News about the local airport in Beiseker reared its head again last week, after our office received word from a group of concerned citizens about a significant spike in the airport's annual lease rates for lots.
Members of the group claim they're taking legal action after the Village of Beiseker more than doubled its lot rental rates at the airport to $1,500 a year – a spike the group argues is technically not legal.
The Beiseker Airport situation is complex. While the amenity is owned and operated by the municipality, the Village of Beiseker has expressed interest in the past of selling the airport, claiming they don't have the resources or the expertise to properly tend to it. The runway also needs to be upgraded at some point, which would be expensive, and the Village has no desire to be footing that bill.
But in early 2022, council postponed a previous decision to try and sell the airport for a period of at least five years, after a few people who leased lots there (including members from the now-defunct Beiseker Airport Society) protested. They were worried a private owner would have too much control or say in how the airport was operated, and could run it for their own gain.
The airport has never been a money-maker for the Village – in fact, it's more of a financial liability. As we previously reported, Rocky View County provides the Village with the property taxes imposed on the land, but the Village claims these funds barely cover the cost of running the airport. They told us in 2021 the revenue from the facility only supersedes expenses by about $7,000 a year.
It's hard to even pick sides on an issue like what to do with Beiseker's airport, but it is clear that it's going to take a lot of work to come up with a solution that satisfies all parties.
A 240 per cent spike in lease rates seems like a poor place to start.
