Name: Petaluma Airport Commission meeting, Apr 4, 2024
Start: 2024-04-04
Location: City of Petaluma

Airport Commission

Thu, April 4, 2024

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Meeting summaryAI-generated

Airport Commission — February 1, 2024

This was a regular meeting of the Petaluma Airport Commission, held with Chair Margand absent. The session covered financial updates, ongoing infrastructure projects, hangar management issues, and the formation of a new advisory subcommittee.

Approval of Minutes

The Commission approved the minutes from the December 7, 2023 regular meeting. No discussion was noted.

Council Update

Councilmember Karen Nau reported on two City Council actions from January. The Council has decided to place a Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) renewal measure on the November ballot — a continuation of the greenbelt policy dating back to Mayor Helen Putnam's era. She also noted that several new housing projects are in the pipeline. Additionally, the City has taken over operation of the Petaluma fairgrounds, which are now open to the public and available for rental through the City.

Ad Hoc Subcommittee Updates

Hangar Rate Policy: Commissioners McGaw and Sasser have not yet met due to scheduling conflicts but have gathered online research on competitive hangar rental rates. They plan to develop a formal analysis of local market rates and demand.

Hangar Allocation: Commissioner Domich reported positive momentum — the Airport has few vacant hangars, has welcomed new tenants, and is seeing increased aviation activity. He noted that maintaining some available hangars is strategically valuable for attracting quality tenants.

Process Ad Hoc: No updates were provided.

Commissioner Comment — New Subcommittee Created

Airport Manager Dan Cohen introduced a proposal for a fifth ad hoc subcommittee. Commissioner McGaw explained that Barry Lawrence, a long-time contributor to the Airport's development, wishes to remain engaged and meet with City leadership — including the incoming police chief — to communicate the Commission's historical role and contributions. The Commission voted to establish the Senior City/Staff Liaison Ad Hoc subcommittee.

Vote: Moved by Commissioner Domich, seconded by Commissioner Sasser; passed unanimously.

Councilmember Nau added that the hiring process for a new police chief is expected this summer, and residents may submit questions for the hiring committee via the City's website.

Airport Manager Report

Finances: At the six-month mark of the fiscal year, the Airport has recorded just over $1 million in revenues against $1.36 million in expenditures — a gap driven in part by a $484,000 principal payment and $20,000 in interest on the Hangar Project debt. Commissioner McGaw raised questions about how the Finance Department treats principal payments in the budget (they are recorded as expenditures during the year but reclassified afterward for unclear reasons). He and Manager Cohen agreed to meet with the new Finance Director to clarify the depreciation schedule and accounting approach. A $100,000 personal property tax payment from tenants has been budgeted but not yet received; Manager Cohen confirmed this is typical and usually arrives by year-end. Last year the Airport received a higher-than-expected return, and a repeat could help close the revenue gap.

Airfield Access: The Airport has submitted a proposal to the FAA to formalize access procedures for pickup truck-based aircraft operations (balloons, helicopters, etc.). The current temporary access form allows requests by day, with no hard limits on duration, pending the FAA's response.

Minimum Standards Update: Manager Cohen submitted edits to the Airport's Minimum and Commercial Standards to the FAA about 18 months ago, received feedback four months ago, made revisions, and is now awaiting a second round of FAA comments.

Hangar Compliance and Abandoned Aircraft: Commissioner Domich raised concerns about tenants with liability-only insurance on aircraft that have since been sold, and about incomplete homebuilt aircraft occupying hangars with no realistic prospect of completion. Manager Cohen described his process: tenants with unfinished homebuilts are given a timeline of up to one year to show progress; if no progress is made, tenancy is terminated per FAA rules. The Airport also cross-references registered tail numbers with the FAA database to verify insurance compliance, though this method has limitations for homebuilt aircraft without tail numbers.

Northwest Hangar Inspections: Airport staff conducted thorough inspections of rows 10–18 about six to eight months ago. A few hangars required staff to cut locks for access. Manager Cohen has not yet decided whether to address remaining issues piecemeal or through a coordinated upgrade effort.

Infrastructure Projects:

A design contractor has been selected for the drainage project, and the contractor has already visited the site during recent rains to observe seasonal creek behavior.

Taxiway A and Taxilane B rehabilitation designs are proceeding concurrently; surveying and pavement coring are complete.

The Airport is exploring electric vehicle charging stations — three inside the airfield for City vehicles and four near the terminal — potentially combined with a sustainability/power-backup project. Grant funding is being sought; FAA funding is not applicable. A realistic implementation timeline is expected within the next year.

The Hangar Feasibility Study has been delayed and will be incorporated into the FY25 budget. Demand is highest for larger hangars, which dominate the Airport's waiting list.

