By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa city council hosted their final regular meeting of the calendar year last night. The council discussed an amended and restated 28E agreement with the city of Pella for the South Central Regional Airport. 

The amended agreement was approved by the Pella city council earlier this month. City staff said the overall intent of the revised agreement is to reflect the Iowa Supreme Court ruling regarding the original 28E agreement and the subsequent withdrawal of Mahaska County from the agreement. The new agreement requires the SCRAA board to receive written approval from both the Pella city council and the Oskaloosa city council before proceeding with additional land acquisition or construction of the regional airport. It also includes changes to the frequency of SCRAA board meetings and the required number of representatives from each city.

The agreement was approved by a 4-3 vote by the council. Councilmember Charlie Comfort, who voted “no,” said he was listening to concerns from citizens about the transparency of the process and the overall desire for a regional airport, and that he believed the city should put the project behind them.

Councilmember Bob Drost was one of the four who voted “yes.” He said that his decision boiled down to the fact that the SCRAA must exist because it owns assets, and that keeping it alive meant keeping options open for the city.

Councilmembers Abu Ibrahim, Joe Caligiuri, and Janet Hermsen joined councilmember Drost in voting “yes,” while councilmembers Ronda Almond and Lisa Ossian were the other two dissenting votes, along with Comfort.

The council also agreed unanimously to appoint Randy DeGeest as interim city manager. The city will pay DeGeest $200 per hour with a minimum of 10 hours per week.