We have been informed that meetings of the Request for Proposals (RFP) Committee, the county committee reviewing the three private companies' bids for the airport, are closed to the public, unlike the norm of committee meetings being open to the public. Meetings are being held in small and large groups around the county. Let us know if you would like someone knowledgeable about the airport proposals to come speak to your group.

Privatization

Background:
In November 2016, the County Executive made a proposal to the Board of Legislators to lease the airport for 40 years to Oaktree Capital. The proposal would have given the county $15 million dollars up front to fill an operating budget gap of the same amount, which has remained today. Spread over the course of 40 years, the county would have received approximately $150 million. The terms of the lease were unfavorable for the county, and the board of legislators hired Frasca, a consulting firm, to create an open bidding process.

Three bids from private companies were submitted to the county on July 28th. These include HPN Aviation Group (Oaktree Capital and Connor Capital's group), MIC Airports (Macquarie Infrastructure Corp), and Ferrostar Westchester Airport Partners (Ferrovial and Star America). Click here for more information about the privatizers. Three county legislators, Francis Corcoran, Benjamin Boykin, and MaryJane Shimsky, along with three members of the County Executive administration, who comprise the Request for Proposals Committee - RFP, will be evaluating the bids.

Requests under Freedom of Information Act by CRCA to see the documents related to the privatization process have been denied. The County Executive expects the committee to select a bid to present to the Board of Legislators by mid to late September. At an unspecified date afterwards, the Board of Legislators will vote on privatization. Check back here when we have information about the dates of the RFP Committee meetings, which are currently closed to the public.

Airport Master Plan

Background:
The last master plan was created in 1987 and all projects were largely completed. The county has consistently received federal funds for projects every year without any updates to its last master plan.

In 2012, the County Executive hired DY Consultants to create a new master plan for the airport, with plans for significant construction and expansion using Federal and County money. The master plan was hidden from public view except for one early meeting in 2013 attended by airport interests. Repeated requests under Freedom of Information Act starting in 2015 to see the plan by both reporters and by county legislators were denied. During this time, multiple drafts were submitted to the FAA, which needs to approve the plan in order to provide some federal funding for these projects. In 2017, it was discovered that the County Executive office had provided a copy of the master plan to the multiple companies bidding for the airport lease under the privatization proposal. Under pressure, the County Executive office released the airport master plan in May 2017. On July 27, 2017, the County Executive office finally held a public hearing on the plan. It was well attended by more than 200 people. 

* The County Executive expects a vote to happen on the airport master plan in Nov 2017, and will hold no further public hearings or any Q&A.

* Learn more about the July 27 public hearing by reading WestFair's article, "Residents rip proposed airport master plan for Westchester County Airport". 
* Learn more about the issues regarding lack of public input into this plan by reading Journal News' Aug 3 article. 

* Please contact each county legislator today, to urge them to oppose both privatization and the airport master plan. 

Residents must take action now to prevent expansion of the airport. We need to demand public input and review of any privatization deal to prevent environmental harm and the loss of accountability at the airport.

Not only is the Westchester County Board of Legislators considering bids to privatize Westchester County Airport, but the final draft of the airport master plan calls for a dramatic expansion in airport traffic. If the airport is privatized, this may be citizens’ last chance to guide the future of the airport.

The airport master plan calls for dramatic expansion

·       Predicts a 68% increase in airline flights on large jets by 2032 by ignoring laws that limit airline traffic.[1]

·       Calls for a 50% increase in overnight parking for airliners to facilitate more early morning departures.[2]

·       Reserves space next to the terminal for “future modernization”[3] and recommends adding two gates.[4]

·       Calls for $153 million in public funds to build and renovate facilities for corporate jets.

·       Calls for $49.5 million in public funds to build two new parking garages next to the airline terminal with about 1700 spaces[5]

Privatization will cause harmful conflicts of interest and may cause a loss of accountability

• Privatization will incentivize the county to maximize profits at the airport, perhaps by increasing traffic, decreasing security, or decreasing environmental protections. The county could change laws to accommodate a private operator.
• Privatization may fundamentally change the relationship between the airport and the community. Depending on the terms of the lease, the next 30-40 years of decisions at the airport could be made in private rather than being subject to regular and continuing public oversight.
• The private operator will maximize profits, perhaps at the expense of the community. Regulatory oversight of for-profit enterprises is difficult and prone to cheating, as we saw in the financial crisis.

Privatization will likely accelerate expansion and cause increased noise

• Current law restricts airlines to 240 passengers and 4 arrivals or departures per half hour, but airlines could schedule 2.6x the number of flights today without any change in the law.
• There are no constraints on the number of private flights. These flights account for 85-90%[6] of airport operations and most noise complaints and curfew violations.[7]
• The easiest way to profits is by increasing aircraft traffic. Private operators want to make “capacity enhancing capital expenditures” to realize at least 9-11% returns on our “underutilized” airport.[8] [9]
• Private traffic could shift to Westchester from Teterboro Airport in NJ, which has strict noise restrictions that we do not have.[10] If all of the flights at Teterboro came to Westchester, we would have double the flights we have today.[11]
• Expansion will increase aircraft noise, air pollution, motor vehicle traffic, and the threat of contamination of groundwater and of the Kensico Reservoir.

Privatization may threaten our drinking water and put the county at financial risk

• Some stormwater from the airport flows into the Kensico Reservoir, which supplies 90% of the water in NYC and much of Westchester. Over 9 million people get their drinking water from the reservoir, which is not filtered before it is delivered to taps.[12] Under county control, millions have been spent to minimize and monitor the flow of airport stormwater into the Kensico Reservoir.
• A filtration plant to deal with contamination of the Kensico Reservoir could cost over $12 billion. The potential proceeds from privatization are insignificant by comparison.
• The private operator is required to maintain only $5 million per incident and $10 million total of pollution insurance.[13] This is inadequate to clean up a chemical or fuel spill into the Kensico Reservoir.