County OK’s $150K for airport

Marathon County supervisors on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of a proposal to give the Central Wisconsin Airport $150,000 next year in order to attract airlines that may initially struggle to make money when introducing new routes at the Mosinee facility.

A motion to include the $150,000 contribution in the 2026 budget passed on a vote of 31-5, with the most vocal opposition coming from a couple of supervisors who were opposed to committing money for the airport without knowing how much money the county will have available for other programs and services next year.

CWA’s plan is to match funding from Marathon and Portage counties, which jointly own the airport, with contributions from area businesses and foundations to create a $500,000 regional aviation development fund. This fund will be used to offer Minimum Revenue Guarantees (MRGs) to airlines in case their ticket sales do not initially cover their expenses.

County administrator Lance Leonhard said Tuesday’s motion directs him to include the $150,000 in his budget proposal to the board in September, but it does not actually obligate the county to spend the money at this point. The funding could still be removed from the 2026 budget as the result of an amendment, he noted.

Supervisor Ann Lemmer, who voted against the proposal at two committee meetings, questioned how the county board could be asked to commit funds for the CWA when it hasn’t even set its formal budget priorities for next year.

“If this were to be prioritized, you do not have any idea where it would come from in the budget and what might be a tradeoff at this point in time, is that correct?” she asked Leonhard.

Leonhard said the money could come from a number of different revenue streams, mentioning the county sales tax as one possibility.

At last week’s educational meeting, Lemmer said she took notice of a slide in a 2026 budget presentation that mentioned the uncertainty surrounding state and federal funding for programs that impact county agencies.

“If these cuts to SNAP and Medicaid go through, there will be ripple effects to some of these departments,” she said. “I’m concerned that we are prioritizing this funding over people.”

Supervisor Tom Rosenberg pointed out that CWA already has an incentive program for air carriers to add new flights, offering reduced charges and 24-month waivers of landing fees. He believes it should be up to the carriers themselves to take on the financial risks of adding services, not taxpayers.

“I have no interest in subsidizing discount air carriers flying to vacation destinations, and I don’t think, generally speaking, that the taxpayers of Marathon County will be either,” he said.

Rosenberg called CWA’s request an “end-around” of the county’s normal budgeting process, as it asks supervisors to endorse the airport’s proposal before other county departments have had a chance to make their own requests.

“The MRG should be discussed and evaluated in competition with other interests,” he said.

Supervisor Chris Dickinson, chair of the airport board, said he appreciates the “persistence” shown by Lemmer and Rosenberg in questioning this budget request, but he planned on “vehemently” supporting the proposal.

“I would hope they, and every supervisor, are as persistent on every line item in the 2026 budget as what’s happening right now, because it hasn’t happened in the past, but it probably won’t happen in the future,” he said. “To me, this is a nobrainer decision. We have tremendous leadership at the airport. This is what is necessary for our airport, which meets our strategic plan goals. It’s for our residents, it’s for our businesses, it’s for our entire community.”

Supervisor John Robinson said he too supports the contribution as a way of helping out the county’s airport, noting that the county’s willingness to chip in will make it easier for CWA officials to get matching funds from other sources.

In talking with Dave Eckmann, director of the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce, Robinson said he realizes that reliable air service is important for attracting talent to the area.

“I understand that we have competing needs, but we also need to make commitments to our existing infrastructure and make sure we address the needs of the business community,” he said last Thursday.

In response to the concerns raised by Lemmer and Rosenberg, Robinson initially offered an amendment that would have made the county’s $150,000 contribution contingent on matching funds from Portage County and the business community, but he withdrew it after realizing that the MRG program would not likely go forward at all if the full $500,000 could not be raised.

Brian Grefe, director of the CWA, said seeking money from the two counties who own the airport is the “logical first step” in trying to build a regional aviation fund.

“Once that funding is secured, it makes the conversations with the different foundations a lot easier,” he said last Thursday.

Board chairman Kurt Gibbs said the county’s contribution to CWA is not unprecedented, as the board previously approved funds to draw in Avelo Airlines and also matched funds from private entities for the new regional forensic science center and the therapeutic pool in Wausau (Avelo discontinued flights last year as part of an overall pull out from the Midwest market.)

Because CWA is co-owned by the county, Gibbs said “we are ultimately responsible for its success or failure.”

Dickinson said the revenue-guarantee program is not just about bringing it a low-cost carrier for vacations, as the long-term goal is to re-establish a legacy carrier that provides regular flights to Detroit for business travelers. In supporting this proposal, Dickinsin said he has “tremendous faith” in the officials running the airport.

“They have done great things there,” he said. “I think this is just another step in the things they’re doing and I think we should move forward with it.”