BURLINGTON — The Burlington City Council approved a 25-year airport lease extension for the Vermont Air National Guard on Monday night during a marathon meeting that was dominated by debate over the basing of F-35 fighter jets.
The measure, passed in a packed City Hall by a vote of 8-4, ensures that the air guard can be headquartered on 281 acres at the city-owned Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport until 2073.
All four Progressives on the council — Zoraya Hightower, P-Ward 1; Joe Magee, P-Ward 3; Gene Bergman, P-Ward 2 and Melo Grant, P-Central District — voted against the lease extension.
Opponents of the plan rallied outside City Hall near the start of the meeting. The rally was organized by Safe Landing BTV, a climate advocacy group focused on the Burlington airport. Many who took part in the outdoor rally then filed into Contois Auditorium in City Hall and implored the council to use the lease as a lever to stop the basing of F-35 jets at the airport, arguing that the planes made too much noise and emitted too many greenhouse gasses.
But those in favor of the lease extension set aside the impact of the jets and instead focused on the air guard itself, saying that it played a crucial role in the community, provided employment and helped with emergency response.
Proponents of the measure said it was necessary to secure military funding for the airport. Department of Defense regulations require more than 25 years remaining on a lease in order for projects on a base to be funded. According to a press release issued by Mayor Miro Weinberger’s office on Oct. 12, that requirement prompted the air guard to seek this extension.
The air guard said during a press event last week that $51 million could be made available for projects at the base.
Monday night’s public comment period ran for two hours and featured over 60 speakers, most weighing in on the lease extension proposal.
The council didn’t take up the proposal itself until 10:15 p.m. Its members would discuss the proposal for almost two hours.
Councilors first heard a defense of the extension offered by Gen. Gregory Knight, adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard; Col. Daniel Finnegan, wing commander of the Vermont Air National Guard; Burlington airport director Nic Longo; and Burlington Fire Chief Michael LaChance.
While their comments mostly focused on the role of the air guard in general and left out the subject of the F-35s, Finnegan did acknowledge the jets, offering some assurances that the air guard changes aircraft every several years, so the F-35s may not be a lasting presence.
Progressive councilors praised the role of the air guard but pushed back on the lease, seeking to use the opportunity to discuss the guard’s mission and F-35s.
“This is the one opportunity I have to make good on a promise that I made to my constituents and people across Chittenden County” to try to make a change on F-35s, said Magee.
Later, both Grant and Hightower questioned whether the lease extension needed to be a full 25 years. In response, Finnegan urged caution, saying any change to the lease language could derail federal funding. Despite that, Hightower introduced a motion to change the extension to five more years past 2048, but the motion failed, as did a motion Hightower made to postpone the lease vote to the next council meeting. Both motions fell by votes of 8-4.
Ben Traverse, D-Ward 5, pushed back on the five-year option, calling it “unrealistic.”
“If I felt it was a realistic option, that’s something that I would likely support,” Traverse said.
Hightower responded, saying that she was hearing from Democratic councilors that the council both lacks the power to change the mission but also has “devastating” power to disrupt the military funding.
“Both of those can’t be true,” Hightower said.
During the debate, Bergman said he wasn’t done talking about F-35s. He stated his intention to introduce a motion to change the mission of the air guard at a future meeting.
