Move to give property to Decorah Airport operator draws city council debate

The property in question is the blue square

Several Decorah City Council members on Monday night were unhappy about a plan to give airport property to Decorah Airport operator Mike Connell so he can build a $180,000 home at the airport.

The gift is backed by the Decorah Airport Commission, which says it's necessary to have the airport operator live at the airport.  They also pointed to a clause that would allow the Airport Commission to buy back the property if Connell stopped being the airport operator.

That clause started a heated argument among city council member,s however.  Council member Bill Wagner complained, "We'd be buying back land that we're giving away now."  City council members eventually agreed to deduct the appraised land value from any purchase settlement for the house itself.  That led to a discussion of how the value of the property would be determined in the future, since no one else could build on airport property.

City council member Tade Kerndt was also unhappy with the proposal, saying "the land's not worth zero" in response to the statements that no one else could build a home at the airport.

In the end Wagner and Kerndt were the only opponents of the idea and the property transfer passed by a 5-2 vote.