The Pitkin County electorate will get a vote this fall on the future of the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport as a petition submitted by an anti-expansion committee officially received enough signatures to allow a Nov. 5 ballot question.
The county Clerk and Recorder’s Office issued a “Statement of Sufficiency” for the Our Airport, Our Vote issue committee, the campaign arm of the group Citizens Against Bigger Planes, which opposes the county’s plans to widen the runway to provide access to aircraft with larger wingspans, on Wednesday.
The Clerk accepted 1,000 signatures of 1,203 submitted, healthily above the minimum 772 valid signatures — 5% of the Pitkin County electorate on the day of petition submission. To be considered valid, the signature must belong to a registered Pitkin County voter.
Of the 203 rejected signatures, the Clerk’s Office said the primary reason for denial was incorrect identifying information, such as an address listed with the petition signature did not match county voter rolls.
Chuck Butler, a founding member of CABP, said the news that the petition effort was successful isn’t a surprise.
“We felt very confident in where we were and how the people felt going in,” he said. “We’re very satisfied with how quickly [the county] turned it around.”
The heart of the debate is whether to widen the runway and create greater separation between it and the taxiway to allow access to the full breadth of Airport Design Group III aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration has said multiple times that it will not accept a new Airport Layout Plan, a planning document that helps guide federal funding decisions for the airport, without that wider separation.
County and airport officials support the separation, having sent an updated ALP to the FAA for consideration. They say modernizing the terminal and pursuing climate initiatives cannot be done without FAA funding and funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act — both of which have strict schedules on claiming funds.
Some community groups vehemently oppose the airport expansion, saying allowing wider-wingspan airplanes would doom community health and allow too much growth.
Aspen Fly Right, a nonprofit led by Rocky Mountain Institute founder Amory Lovins, claims the airport can fund its own improvements through revenue from the fixed-base operation that serves private aircraft and fuel sales. The group publishes ads and essays explaining their positions at aspenflyright.org.
The ballot question will ask voters to amend the Home Rule Charter, the county’s governing document, by officially defining “runway" and stripping the county of the authority to make any changes to the runway — including widening and separation — without voter approval.
Before the clerk’s office sends the ballot language to the Secretary of State for certification, the BOCC must fix the title of the election item. County Manager Jon Peacock said the responsibility to title ballot issues falls to the board by state statute.
County staff will bring title options to the board at a future meeting. Peacock estimated that first reading of the title will occur at the board’s Aug. 14 regular meeting. That would set u second reading and public comment for the Aug. 28 meeting.
If the issue committee objects to the chosen title, Peacock said he believes it could be remedied via the court system, which can move rapidly, ahead of the November election.
Our Airport, Our Vote will organize a campaign to promote a “yes” vote on the ballot issue with events, fundraisers, and a media campaign. The committee’s website will be live with a donation portal soon, if not by Thursday, Butler said.
The Community Coalition for a 21st Century Airport, a new group that supports the controversial airport projects, declined to comment. The group includes all five Pitkin County commissioners.