WM Airport looks to alter requirements for serving as commissioner

WM Airport looks to alter requirements for serving as commissioner

Board may expand search to fill vacancy

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The West Memphis Airport Commission is making a move to put its requirements for serving more in line with what other airports around the state are using.

Airport Manager Candra Suiter said regulations had changed and it was time for a policy update. With one open position, commissioners looked at current requirements and decided now was the time to make the changes.

“We have a vacancy to fill and we are trying to move more in line with state requirements for commission members,” said Suiter. “It says that someone can serve who lives outside the city limits.”

Changes in the Arkansas regulations allow for airports to draw commissioner candidates from a wider area.

“They don’t have to live in the city,” said Suiter. “Now they can live anywhere in Arkansas.”

While there is currently no active search to fill the vacant spot, according to the airport manager, it would benefit the airport to be able to cast a wider net when the time comes. “We are not trying to recruit anybody outside the county,” said Suiter. “The change just gives us more options.”

Mayor Bill Johnson expressed approval of the revised

policy.

“This puts it in line with state law,” said Johnson.

Councilor Ramona Taylor sits on the Advertising and Promotion Commission.

She said the A& P also made a recent similar revision because of the shift at the state level.

“The A& P made the same change along with some other things because of the state,” said Taylor.

City Attorney Michael Stephenson indicated it was good for city council to hear about the changes, but advised the council to make it final after the state reorganizes its municipal codes. Senior City Clerk Cindy Green elaborated.

“We’ve been in a two-year process of updating our municipal codes,” said Green. “”We are in the final stages. It will update everything with state statutes.”

“We need to look into the airport policy,” said Stephenson. “We’d want to avoid duplication. We may not want to do this until the new state code is adopted.” City Council needed to hear the changes read three time before any change would be official and the timing seemed to all line up.

“If it is read three times that wouldn’t be until the last meeting of the year at the end of December and by then we should know if it necessary,” said Green.

By John Rech