The Hangar Row 2 Repair Project is finalizing design and bid documents, with release expected this spring.

A battery storage project near Adobe Creek remains stalled because the Airport Land Use Commission has not met in over a year and has not reviewed it.

The Council has approved the Airport's contract for renewable diesel, which enables generator use and advances the Airport's sustainability and power-backup goals.

Commissioner Dietrich expressed concern that the Airport lacks a sufficient long-term electrification road map and offered to connect staff with firms capable of doing that planning work. Manager Cohen agreed that future hangar development will need to account for electric power demand.

Key Takeaways

The Airport is running a mid-year deficit, with revenues of $1 million against $1.36 million in expenditures; accounting questions about debt payments will be taken up with the incoming Finance Director.

A new Senior City/Staff Liaison Ad Hoc subcommittee was unanimously created to help longtime contributors like Barry Lawrence stay engaged with City leadership.

FAA approvals are pending on two fronts: airfield access policy for truck-based aircraft and updated Minimum/Commercial Standards — both of which will shape Airport operations once resolved.

Multiple infrastructure projects are advancing simultaneously, including taxiway rehabilitation, drainage improvements, and EV charging stations, though the Hangar Feasibility Study has been pushed to FY25.

Hangar compliance and homebuilt aircraft management are active concerns; staff are working to free up hangars occupied by stalled projects for legitimate aviation use.

AI-generated summary from voice-to-text transcript. Not the official record. Verify important details with the source documents linked above.

Agenda items (5)

Procedural (1)

1ProceduralApproval of Minutes for the meeting of February 1, 2024

Public Hearing

2Public HearingCouncil Update

3Public HearingAd Hoc Subcommittee Updates

4Public HearingCommissioner Comment

5Public HearingAirport Manager Report

Additional votes recorded in minutes

Create Senior City/Staff Liaison Ad Hoc Subcommittee

aye 5 · absent 1

Anna Dietrichaye

Colin Perryaye

Jeff Domichaye

Marcus Margandabsent

Nancy Sasseraye

Thomas McGawaye

Verbatim transcript available

5 transcript segments indexed

CITY OF PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA REGULAR MEETING OF THE AIRPORT COMMISSION APPOINTED MEMBERS COMMISSION MEETINGS Anna Dietrich, Vice Chair 1st Thursday of each month Jeff Domich Colin Perry, PAPA Rep City Hall Council Chambers Marcus Margand, Chair Thomas McGaw 11 English Street Nancy Sasser Petaluma, CA 94952 COUNCIL LIAISON CONTACT INFORMATION Karen Nau Phone (707) 778-4404 Fax (707) 703-5750 STAFF LIAISON airport@cityofpetaluma.org Dan Cohen, Airport Manager cityofpetaluma.org MINUTES Thursday, February 1, 2024 6:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER 6:00 PM ROLL CALL PRESENT: Commissioner Domich, Vice Chair Dietrich, Commissioner McGaw, Commissioner Perry, Commissioner Sasser, Councilmember Nau ABSENT: Chair Margand PUBLIC COMMENT During General Public Comment, the public is invited to make comments on items of public interest that are within the Committee/Commission’s subject matter jurisdiction and that are not listed on the current agenda. Public comments are limited to three minutes per person. Depending on the number of persons wishing to address the Committee/Commission, time will be allocated in equal shares totaling no more than twenty minutes. PRESENTATIONS None 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Approval of Minutes of Regular Airport Commission Meeting of Thursday, December 7, 2023. 2. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION None. PUBLIC COMMENT None. 3. COMMITTEE COMMENT Page 1

