Why Now?

The streets and airport are so deeply/drastically/critically underfunded that the streets are not being maintained on schedule and the airport has many potentially hazardous and costly issues needing attention. None of these things will get any better with time and will cost a lot more the longer we wait. Measure P is the beginning of a strategic alliance between the identified needs of the airport and the interests of Airpark residents to take us into the future toward a vibrant, successful community that lives up to our goal “to provide a first-class airport community we can all be proud to support.” All fees raised by MEASURE P return to the District.

I heard we are considering adding part time employees, many people in the airpark can do this job, why pay?

Things have changed, and the job of operating the airport and maintaining the streets is much bigger than one person, the Airport Manager, can successfully accomplish. Volunteers are an essential component of the airpark and are greatly appreciated, but many required tasks are not being done since volunteers have not historically committed the ongoing hours required every week for these ongoing requirements/types of activities.

This is a money grab by the District, they don’t spend money wisely, why give them more? 

Financial policy and procedures have been revised in many areas, with additional checks and balances and reporting requirements to ensure the Board is informed and required to monitor the costs and scheduled work during the public Board meetings.  Capital expenditures now require a review of the total cost and any ongoing maintenance expenses as part of the approval process before funds are allocated. This will avoid cost overruns and maintenance budget issues after projects are completed. The expense accounts have been revised and re-numbered to reduce input errors and ensure easy tracking of the cost for each major area. New reporting policy is also in place for ongoing projects and purchases to make sure they stay on schedule and on budget.

Why do we pay for the streets, what about the county?

This District was formed by the residents so they could be in charge of the streets and airport.  As long as public access is allowed to the streets the County provides a small ($13,000) annual maintenance allocation which is too little to properly maintain the streets or save for major street repairs, leaving the difference the responsibility of the District (eventually funded by the residents).  With insufficient income the District is unable to conduct either routine or major street maintenance on the recommended schedule, resulting in predictable road deterioration to the point of failure.

Previously, when streets failed and resurfacing was required, the residents voted in 2009 to pay for resurfacing through a $2M 20-year government bond, of which $1.28M was spent for street resurfacing and $700,000 was interest and fees. This bond is scheduled for complete payment by 2029 (and is the $900 annual tax on each Airpark property – unless the owner has already completed paying off their total charge).  Since then, the District has not created a source for funds to pay for ongoing street maintenance and future repairs, thus, the vicious financial circle continues. Measure P for the first time provides an ongoing income dedicated to street maintenance and repair.

Why don’t we pay for stuff with government funds?

Government funds in the form of grants have been obtained and are being pursued. Limiting our ability to seek funds are an insufficient Airport Layout Plan that is over 20 years old drawings along with missing and other obsolete documents that need to be professionally updated or re-created.  Measure P will provide the initial funds to get this help in creating and correcting necessary documents to pursue more funding. Because these key airport documents have not been maintained, CPAD is at a real disadvantage when pursuing state and federal grants..

Is Measure P going to put everything right?

It is a critical first step toward correcting near-term critical needs and gets us back on track to accumulate funds for known large costs in the future. The amount in Measure P is less than the amount identified in the financial committee report due to the feedback we received from residents which said that larger amounts would have had no chance of approval.  Thus, Measure P is a smaller amount that was decided upon to at least keep us operating and provide the foundation for long-term success with a much better chance of voter approval.  It is a good start that makes progress on some important issues while giving us all time to collaborate for the future success of the airport and our community. All fees raised by MEASURE P return to the District.