Jackson airport funding included in governor veto as trial over control set for June

• “I am not for giving your money away to any entity that has wasted millions on lawyer fees that could have been spent on infrastructure improvements – especially if that lawsuit is against the state of Mississippi,” Governor Tate Reeves said.

Governor Tate Reeves (R) partially vetoed a funding bill that included monies for the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority last week as a lawsuit over control of the state’s largest airport continues.

Reeves’ line-item veto of Senate Bill 2189, and the subsequent inaction of lawmakers to override the governor, means the $500,000 earmarked for “paying costs associated with matching funds for critical infrastructure repairs and other necessary upgrades” at the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport will not move forward this year.

The Jackson airport handles about 60% of Mississippi’s passenger flights.

In his veto message, the governor said the way the funding bill was presented was a “constitutional ruse,” arguing that SB 2189 is an appropriation bill, not a general bill, as the Legislature passed it off to be.

Governor Reeves went further in explaining his veto, writing on social media, “I am not for giving your money away to any entity that has wasted millions on lawyer fees that could have been spent on infrastructure improvements – especially if that lawsuit is against the state of Mississippi!”

While the governor did not specifically reference the Jackson airport in his post, the lawsuit between the airport authority and the state has been ongoing for a decade.

In 2016, the state attempted to create a new regional airport authority that was not solely controlled by capital city officials. Currently, Jackson’s mayor appoints members to the airport authority, and the city council confirms them. The 2016 law would change that practice, with authority members being appointed by state and regional leaders, including from Rankin and Madison counties.

The airport authority told Magnolia Tribune that it is “disappointed” in the governor’s veto, saying the projects planned at the Jackson airport exceed the vetoed $500,000.

In total, the authority is pursuing approximately $2.5 million in matching support for priority projects. Those projects include elevators and escalators modernization, HVAC systems upgrades, passenger boarding bridge improvements, utility infrastructure, outbound baggage system enhancements, terminal modernization planning and design, tower relocation planning, and runway 16L/34R seal coat and crack seal work.

“These investments are critical to maintaining safe, reliable, and efficient airport operations and consistently deliver strong returns through economic growth, operational sustainability, and improved system performance,” the authority said.

Governor Reeves did approve more than $1.3 million in state funding for other airports in the same funding bill. Those projects were for the Golden Triangle Regional Airport ($800,000 to pay costs associated with land acquisition), the Meridian Airport Authority ($400,000 to pay costs associated with construction of a terminal) and the Kosciusko-Attala County Airport ($140,000 for Ethel Rural Water Association to pay costs associated with construction of a new water line to the airport).

The case between Jackson’s airport authority and that state is set for trial to begin on June 15.