The Port commissioners don’t know what to do.

The Port Commission held a special meeting Thursday night to discuss the ongoing usage fee issue with its neighbors.

To an audience of over 20 people gathered in the small Port conference room, chair Garth Eimers announced no decisions would be made at the meeting. The majority of the crowd consisted of the Port’s neighboring pilots and property owners.

Eimers related the FAA recently released a new compliance manual that clarifies its position that residences on private properties adjacent to airports are incompatible with a FAA-funded airport.

The commissioners, now under threat of lawsuit from their neighbors if they take action to assess a fee, were divided in their views of what the Port should do.

Commissioner Alan Edwards expressed that they have been able to go for multiple years without submitting to the FAA’s request of assessing a fee and was hesitant to assess it.

“In these economic times why should we squeeze the little guys?” Edwards said.

Commissioner Ulanah McCoy encouraged the commission to investigate further the implications of separating from the FAA, pointing out that the commission has spent most recent discussion on assessing a usage fee, and not much time discussing their previously presented “Plan Y,” an approach that would move the Port to become financially independent.

Referring to a strategy where the Port would operate without help from the FAA, commissioner Steve Hopkins said, “We have a responsibility otherwise. There’s a lot of people on this island and they don’t want to see their taxes go up.”

Hopkins also referenced the necessary services the airport provides to all of Orcas including emergency medical transport and an alternate way of getting off the island during a disaster.

Hopkins considered the majority of islanders who have not been in attendance at the Port meetings but who would all be impacted if the Port was forced to collect all it is allocated from Orcas taxpayers.

Commissioner Bret Thurman called going it without the support of the FAA a “leap of faith” and characterized the Orcas community as one historically willing to support organizations in need.

“Hopefully, our neighbors will help us,” Thurman stated to the crowd. “If I have to choose fight the neighbors or fight the FAA, I choose the FAA.”

McCoy urged strategy from the Commission.

“Let’s come up with a vision of what we want- a healthy, thriving airport- and how we’re going to get there,” McCoy said.

The Commission stalled when faced with the possibility of financial independence. In addition to collecting more of the available tax, the Commission presented two ideas to help support the Port: acceptance of in-kind donations and leveraging the available property they own.

“If we go with the path of disconnecting from the FAA, we’re going to be scrounging for every nickel we can find,” Eimers said.

Eimers added the financial reality of operating without FAA funding would drive the Port to eventually charge an access fee for use of the airport anyway.

“Being a mediator, I would like to find a solution, and that includes the island. As a taxpayer, I would revolt,” said manager Bea vonTobel.

Members of the audience who announced their preparedness to sue the Port two weeks ago asked the Port to challenge the FAA policy, emphasized pilots are the best neighbors of an airport, and expressed willingness to support the Port.

Speaking for himself, Paul Vierthaler said he would rather donate funds to support the Port than pay a fee that was assessed.

“You have a lot of goodwill here and I think you’re very wise to use it,” Richard Bach said.