Authority question leaves Habersham Airport fundraising rules unresolved

A proposed path for handling fundraising events at Habersham County Airport remained unresolved after the Airport Commission’s Oct. 21, 2021, work session, when members discussing a committee for such requests were told the commission was not authorized to appoint it. The discussion shifted toward recommending action to the Habersham County Board of Commissioners and creating a policy for airport events more broadly.

The unanswered question affects more than the calendar at a county facility. A written policy could tell organizations whether and how they may seek permission to raise money at the airport, whether the airport itself would run the event, and which county body has responsibility for the arrangements. Without a documented final action, residents and applicants lack a recorded commission policy setting out that process.

The authority issue emerged after commissioners had begun pursuing an airport-led alternative. At a July 21, 2021, work session, the commission discussed having the airport sponsor events and donate the proceeds to organizations that asked for help. Members planned to form a committee at their next regular meeting to shape an event policy and have a liaison report to the Board of Commissioners. By October, however, the committee idea had encountered the stated limit on the commission’s power to appoint one, redirecting the conversation toward a Board recommendation and a general event policy.

Commissioners’ July discussion framed the airport as the potential sponsor of events, with proceeds then donated to requesting organizations. In October, members considered a committee that could address fundraising-event requests, but the minutes say they were told the Airport Commission could not appoint it. The alternative under discussion was for the commission to recommend action to the county Board of Commissioners while developing rules that would apply to all airport events; the minutes do not record a final position by the Board.

The airport-sponsored event model, the proposed committee and a broader events policy were discussion items, not documented completed actions. The October minutes confirm the authority concern, but they do not establish that another county body later created a committee, that a recommendation reached the Board of Commissioners or that the county adopted rules governing airport events and fundraising. The outcome for groups seeking to hold such events at the airport therefore remains unclear in the documented record.

The next concrete public step would be a later Airport Commission or Board of Commissioners record showing a recommendation, a policy vote or another decision on event and fundraising requests at Habersham County Airport. Still undecided in the documented proceedings is whether the county will use an airport-sponsored event process, place responsibility with an authorized committee or adopt another set of formal rules for organizations seeking to raise funds there.