KSA Aviation planner Michael Mitchell told the Winnsboro Economic Development Corporation on the board’s August meeting that federal and state grant rules limit what the city can expect for airport construction and that the town is currently ineligible for recurring federal Airport Improvement Program funds.

Michael Mitchell, planner with KSA Aviation, told the board “airports are funded through the Airport Improvement Program, based on their classification within the FAA’s system of airports,” and added, “you all get a $150,000 every year from the FAA through TxDOT” when an airport meets the FAA’s classification thresholds.

The nut of the issue, Mitchell said, is the FAA requirement that a general‑aviation airport have at least 10 based aircraft to keep that classification. According to the presentation, Winnsboro has seven based aircraft and was unclassified at the end of fiscal year 2024, which makes the town ineligible for the annual $150,000 AIP allocation until it is reclassified. Mitchell said reclassification requests are typically considered every two years.

That change affects what TxDOT is willing to support, Mitchell said. TxDOT has told KSA that, because existing infrastructure (taxiway, hangars, terminal) is on the airport’s west side, its funding preference is to support additional development on the west side. Mitchell said east‑side work is feasible but would likely require substantial local funding because state/federal grant support would be unlikely for east‑side development.

Mackenzie (city staff) briefed the board on related cost estimates and the next decision point. She said staff has asked KSA for a formal cost analysis of an east‑side development option and told the board: “So if EDC wants to move forward with getting that cost analysis done, I need them to understand that… the base level is we’re going to do it out there. We know it’s going to cost at least $10,000,000 in local funds and TxDOT is not going to fund that. We need to confirm whether you want to pay for the $10,000 cost analysis.”

Mitchell also described an automated weather observation system (AWOS) project that TxDOT will support through a 90/10 grant (90% state/federal, 10% local match) and said the AWOS and other maintenance work already under discussion could proceed while the classification issue is addressed. Board members asked clarifying questions about whether the church is on the east or west side, reclassification timing, and whether temporary steps could accelerate reclassification if the town reaches 10 based aircraft.

No formal motion or vote occurred on the cost analysis or on airport development during the meeting. Staff described grant eligibility and estimated local costs; the board agreed to discuss the matter further before committing funds.

For now, next steps recorded in the meeting transcript were: continue discussions with TxDOT and KSA, proceed with the AWOS grant application and maintenance items for which funding is available, and return to the EDC with a formal cost estimate and recommendation before the EDC decides whether to authorize the $10,000 study or pursue local funding for east‑side development.