Airport Authority

About

The New Hanover County Airport Authority

Number of members: 7 appointed by Board of County Commissioners

Terms of Office: 4 years – appointees may not serve more than two consecutive terms and cannot be reappointed until at least two years have expired since the end of their last term.

Meetings: Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month at 5:00pm in the Airport Terminal Conference Room.

Statute or cause creating Authority: General Statutes Chapter 404, Senate Bill 410; NHC Board of Commissioners approved expansion from 5 to 7 members on September 15, 2014.

Purpose: The Airport Authority constitutes a corporate and politic body that has the power and authority to: (1) purchase, acquire, establish, construct, own, control, lease, equip, improve, maintain, operate, and regulate the Airport for the use of airplanes, and other aircraft, and all facilities incidental to the operation of the Airport; (2) to purchase, acquire, own, hold, lease and/or operate real or personal property; (3) to acquire by purchase, lease, or otherwise and to hold lands for the purpose of constructing, maintaining or operating the Airport and to make contracts and lease agreements, to charge and collect fees, royalties, rents; (4) to make rules and regulations as necessary for the proper maintenance, use, operation and control of the airport or airport facilities owned, leased, or controlled by the Authority; (5) to provide penalties for violation of such rules and regulations; (6) to sell, lease, or dispose of any property, real or personal, belonging to the Airport Authority with sale of real property requiring approval of the County Commissioners; (7) to purchase insurance; (8) to deposit or invest and reinvest funds; and (9) to operate, own, lease, control, regulate, or grant to others the right to operate a business on the Airport premises, and to issue revenue bonds.

The Airport Authority shall make an annual report to the Board of Commissioners setting forth in detail the operations and transactions conducted by it. The Airport Authority employs persons whose services may be deemed necessary by the Airport Authority.

Vacancies will be listed here, on the New Hanover County website.

Members

Current MembersTerm / AppointmentExpiration
F. Spruill Thompson, Chairman
First 6/18/18
Second 6/20/22
6/30/22
6/30/26
Nick Rhodes, Jr., Vice-ChairmanFirst 6/15/206/30/24
Jason Thompson, SecretaryFirst 6/22/21 6/30/25
LeAnn Pierce, Vice-Chair of the County CommissionFirst 1/9/23Undesignated
W. Lee Williams
First 6/19/17
Second 6/22/21
6/30/21
6/30/25
Faison GibsonFirst 6/20/226/30/26
Wanda M. Copley
First 6/19/23
6/30/27

Meetings, Agendas, Minutes

The New Hanover County Airport Authority holds its monthly meeting each first Wednesday of the month in the Executive Conference Room at ILM at 5:00pm, unless otherwise noted in the meeting schedule. The current Fiscal Year’s meetings and agendas have been posted below. Minutes are approved by the Airport Authority in the month following the meeting and will be posted once approved.  For a complete archive of Airport Authority meeting notes, please visit NHC’s Website.


Review the 2024 meeting schedule (amended Jan 25, 2024)

Date of MeetingAgendaMinutes
1/18/23 (Notice of Work Session)Vision Plan 2023-2027
2/1/232023-02-01 Public Agenda2023-02-01 Minutes
3/1/232023-03-01 Public Agenda2023-03-01 Minutes
4/5/232023-04-05 Public Agenda2023-04-05 Minutes
4/19/23 (Special Meeting Notice)2023-04-19 Minutes
5/3/232023-05-03 Public Agenda2023-05-03 Minutes
6/7/232023-06-07 Public Agenda2023-06-07 Minutes
6/21/23 (Special Meeting Notice)2023-06-21 Minutes
7/12/232023-07-12 Public Agenda 2023-07-12 Minutes
9/6/232023-09-6 Public Agenda2023-09-06 Minutes
10/4/232023-10-04 Public Agenda2023-10-03 Minutes
11/8/232023-11-08 Public Agenda2023-11-08 Minutes
12/6/232023-12-06 Public Agenda
1/25/24 (Notice of Work Session)2024-01-25 Work Session Agenda
1/25/242024-01-25 Public Agenda
3/6/242024-03-06 Public Agenda