Airport Fee Hike Urged for Improvements

VENTURA COUNTY — Seeking to raise an extra $1 million a year to pay for major airport improvements, Ventura County officials are considering a proposal that could increase rental fees for some tenants as much as 70% at the county’s two commercial airports .

“We haven’t raised rents in 12 years,” said Rod Murphy, the county’s director of airports. “It’s time to make sure we are covering all of our operating expenses.”

The additional money is needed to replace worn out roofs, overhaul an outdated firefighting system, install new heating and air-conditioning equipment and pay for other projects, officials said. The combined annual budget of Oxnard and Camarillo airports is $3 million.

Although a partial rent increase was approved last month for airport tenants, many of the increases have yet to take effect. More importantly, officials said, the adjustments didn’t go far enough.

Before implementing any new increases however, airport officials said they plan to conduct a survey of 13 other comparably sized facilities such as the ones in Palm Springs, Van Nuys, Santa Barbara and Hawthorne. The survey will help establish the fair market value of rental space.

Channel Islands Aviation, the largest tenant at Camarillo Airport, could see its rent jump from $117,624 to $204,914 a month under the plan.