thanks Jim for reminding me – the airport report, released in March, is a must-read.
http://www.chico.ca.us/airport/documents/AirlineFeasibiltyCommitteeReport3-3-15.pdf
Read it and ask yourself why we need to spend money on another survey. Katie Simmons of Chico Chamber wants a survey “of who uses the airport and where they fly”, and then she wants the city to guarantee the airline over $3 million in revenues, meaning, if they don’t sell tickets, the taxpayers pay. For roughly 60 people who fly regularly. Many of the businesses in the survey suggested they’d be as happy to use a ground shuttle to Sacramento Airport if shuttle tickets were priced more reasonably. The shuttle currently charges $60, one way. Respondents said they’d be willing to pay $35. Most respondents expressed total disinterest in paying for any kind of study. Simmons is demanding the taxpayers pay for it.
Read it yourself. There’s an airport commission meeting scheduled for July 28.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
The City is currently paying a consultant called AvPorts up to $190,000 in the HOPE of getting new airline service.
The airline business has changed and smaller airports like Chico just aren’t profitable anymore. No amount of surveys or paying consultants is going to change this reality.
That money could be better spent on public safety.
Thanks for doing the legwork Jim – I couldn’t remember that figure, and had just begun searching agendas for reports etc, hadn’t found it yet.
That’s OUTRAGEOUS.
I’d like to see more $25,000 – 40,000 workers in the park and elsewhere. CARD has also laid off all their lower level workers in favor of contractors who don’t have enough employees to require Obamacare. So maintenance at all our parks and playgrounds has gotten put on the back burner. I think the state the park is in allows more criminals to hide out in there, use the park to traverse town from one crime to the next, so I’d say, that’s a Public Safety issue.
Why should tax payers have to pay tens of thousands of dollars for yet another “survey.” These surveys are really white papers on how to con the sheeple into more spending and taxes.
Why should tax payers have to subsidize airline service? If there is a market for airline service the airlines will be here, if there isn’t they won’t.
The truth is the Chico chamber is just another special interest group out to stick it to the taxpayers.
Yes – Katie Simmons’ salary is paid by the city of Chico every year in those community block funding grants.
Yes – Katie Simmons’ salary is paid by the city of Chico every year in those community block funding grants.
I did not know this.
So the Chamber of Commerce is subsidized by the tax suckers? It is really the Chamber of Government Cronyism?
That explains a lot, like why Lando is on their board.
And it also explains why the chamber will support the upcoming sales tax increase.
Yeah, the Chamber gets a ton of money out of the city. Yep, it explains a lot of stuff!
“These surveys are really white papers on how to con the sheeple into more spending and taxes.”
Yeah, same with CARD. You’re right – if there’s a market for airline service – or an aquatic center – let them pay for it.