ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — On Tuesday the Ector County Commissioner's Court approved a language change in an appropriations bill that would allow $15 million to go towards the Odessa-Schlemeyer Field Airport.
The approval passed unanimously after the commissioners fielded questions about the agenda item.
The funding would be used for general improvements to the airport. However, the bill's original language specified the money could only be used for extending the runway.
Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett helped change the language of the bill in order to make the money more flexible and have more uses.
Should the bill pass, the $15 million will be spread out amongst various improvements, such as improving the runways and overall lighting.
"The community came back and said that that’s not what we want at the airport," Fawcett said. "So, in talks with the airport board, we’ve discussed that really what we could use this $15 million in funding for improving the taxi ways, for improving the runways and improving the overall lighting of the facility and the airport in general.”
While some questions were raised about the future of the airport, others had questions regarding what type of funds would be provided.
“The biggest concern is about the extension of the airport. This was something that has been a hot topic over the past two years and what do we want Schlemeyer Field to be," Fawcett said. "This is not federal funding so we need to put this to the side. This is state funding.”
Funding that will come not from Ector County, but as part of a state legislature bill.
"So currently right now it’s in the TxDOT aviation budget, so then this language change is actually going to be in the upcoming appropriations bill," Fawcett said.
Fawcett also said that this funding should not have any effect on the taxpayers of Ector County.
If this language remains on the bill and it passes, Ector County is hopeful they will get the money around mid-to-late April or May in order to begin making improvements.