Tehachapi City Council Update

Bob Bakeman from the Tehachapi Moose Lodge appeared at the Aug. 7 City Council meeting to sell Mountain Festival Good Time Badges at gunpoint to council and audience members alike.

Police Chief Kent Kroeger and Mayor Ed Grimes honored members of the Tehachapi Police Department who responded to a shooting incident at Fastrip on June 19 in which a gunman fired shots at two cars. The responding officers safely apprehended the uncooperative suspect. Commended by the Chief were Officers Alejandro Barajas and Amy Smith and Technician Robin Mathiasen, from Dispatch. The third responding officer, Sgt. Amelia Thompson was unable to attend the council meeting.

Airport Entitlement Funds

Assistant City Manager Chris Kirk reminded the Council that Tehachapi Municipal Airport receives Federal Government entitlement funds each year through the FAA. The funds are to be used for capital improvement projects; specifically on projects that are included on the approved Capital Improvement Program (CIP) list. Funds can be held for a maximum of three years and used in the fourth before the funds must be returned to the FAA or transferred to another area airport. Tehachapi Airport has two years of expiring funds ($300,000) as they do not have a CIP in the planning stages.

The FAA approached Tehachapi with a request that they transfer their unused funds to the Bishop Airport in Inyo County to complete their apron rehabililtation project. Several members of the Tehachapi Society of Pilots objected to the proposal stating that Tehachapi still has one year to use half of the funds if they hurried up with a project. City Manager Greg Garrett reminded them that the funds can only be used for specific projects and, with no projects planned, $150,000 would barely scratch the surface of any project. He also reminded them that the last funded Capital Project, a diagonal taxiway, was turned down by the TSP as unnecessary. The Council finally voted 4-1 to transfer the funds to Bishop with Councilman Hetge voting "no".

Councilman Phil Smith said that he felt new lines of communication between the City and the TSP were in order and suggested the possible re-establishment of an airport committee.