(a) The executive director is authorized to cooperate with the government of the United States or any agency or department thereof in the acquisition, construction, improvement, maintenance and operation of airports, heliports, landing fields and other aeronautical facilities in this state where federal financial aid is received and to comply with the provisions of the laws of the United States and any regulations made thereunder for the expenditure of federal moneys upon such airports, heliports and facilities. The executive director is authorized to accept, receive and receipt for federal or other moneys for and on behalf of this state or any political subdivision thereof for the acquisition, construction, improvement, maintenance and operation of facilities within this state. All moneys accepted for disbursement by the executive director pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited in the state treasury and disbursed in accordance with the provisions of the respective grants.

(b) Any municipality is authorized to accept, receive and receipt for federal moneys and other moneys, either public or private, for the acquisition, construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance, equipment or operation of airports and other air navigation facilities and sites therefor and to comply with the provisions of the laws of the United States and any rules and regulations made thereunder for the expenditure of federal moneys upon such airports and facilities. No municipality shall submit to the administrator of civil aeronautics of the United States any project application under the provisions of Section 9(a) of Public Law 377, 79th Congress, or any amendment thereof, unless the project and the project application have been approved by the executive director.

(c) Any municipality is authorized to designate by ordinance the executive director as its agent to accept, receive and receipt for federal moneys in its behalf for airport purposes and to contract for the acquisition, construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance, equipment or operation of such airports or other air navigation facilities, and may enter into an agreement with the executive director prescribing the terms and conditions of such agency in accordance with federal laws, rules and regulations and applicable laws of this state. Such moneys as are paid by the United States government shall be paid to such municipality under such terms and conditions as may be imposed by the United States in making such grant.

(d) All contracts for the acquisition, construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance, equipment or operation of airports or other air navigation facilities, made by the municipality itself or through the executive director, shall be made pursuant to the laws of this state governing the making of like contracts; provided, where such acquisition, construction, improvement, enlargement, maintenance, equipment or operation is financed wholly or partly with federal moneys, the municipality, or the executive director as its agent, may let contracts in the manner prescribed by the federal authorities, acting under the laws of the United States, and any rules or regulations made thereunder, notwithstanding any other state law to the contrary.

(e) The executive director may render financial assistance by grant of funds to any municipality or municipalities acting jointly in the planning, acquisition, construction or improvement of an airport owned or controlled, or to be owned or controlled, by such municipality or municipalities, out of appropriations made by the General Assembly for such purposes. Such financial assistance may be furnished in connection with federal or other financial aid for the same purposes for not more than seventy-five per cent of the cost exclusive of federal aid. The executive director may establish procedures to be followed in granting funds under this subsection and may prescribe forms to be used in connection therewith.

(f) The executive director may, whenever the executive director considers such assistance desirable or feasible, make available engineering and other technical services of the executive director, with or without charge, to any municipality or owner of a commercial airport requesting such services in connection with the planning, acquisition, construction, improvement, maintenance or operation of airports or aeronautical facilities.

(g) Any town, city or borough may lease any airport or contract for any airport facilities or privileges from any person, firm or corporation, municipal or private, operating a municipal or private airport in any location which has been approved by the executive director.

(1969, P.A. 768, S. 45; P.A. 77-472; P.A. 85-262, S. 4; 85-427, S. 4; P.A. 10-32, S. 41; P.A. 15-192, S. 21.)

History: P.A. 77-472 provided for application of authorized assistance to owners of commercial airports in Subsec. (f); P.A. 85-262 extended the provisions of this section to heliports; P.A. 85-427 amended Subsec. (e) by limiting the amount the commissioner may grant municipalities to no more than 75% of the cost exclusive of federal aid, where previously amount was calculated on 75% state share and 25% local share matching basis; P.A. 10-32 made a technical change in Subsec. (a), effective May 10, 2010; P.A. 15-192 replaced references to commissioner and department with references to executive director and, in Subsec. (e), replaced provision re regulations with provision re procedures, effective July 2, 2015.

Cited. 201 C. 700.