Council Update – Councilmember Nau spoke about two meetings held in January. The Council will put the UGB ballot measure on for November to renew the UGB that was part of Petaluma’s green belt when Helen Putnam was mayor. There will also be some new housing projects coming up. Petaluma took over the fairgrounds, which are now open to the public, and the facilities can be rented through the City. AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS Hangar Rate Policy – Commissioner McGaw and Commissioner Sasser have not met due to scheduling issues but have found online information about hangar rental rates that was informative. Commissioner McGaw and Commissioner Sasser will work on an analysis of competitive rental rates and demand for hangars, access, etc. Hangar Allocation – Commissioner Domich spoke about the few vacant hangars at the Airport, the new tenants we have, and more aviation activity. He also spoke about the advantages of having hangars available to viable tenants. Process Ad Hoc No comments. COMMISSIONER COMMENT Manager Cohen mentioned that there is a proposal for a new ad hoc subcommittee: Commissioner McGaw spoke about how Barry Lawrence would like to stay involved with the City and would like to meet with the new head of police and others to communicate with them about the role of the Commission, which has helped get the Airport to where it is today. Commissioner McGaw spoke about how Mr. Lawrence’s contribution to the City’s history is valuable and much appreciated. Commissioner Domich made a motion to create the fifth ad hoc subcommittee, which will be the Senior City/Staff Liaison Ad Hoc, and it was seconded by Commissioner Sasser, then passed unanimously. Councilmember Nau spoke about the hiring process for the new police chief, which will happen this summer. Questions for the hiring committee can be submitted over the City website. STAFF COMMENT – Airport Manager Report Airport Manager Cohen discussed revenue through the six-month mark of the fiscal year, which shows just over $1 million in revenues and $1.36 million in expenditures. This includes a $484,000 principal payment and a $20,000 interest payment for fiscal year 24. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you require special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (707) 778-4360 (voice) or (707) 778-4480 (TDD). Translators, American Sign Language interpreters, and/or assistive listening devices for individuals with hearing disabilities will be available upon request. A minimum of 48 hours is needed to ensure the availability of translation services. In consideration of those with multiple chemical sensitivities or other environmental illness, it is requested that you refrain from wearing scented products. The City Clerk hereby certifies that this agenda has been posted in accordance with the requirements of the Government Code. In accordance with Government Code §54957.5, any materials of public record relating to an agenda item for a regular meeting of the Airport Commission that are provided to a majority of the members less than 72 hours before the meeting will be made available at the City Clerk’s Office, 11 English Street, during normal business hours. Materials of public record that are distributed during the meeting shall be made available for public inspection at the meeting if prepared by the City or a member of its legislative/advisory body, or the next business day after the meeting if prepared by some other person. For accessible meeting information, please call (707) 778-4360 or TDD (707) 778-4480. Agendas and supporting documentation can be found at: http://cityofpetaluma.net/cclerk/archives.html. Page 4

CITY OF PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA REGULAR MEETING OF THE AIRPORT COMMISSION Manager Cohen spoke about a question asked by Commissioner McGaw regarding the Hangar Project principal payments and depreciation schedule. The City Finance Department sent an email about how they will show the interest and principal payments as part of expenditures, but for an unknown reason, once the year is settled, they don’t consider it an expenditure. This might happen possibly for budgetary reasons. This would be a good topic to discuss with the new Finance Director. Manager Cohen clarified that depreciation is a formula that is proprietary information for the Finance Department. Commissioner McGaw responded that he’d like to attend an ad hoc committee meeting with Manager Cohen and the Finance Director, and Manager Cohen agreed. Commissioner McGaw asked about the personal property tax paid by tenants which was budgeted for $100,000 but has not been deposited to the bank yet. He wanted to know if it was typical for the money to appear at the end of the fiscal year, and Manager Cohen replied that it is typical due to data concerns. Last year, the Airport realized a greater return than was expected, and if that happens again for this fiscal year it should help close the gap between expenditures and revenues. For an update on Operations, Manager Cohen spoke about airfield access, and that the Airport has submitted a proposal to the FAA to provide access to pickup truck-based aircraft that are accessing the airfield through the access gates, and this refers to everything from balloons to helicopters. If the FAA approves this, the Airport will change its policy. Additionally, Manager Cohen provided the FAA with some edits to the Minimum Standards and Commercial Standards for the Airport approximately 18 months ago. He received feedback about 4 months ago, made the suggested changes, and sent it back to the FAA. The Airport is now awaiting another round of feedback. Commissioner Domich referred to the public comment submitted that claimed there were changes to the temporary access form from the City’s website, and Manager Cohen responded that currently there are no restrictions on the number of days one may request access to the airfield, so individual requests are dependent on the Manager’s approval. As of now, there are no hard restrictions to access. Commissioner Domich then asked about whether requests for certain times were permitted on the current form, and Manager Cohen replied that requestors may select a certain day, and the time starts at 12:01AM on that day. Manager Cohen clarified that the form is not a current offering, and there will be changes made when the FAA responds to Manager Cohen’s request for comments. Commissioner McGaw asked if there had been any response to the 90-day unrestricted access request Manager Cohen sent to the City’s Risk Management department, and Manager Cohen responded that Risk Management and the Legal Department had responded. Those comments were included in the request to the FAA. Manager Cohen did not want to comment further until we received an official response from the FAA. Commissioner Domich commented that the Airport has a few hangars available for lease, and he felt that was an advantage to attract new tenants and as we approach springtime, they will likely rent quickly. Commissioner Domich felt the Airport is in a much stronger position on the southeast side than one year ago, and he is grateful for the changes Manager Cohen has made. There are still changes to be made on the northwest side of the Airport, and Commissioner Domich wanted to know if there are plans to inspect hangars on that side. Manager Cohen replied that 6-8 months ago, Airport staff did a thorough inspection of rows 10- 18 and noted basic issues such as if there was an airplane in the hangar. There were a few that Page 3

