Durel Says Airport Tax Is About Economic Development — Lafayette Live

Lafayette City-Parish Council has approved putting the one cent airport tax to a vote of the people. Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel joined 'Nathan and Bernie in the Morning' for his weekly 'Lafayette Live' segment to discuss the tax, and what an improved Lafayette airport means to the region.

"Roads, infrastructure, parks and rec, and the airport are all THE priority; the airport is just the only one that can be fixed with a temporary tax," said Durel.

Durel cites census numbers that indicate Lafayette as the fastest growing major city in Louisiana as a major reason why Lafayette's airport must be improved.

"Our airport is at capacity and we see nothing in the future that would indicate things will start dropping," said Durel. "The airport is not about you or I getting to Disney World easier, this is about, in my opinion, economic development to the entire region."

The airport tax is not without its critics. Some have proposed a shared regional airport between major Louisiana cities. The shared airport would theoretically pool resources and allow for a bigger airport to be built that would serve more people. Durel however says a shared airport plan is not currently realistic.

The problem we have in Louisiana is because we’re such a sparsely populated state, we don’t have that density. The only way that would get done is with federal grants, and I don’t see that being realistically available. I don’t think we have enough people to justify the expenditures. - Joey Durel

To listen to the full audio from the interview, click the play button below: