Tekoa adjusts rate for airport landings

The City of Tekoa voted on April 17 to adjust its rate for planes landing at the Tekoa Airport. A previous $100 per day charge to any owner landing planes at the city-owned site was adjusted to $100 per day per plane.

The rate mainly affects ag plane companies.

The weight carried by an ag plane causes more wear and tear on the runways.

This particular year has seen an increase in ag plane spraying in the county as wet fields delayed farmers from using ground implements.

“The change is rather than saying an outfit with three planes should pay the same rate as an outfit with one,” said Roy Schulz, Tekoa city councilman and overseer of the airport. “He's landing three times as much as one plane.” The early spring is a busy time of year for ag planes as a top dressing of fertilizer is put down.

The matter came up earlier this year when the Tekoa City Council went through city codes.