doing ilforunifomlo
L mbsugh said. "I'm proud of +
airport board ser it sure im't
intention to slap them. i th'
they've done a good job."
Barklage aim said the reduct
in the term from six years to thez
a good idea.
"Six year terms ... elimi
whole (city) councils from b
able to have input on the ba
Barklage said. City council n
bers are dueled to fear -year h
"Secondly, you're asking pea
Crake an unusual colnnanme
serve six years on a board)."
Spindling said one of the gc
advisory boards is to get c
input and expanding the a
board to seven members
enhance that.
Rhodes said he preferred I
Isle'vintlber of board them
nv0.
Cmieitfnan Hugh White
affoted 51crea9ing die be
Bayou members,