Airport Issues at a Glance: An SDAMA Perspective

CHRIS DEITZ | SDAMA PRESIDENT

The South Dakota Airport Managers Association (SDAMA) serves as a crucial advocate for South Dakota airports. There are many challenges that we all face, including staffing shortages, increasing operating expenses, evolving regulations, and insufficient funding. It's essential to recognize that we are all in this together, and collectively addressing the issues can bring impactful improvements.

During the 2023 South Dakota Legislative session, two bills seeking $35 million total in general fund dollars were introduced. SB 148 was an act to make an appropriation to provide support for an airline terminal infrastructure expansion project at the Rapid City Regional Airport, and SB 158 was an act to make an appropriation to provide funding for major infrastructure projects to support all South Dakota airports. Despite support from multiple major community entities, airports, SDAMA, and the South Dakota Municipal League, both bills failed to pass through the legislature.

As the president of SDAMA, I would like to extend my gratitude to all supporters of the bills and emphasize the need to continue our efforts in securing additional funding. During the previous legislative session, I testified to several committees, and although the bills did not pass, we gained the attention of our legislators and the governor's cabinet. Through our testimony, we provided valuable education on the significance of South Dakota airports to our communities and the state as a whole. Legislators acknowledged the importance of our efforts and expressed interest in further education from their district airport representation.

Furthermore, we addressed the airport funding gaps, including the inability to fund local matches for federal projects, insufficient funding for nonfederal projects, and the infrastructure needs that are unfunded or not on the funding radar. The SD Department of Transportation is collaborating with the Aeronautics Commission to create a working group to review airport funding. It is important to start talking to your legislators now about the needs of your airport prior to the next legislative session.

If you are not an SDAMA member, I encourage you to visit www.sdmunicipalleague.org/ airportmanagement or reach out to me at chris.deitz@rcgov.org or any board member to learn more. We welcome your airport's membership in SDAMA and the opportunity to have a unified voice for South Dakota airports. ■