NoCo airport commission wants more customs information

LOVELAND — The topic of a proposed new customs office at the Northern Colorado Regional Airport could soon be in front of local city councils. At its monthly meeting June 16, the NCRA commission directed staff to begin seriously exploring the plan in preparation for a future vote on the topic.

Presenters at the commission meeting spoke to the importance of adding a U.S. Customs and Border Protection office to offer services to companies that do business internationally. Fort Collins Mayor Jeni Arndt, who serves on the board, was enthusiastic about the prospect of adding a customs office to the airport.

“I don’t see how we can not do it,” Arndt said.

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The customs office was proposed by staff from Discovery Air Charter Inc., with the thought of collaborating with the airport in a public-private partnership. Discovery Air has already allocated space to host the office, which could reduce capital costs for the project. The partnership is proposed to last for five years, at which point the project will either be self-sustaining or abandoned.

The funds required for the customs office represent around 13% of the airport’s annual operating budget, at $200,000 annually. The funds would go toward customs officers’ salaries.

Currently, local businesses need to go through customs at other airports before bringing in international flights to the area.

The commission also directed staff to produce more information about land parcels to determine which areas are right for development. The airport is hoping to bring in more outside partners, and aims to develop new T-hangars to store private aircraft.

Also discussed at the meeting was the audit completed for the airport’s financial statements for 2021. The commission voted unanimously to accept the audit. The commission also voted unanimously in favor of opening a new position for a business services technician to ease workloads for employees.

Two agenda items were pushed to later meetings, the Business Assistance Program Report and the opportunity for commissioners to bring new business.