staff could not access, and those are being handled individually as staff must cut off locks at times. Manager Cohen is not yet certain if he will work on these hangars in a piecemeal fashion or do mass upgrades. Commissioner Domich requested an update on insurance compliance and suggested Airport staff could cross-reference registered aircraft tail numbers with the FAA database. Manager Cohen replied that the Airport has a new tool for this, and the FAA requested exactly the information Commissioner Domich is discussing. The Airport administrative assistant has done this work, and it has worked very well to make sure our information is current, but the database cross-reference is not useful for assessing the status of home-built aircraft, as they don’t necessarily have a tail number. Commissioner Domich’s concern has to do with the City’s future need to file an insurance claim after an airplane has been sold, and the tenant has liability-only insurance, and there is a low likelihood that the policy would pay out. Regarding home-built aircraft, he is aware that there are a few that have not been touched in some time, and he believes that there was never any intent on the part of those tenants to complete the aircraft. Commissioner Domich would like to free those hangars up for legitimate aviation use. Manager Cohen agreed, and he explained his process with these tenants, which involves a timeline to make progress to complete the homebuilt aircraft. If the timeline is no more than one year, Manager Cohen makes a calendar note to reassess according to FAA rules and if no progress has been made, he will terminate the tenancy. Commissioner Domich is only concerned with misuse, not delayed use. Projects The Airport has selected a design contractor for the drainage project, and due to the recent rains, we have had that contractor come out and see the seasonal creek as it runs. Also, the Airport is moving forward with the Taxiway A and Taxilane B Rehabilitation designs, which are happening concurrently. The subcontractor has finished all the surveying and coring of the pavement. The Airport has recently been working with a consultant regarding vehicle electric charging stations, three spots inside the airfield for City vehicles, and four spots next to the terminal building, and this design will likely change. The thought is to combine this project with one of the sustainability projects for power backup. The Airport is currently looking for grant funding for this project. If this project gets approved, then the Airport would get electric vehicles. Commissioner McGaw asked if the project will be potentially FAA-funded, and Manager Cohen replied that it will not. Within a year, Manager Cohen will have a better idea of what a reasonable timeline for implementation will be. Commissioner Perry asked about the status of the battery storage project. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you require special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (707) 778-4360 (voice) or (707) 778-4480 (TDD). Translators, American Sign Language interpreters, and/or assistive listening devices for individuals with hearing disabilities will be available upon request. A minimum of 48 hours is needed to ensure the availability of translation services. In consideration of those with multiple chemical sensitivities or other environmental illness, it is requested that you refrain from wearing scented products. The City Clerk hereby certifies that this agenda has been posted in accordance with the requirements of the Government Code. In accordance with Government Code §54957.5, any materials of public record relating to an agenda item for a regular meeting of the Airport Commission that are provided to a majority of the members less than 72 hours before the meeting will be made available at the City Clerk’s Office, 11 English Street, during normal business hours. Materials of public record that are distributed during the meeting shall be made available for public inspection at the meeting if prepared by the City or a member of its legislative/advisory body, or the next business day after the meeting if prepared by some other person. For accessible meeting information, please call (707) 778-4360 or TDD (707) 778-4480. Agendas and supporting documentation can be found at: http://cityofpetaluma.net/cclerk/archives.html. Page 4

CITY OF PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA REGULAR MEETING OF THE AIRPORT COMMISSION Commissioner Dietrich spoke about anticipating electrification needs, and her concern is that there has not been sufficient study done on long-term road mapping, and she is acquainted with some firms that could do that work. Manager Cohen spoke about the Council’s approval of the Airport’s contract for renewable diesel, and this opens the door for generators. This step is the missing piece for achieving greater sustainability in terms of power backup for the Airport. Commissioner Dietrich commented further that there will be a need to project future demand that will encompass many other uses for electric power for aviation. Manager Cohen responded that those considerations will be a major component of future hangar development. Commissioner Domich added that it will likely be difficult to get electric vehicles in a timely manner, and to plan for delays when contemplating ordering them. Manager Cohen spoke about delayed funding for the Hangar Feasibility Study, which will now be added to the FY25 budget. Larger hangars are in high demand, which is the size of hangar with the most interest for the people on our waiting list. Commissioner McGaw asked about a battery storage project at Adobe Creek. Manager Cohen responded that the Airport Land Use Commission has not met in over a year, so it’s unlikely it has been reviewed by the County. Manager Cohen talked about the Hangar Row 2 Repair Project, which is in the process of finalizing a design and bid documents, which are scheduled to go out this spring. 4. COMMUNICATIONS A. None 5. ADJOURN Meeting was adjourned at 6:54 p.m. The next Meeting of the Airport Commission is scheduled for Thursday, March 7, 2024. Page 5