LACK OF MAINTENANCE

After a request from an aircraft owner, the city has cleaned the secondary taxiway.   The debris on the taxiways led to propeller damage to a tenant’s aircraft.  This was not the first incident involving propeller damage.   The condition of the taxiways was listed in the inspection completed by the state aviation department , and was listed in the things the city needed to address in order for the FAA to continue to address the city’s attempt to close the airport.   Maintenance of federally funded projects is a requirement of the grant assurances that accompany federal funding.   Maintenance of the airway structures has been ignored by the city since 2006.  The runway has started to develop cracks that if left un addressed, will cause early deterioration of the runway.

FRANKLIN COUNTY PERSONAL PROPERTY TAXES

If you own an aircraft in Franklin County, and it is worth less than $60.200, and it is older than 25 years, and flies less than 50 hours per year, you have been over charged on your personal property taxes for years.   Before this year Franklin County has appraised all aircraft in Franklin county at $10,000, and assed them at 33%.  They should have been valued at the market value, and assed at .05%.   There are 59 aircraft on the FAA registry, and 6 are not older than 25 years.  Two of which are balloons.   If the average value of these aircraft is $30,000, the county has over taxed the owners by approximately $53,000 in the last ten years.  If you are the owner of an older aircraft in Franklin County, check your tax bill, you might be due a refund.  One owner walked out of the assessor’s office with a $300 check.  

AND NOW WE HAVE PROPELLER DAMAGE

The city it seems is liable for propeller damage from FOD damage at the airport.  The city’s insurance people told the owner of the propeller to “send us the bill”.  This is not the first case of propeller damage, other tenants have also had claims filed with MIRMA, but MIRMA refused to pay them.  The propeller that was damaged recently was brand new out of the box, and had not even made it into the air, before it was damaged in two places.  The repairs are estimated to be around $1000.  In the previous claim that MIRMA did not pay, the repairs were estimated at $4500.  The city was cited by MODOT for poor taxiway conditions in the last safety inspection of the airport.  As of date, the city has done nothing to eliminate the FOD or the poor conditions of the airport pavement.