JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi House has rejected a measure that would have allowed the state to issue bonds to finance a capital investment project at the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers Airport.
The Clarion-Ledger reported (https://on.thec-l.com/2l3DDrQ) that the project, which would build a heavy aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul facility, costs over $100 million. The project was expected to start in 2019 and last five years.
Rep. Jeff Smith, R-Columbus, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and the rejected bill’s author, said the project would have made the airport competitive and created 500 jobs.
“The airport needs modernization, it needs infrastructure…something that could encourage carriers like Southwest to come in,” Smith said.
In a House Ways and Means Committee meeting, Smith said a developer, whom he declined to name, had been in early talks with the Mississippi Development Authority about performing infrastructure upgrades to the airport, which has been in operation since 1963. No agreement had been made, Smith said.
A spokesman for the Mississippi Development Authority said the agency did not request the bill and had no knowledge of the legislation before it was submitted.
Wednesday was the deadline for the House and Senate to pass out revenue and appropriations bills originating in their own chamber. Smith attempted to introduce the bill on the floor, but House members - both Republican and Democrat - rejected the motion in a voice vote.
Oversight for the airport has been a source of contention at Mississippi’s statehouse. Although the airport is located in Rankin County, the city of Jackson purchased the land the airport sits on
Last year, Gov. Phil Bryant signed into law a measure creating a regional authority over the airport. The commission would replace the current Jackson authority whose seats are appointed by the mayor with a new nine member board. Under the new commission, five of the members would be from Jackson. Madison and Rankin County would be allotted one appointment each with the remaining slots to be filled by representatives from the Mississippi Development Authority and Mississippi National Guard.
Supporters of the measure have argued that more parties should be involved with oversight over the airport, citing other states that have regional authority set-ups. The move was blasted by many in the Jackson-Hinds delegation as a hostile takeover attempt. And detractors, including the city of Jackson, have fought back with litigation that remains pending.
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Information from: The Clarion-Ledger, https://www.clarionledger.com
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