As a new airport director takes the helm at Cortez Municipal Airport, renewed citizen interest in aviation has prompted the city to reestablish a long-dormant advisory board. On Tuesday, the City Council will vote on an ordinance to bring the airport advisory board back to life after nearly two decades of dormancy.
“As the Cortez Municipal Airport grows and becomes more active, it is becoming increasingly important to seek more effective ways to obtain public input from those involved with the local aviation community,” wrote City Manager Drew Sanders in a memo to City Council.
The City Council-appointed six-member committee will include one nonvoting youth member. Eligible applicants must live in Montezuma County, with four members required to reside within Cortez city limits.
The board will serve in an advisory capacity only, holding monthly meetings to review planning, operations and maintenance projects at the airport and to discuss recommendations for the City Council.
“[It’s] giving the aviation community a voice,” Sanders said in an interview with The Journal. “Our goal is to find more avenues to receive useful feedback.”
Sanders said the city does not yet have a timeline for when City Council will appoint members so the committee can begin operating. Airport Director Kyle Sloan, who took the job just last month, will need time to settle in, Sanders said. Once the city begins its search for committee members, it will advertise the positions on the city’s website.
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