Rigby Airport managers tell Jefferson County commissioners they are responding to noise complaints, urge use of airport zoning

Bruce Walker Spaldy, the Rigby Airport manager, told Jefferson County commissioners that the airport has received several hostile complaints about aircraft allegedly buzzing homes and said volunteers and board members have documented the contacts and preserved reports for the county record.

Spaldy said the airport publishes a noise-abatement procedure in its chart supplement and posts signage at the runway; he said pilots are asked to follow a left‑hand traffic pattern and a departure heading designed to steer aircraft away from residential areas when possible. ‘‘We try as an airport community to monitor if there’s somebody unfamiliar with that,’’ Spaldy said, adding that most pilots comply and that intentional overflights are rare.

Michael Jenkins, a former airport board member who accompanied Spaldy, told the commissioners the airport had an updated master plan and has added hangars and additional land to stay ahead of development. Jenkins highlighted the airport’s local economic impact, citing historical figures presented in his remarks — roughly $7.2 million (1997), $18 million (2009) and about $11.5 million (2020) in regional economic output — and argued that the county should be proactive to prevent encroachment from new housing near the runway.

Commissioners and presenters discussed the Idaho Airport Zoning Act and local ordinances that regulate land uses around airports; Spaldy said Rigby adopted a local ordinance in 02/2016 and Jefferson County had adopted a similar ordinance to guide compatible development. He offered copies of the ordinances and the airport master plan for county review.

Several commissioners and attendees noted that some of the loud early‑morning complaints appear to come from crop‑duster operations rather than training flights, and attendees discussed the limits of local authority over aircraft operations, which are governed primarily by federal aviation regulations. Spaldy recommended that citizens and officials review published noise‑abatement guidance and that county staff keep copies of complaint records and any technical evidence (radar or flight‑track logs) submitted by residents.

The presentation concluded with the commission thanking the airport volunteers for their time and asking staff to retain the materials handed to the clerk.