A state bill to create an authority to oversee a south suburban airport in unincorporated Will County near Peotone is part of a "battle for control" between Will County and the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission, said Rick Bryant, ALNAC executive director.
State Rep. Brent Hassert, R-Romeoville, introduced a bill to the 95th General Assembly Feb. 28 to create "the South Suburban Airport Authority Act." The bill was assigned to an executive committee March 1.
The airport authority would oversee the facility and guide planning, said State Sen. Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete.
"Everybody understands the necessity to put together an authority," Halvorson said, adding that it's important to move the project along.
"Will County gives out all the permits, makes all major decisions and they have to be part of the process," she said.
However, Bryant, who also is a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., said an airport authority is unnecessary because ALNAC would fill this role.
"We already have an authority to oversee construction of (an) airport in Will County. It's chaired by University Park Mayor Al McCowan," Bryant said. "Our commission also has airport layout plans submitted to the state of Illinois, plus a commitment from two private developers to finance the $300 million inaugural airport."
The Illinois Department of Transportation submitted its plan and a plan from ALNAC for the proposed airport in February, but the Federal Aviation Administration requested that IDOT choose one plan to submit.
An airport authority could help better guide IDOT with this request, Halvorson said.
"If we had some sort of authority in place, that would be a whole lot of help to IDOT and that's what we need to do," she said.
Matt Ryan, chief of staff to Will County Executive Larry Walsh, said his office is working closely with legislators to create legislation for an airport authority.
"Our fundamental premise is that a majority of the airport authority members need to be Will County residents because the airport is located entirely within Will County and most of it is within unincorporated Will County," he said, adding that the authority also will give representation to southern Cook County, Kankakee County and mayors near the airport.
"We want to make sure everyone has representation," Ryan said, "but we feel we need a majority to adequately protect Will County residents' interests."
