airport/documents/Mesquite Master Plan Final.pdf - The City of ...

user fees, taxes on airline tickets,
aviation fuel, and various aircraft parts.
Funds are distributed each year by the
FAA from appropriations by Congress.
A portion of the annual distribution is
to primary commercial service airports
based upon enplanement (passenger)
levels. If Congress appropriates the full
amount authorized by Vision 100,
eligible general aviation airports could
receive up to $150,000 of funding each
year in Non-Primary Entitlement
(NPE) funds (National Plan of
Integrated Airport Systems [NPIAS]
inclusion is required for general
aviation entitlement funding). In the
first three years of the program under
AIR-21, Mesquite Metro Airport was
eligible for and received the full
$150,000 in NPE funds. When the
NPIAS was updated in 2005, it only
included $333,333 in improvements for
Mesquite Metro Airport for the next five
years. This means that for FY 05 and
until the NPIAS is updated again in
2009, Mesquite Metro Airport is only
eligible for $66,667 annually.
The remaining AIP funds are
distributed by the FAA based upon the
priority of the project for which they
have requested federal assistance
through discretionary apportionments.
A National Priority Ranking System is
used to evaluate and rank each airport
project. Those projects with the highest
priority are given preference in funding.
The state’s federal funding allotment
must be distributed to many airports
each year. As a result, TxDOT will
typically limit the size of grants given to
a single airport sponsor to ensure
adequate funding for the state airport
6-9
system as a whole. Thus, the costs of
implementing the runway extension
may require the City to attract
discretionary funding assistance.
STATE FUNDING PROGRAM
The State of Texas participates in the
federal State Block Grant Program.
Under the State Block Grant Program,
the FAA annually distributes general
aviation state apportionment and
discretionary funds to TxDOT. The
state then distributes grants to state
airports. In compliance with TxDOT’s
legislative mandate that it “apply for,
receive, and disburse” federal funds for
general aviation airports, TxDOT acts
as the agent of the local airport sponsor.
Although these grants are distributed
by TxDOT, they contain all federal
obligations.
The State of Texas also distributes
funding to general aviation airports
from the Highway Trust Fund as the
Texas Aviation Facilities Development
Program. These funds are appropriated
each year by the state legislature. Once
distributed, these grants contain state
obligations only.
The establishment of a CIP for the state
entails first identifying the need, then
establishing a ranking or priority
system. Identifying all state airport
project needs allows TxDOT to establish
a biennial program and budget for
development costs. The most recent
TxDOT CIP, Aviation Improvement
Program 2006-2008, assumed that
approximately $22 million in annual
federal AIP grants, which includes $17