Camarillo Assails County Over Airports Plan

Camarillo City Council members are accusing the county of using “back-room” politics to push forward a proposal that could allow the Camarillo and Oxnard airports to be sold or leased to a private firm to help generate revenues for the financially strapped county.

“My complaint is not against privatization,” Councilwoman Charlotte Craven said. “But I do hate to have this rushed through at the last minute and crammed down my throat. . . . When things are handled this way, it makes me very suspicious.”

At the council’s meeting Wednesday night, Craven and other officials said they were upset that Ventura County Airports Administrator Rodney L. Murphy had not informed them about his agency’s plans.

“This might be the greatest thing that has happened to the Camarillo Airport or it might be the worst--we don’t know,” Councilman Bill Liebmann said. “My concern is with the way this is being handled. . . . It’s the back room, backdoor, shove-it-down-your-throat attitude and approach that does not set with me well.”

Murphy announced last week to the city’s airport advisory committee about his plans to apply to a federal program that would allow for the sale or lease of the two county-run airports. He will make a formal presentation to the Board of Supervisors on the plan Nov. 4 The FAA will begin accepting applications for its program Dec. 1.

Murphy, Supervisor John F. Flynn and county Chief Administrative Officer Lin Koester traveled to Morristown, N.J., Wednesday to meet with officials there on how they privatized operations of their local airport.

“All of this was done before any of us knew anything about it,” Liebmann said.

If accepted into the federal pilot program, the FAA would grant the county an exemption to federal law that requires all airport revenues to be reinvested in airport operations. This would allow a private contractor to earn profits in investments and the county to support other programs with airport revenues.

Flynn said in a telephone interview from New Jersey Thursday that the county’s motivation to apply to the FAA program is to increase revenues because the state has siphoned away millions of dollars in local property money in recent years.

“That’s the reason I’m on a fact-finding mission here,” Flynn said, adding that three years ago 32% of the general fund came from property taxes--an amount that was reduced to 17% last year. “The revenue picture for Ventura County is gloomy--to say the least.”

It is exactly this financial motivation, however, that is making Camarillo officials skeptical.

“The driving force is financial because it will allow, through a lease or sale agreement, for funds for the airport to go to the county,” City Manager Bill Little said. “I’m not sure the FAA knows the full ramifications of this.”

Flynn agrees there are many unanswered questions about the FAA program and what it could mean for the future of the county’s two airports. He also said Camarillo officials should have been informed about Murphy’s proposal much earlier.

“I’m very concerned that a briefing was not done with the cities first,” Flynn said. “This is a mistake Rod has made . . . “

But Murphy said he felt it was premature to take the proposal to the cities. He plans to make a presentation to the Camarillo Airport Advisory Committee on Oct. 29 and the Ventura County Airport Authority on Oct. 30.

“We’re still getting together information for a presentation,” Murphy said.

Flynn said he has taken no position on the issue and will require the support of the cities and the communities before he proceeds with the FAA application process.