A long legal battle surrounding the Wetumpka Municipal Airport appears to have come to a close.
Tenants at the airport filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration in August 2012 in regard to grant assurances involved with the operation of the airport, owned by the city of Wetumpka. The FAA sent notice Thursday that the city was not in violation of any of its federal obligations.
“The city is very happy and pleased,” said Regina Edwards, Wetumpka’s city attorney. “Hopefully, this will put everything in motion, and we can have a positive outlook from here on out.”
The original complaint claimed the city engaged in “economic discrimination by failing to provide a rental structure which makes the airport self-sustaining” and that the city “took actions which operated to deprive it of its rights and powers.”
Dave Ramsey is an aircraft owner at the airport and also is secretary/treasurer of the Elmore County Aviation Alliance. As one of the tenants filing the complaint, Ramsey said Thursday he was disappointed in the outcome.
Before the ruling was issued, Ramsey and other tenants had been in negotiation talks with the city about new leases. Ramsey said offers already had been made to some tenants that were more favorable than ones that led to the complaints, which centered on issues such as lease terms and the inability to make additional improvements.
“We just want to protect our investments,” Ramsey said.
Both sides appear to be focused on moving forward.
“We look forward to working with tenants and meeting their needs,” Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis said.
Ramsey said he felt like it would “all get worked out.”
“It’s in nobody’s advantage not to,” he said.
Source: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com
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