Oct. 9—DEXTER — The Watertown International Airport is on track for some major improvements in the coming years, and Jefferson County officials are preparing the airport’s administration for the expanded responsibilities.
Legislators on the county’s Finance and Rules Committee moved last week to advance Local Law II of 2022, which would restructure the airport’s administration, eliminating the current airport manager position and instituting a director of aviation position in its place.
If approved, airport manager Grant W. Sussey, who has run the facility since 2013, would be appointed as the county’s first director of aviation in 2023. He would be paid $96,000 a year, a raise from the $77,955 the airport manager position is paid as of 2022.
The county operates the airport as a stand-alone department, with no tax money used to support it. Salaries and operational costs are covered by revenues generated at the airport and grants awarded to the facility by state and federal agencies.
County Administrator Robert F. Hagemann III said Mr. Sussey’s job scope has grown significantly since he was first hired, as the airport has grown in size and popularity, serving nearly 50,000 passengers arriving or departing in 2018. While passenger numbers have dipped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re expected to return to or surpass pre-pandemic levels within the year.
That expansion of responsibilities requires additional compensation in order to keep the airport attractive to skilled management, and Mr. Hagemann said the new position comes with some plans for when the airport will need a new director, and will better position the airport to attract qualified talent in the future.
“Nothing to do with the gentleman who is currently there, but at some point in time if he moves on, we need to recruit folks of his same caliber,” Mr. Hagemann said. “With the pay scale in place, it’s clear we would not attract the type of qualified candidates that would be required to oversee and operate the international airport as it stands today.”
A lot has changed at the airport over the last decade to make it much more popular, and more intensive to operate.
The airport’s fixed-base operations, essentially its private plane terminals that serve companies, individuals and even the military, is now managed by the airport directly after years under private operation.
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