Tensions between the Iberia Parish Council and members of the Iberia Parish Airport Commission, which oversees the Acadiana Regional Airport, are reaching new heights with a special meeting being called to oust IPAA Chairman Pat Norris from his position. 

The meeting comes after Norris, who has served for years as chairman of the airport authority, has been put in the spotlight following the IPAA’s decision to seek approval from the state legislature to form an independent airport district that would divest parish government authority from the airport. 

That bid was met with success this week after House Bill 613 passed the Louisiana House of Representatives and now heads to the Louisiana Senate for approval. However, Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, offered amendments to the bill during Monday’s House Transportation Committee meeting that effectively gave the Iberia Parish Council veto authority even if it is approved by the Legislature. 

With the fate of the future of the Acadiana Regional Airport at stake, defenders of the bill have argued converting government-controlled airports into independent authorities has been a nationwide trend that will give even more incentives for prospective airport tenants. 

Opponents, however, have decried the sudden move to create the district, with Parish President Larry Richard saying at Monday’s Transportation meeting that he had only known about the effort for five weeks. 

Although the decision to bring a bill to the Legislature for the airport was abrupt, Norris said when an opportunity came for the district to possibly make the shift to an independent district, the airport authority jumped on it.

The chairman for the IPAA said that he has been in talks with aviation officials and political representatives for years about the possibility of the airport authority taking the reins. 

“When we first learned about these districts about four years ago we started looking at it,” Norris said. “We’ve been researching and looking at how these districts work, but it was a last minute deal to get it written and filed in (this session).”

For Norris, the benefits of an independent airport as opposed to a parish-operated airport are numerous. Like the hospital district and fire district that both operate as independent parish districts, Norris said the airport district would give the Acadiana Regional Airport (and Lemaire Airport in Jeanerette) the competitive edge it needs to continue the growth it has been seeing in recent years. 

Norris contended that its creation will be beneficial to parish government as well, as all of the real estate at the ARA will still belong to parish government. The argument is that the ARA is already self-sufficient financially, and removing a level of bureaucracy for things like bids would simply increase the flexibility of the airport to work in an increasingly competitive industry. 

Going from a parish-owned airport to an independent airport is a trend that Norris said is happening all over the country, and the Louisiana Legislature is reviewing two other cases of airports in the state that are making the same moves as the IPAA. 

“This puts us on the same playing field,” Norris said. “It helps us with the FAA, and we’re seeing it just like the other independent entities like the hospital and the fire district in the parish.”

The suddenness of the decision has been met with controversy with many in the parish, however. When the bill was first discussed at the parish council earlier this month, several council members felt offended by the process, saying they had only learned about the move very recently.

The abruptness of the move has led to rumors that the independent district would allow the state government to have more of a hand in the success of the airport, or possibly even take over the airport, which Norris denied. 

“That’s not going to happen,” he said. 

When the bill went up for vote at the House Transportation Committee earlier this week, it seemed like a compromise had been reached by both sides. 

State Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, who sponsored the bill, introduced amendments to the creation of the airport district that would not only give the parish council authority over the appointments and terminations of commission members, but also a “veto” at the end of the legislative process. 

In other words, if the bill is approved by the Legislature it will still have to be approved by the parish council, and if the parish council rejects it then the deal is off. 

When a meeting was held last week regarding the amendments with members of the parish council, Beaullieu thought the compromise would get both sides on board with the creation of the district. However, the Transportation Committee still had Parish President Larry Richard and Councilwoman Lady Brown speak against the measure. Richard said at that meeting that the amendments were certainly better than the original bill, but there was still “a lot of work” that had to be done. 

Norris said he thought the veto and appointment power was a good compromise, and still hopes the amendments will be enough to get it approved. 

“I think the commission was very forthcoming in compromising with the parish,” he said. “If there’s going to be an airport district, (the parish council) have to approve it.”

Monday’s meeting, however, shows that there are still some concerns about the airport deal, and particularly about Norris. 

The special meeting was called with a rare single agenda item for the parish council: to consider the termination of Norris as a commission member of the Iberia Parish Airport Authority. 

“I got blindsided with it, I didn’t even know until someone called and told me about it,” Norris said.

A constant refrain from both sides has been to “take the politics out of” the airport’s affairs, but tensions seem to be at an all time high given the notice of the meeting. 

Norris, who has one term left on the airport commission and is up for reappointment later this year, admitted the tensions between the IPAA and IPC but added that everything he has done has been in complete accordance with the will of the airport authority. 

“Of course there’s friction between the commission and the administration, I guess they’re looking at me as a target, but I’m only doing what the commission wants and what they want me to do.”

Regardless of the results of Monday’s meeting, the council will still have to vote for the creation of the district following its passage from the Legislature. The bill passed the House Wednesday and is currently waiting on a vote from the Louisiana Senate.