Ballinger hears plan for airport obstruction survey; state grant could cover ~90%

Council members heard an airport briefing about navigation infrastructure and grant funding options. An agency official explained that the airport's non-directional beacon (NDB) has been decertified and that the decertification affects instrument approaches at night: "if AirMed 1 needs to come in at night in the weather on Runway 36, they can't because the approach is gonna be certified because they need an updated destruction circuit." The official said TxDOT Aviation's regional coordinator recommended rolling an obstruction survey and airport update together to qualify for grant support.

The speaker gave a preliminary cost estimate and funding split: "we would bring $20,000 to the $200,000 project, and state would cover 90%." Council members discussed whether the project should be included in the budget and whether a budget amendment would be necessary; staff noted grant receipts and revenue accounting may require adjusting budget lines. The council did not record a formal vote on proceeding in the transcript.