WILKES-BARRE — The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is asking Luzerne County Council to approve a new partnership agreement with Lackawanna County to avoid losing Federal Aviation Administration funds.

“I urge the Luzerne County Council to adopt this agreement on Oct. 28 for the following reasons. The FAA has informed us that the grant funds are at risk if this is not done very soon,” airport Assistant Director BJ Teichman said at Tuesday’s council meeting. “Currently our airport has approximately $21.3 million in anticipated grant funds over the next several years for very important projects. Our goal is to maintain the current function of the airport board as it works today, and finalizing this agreement is largely cleanup to meet the FAA requirements.”

Luzerne County officials expressed various concerns with the proposed agreement and noted Lackawanna County’s unwillingness to provide funding to pay law enforcement officers at the airport. Luzerne County is providing $144,000 this year to pay the officers, Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith said.

“I thought in the past we had an equal partnership, but apparently we didn’t,” Council Vice Chairman Brian Thornton said. “Nobody in the private sector would go into partnership with someone as an equal, 50-50, if you know for a fact, they can’t pay their share of expenses.”

The counties signed an agreement in 1968 to share ownership of the airport, which is in Pittston Twp. in Luzerne County and is known as AVP because of its proximity to Avoca. The airport has an Avoca mailing address.

“It is my understanding that in order to receive federal aviation grant funds, it has to be under the name of one sponsor to receive and sign for grant funds as opposed to two different counties,” Teichman said.

Luzerne County officials suggested they may be willing to accept sole ownership of the airport — an option not supported during initial discussions about a new partnership agreement in 2022 when Randy Robertston was Luzerne County manager.

“I can tell you at the time when the initial discussions were made, Luzerne County was not in a position to say we could be the lead,” County Manager Romilda Crocamo said. “I am very happy to say that we are now, and that is an option that council needs to consider.”

Council members and Solicitor Harry Skene said they would like more details in a new partnership agreement with Lackawanna County.

“I understand the urgency, but I’d rather take our time and hammer out a little bit more of a firmer agreement, than just a bare-bones, bare-knuckles agreement,” Councilman Jimmy Sabatino said.

Council Chairman John Lombardo asked Teichman if there was “a drop dead date” for approving a new partnership agreement.

“There is. We really need to have it wrapped up before the end of the year,” Teichman replied. “Jan. 1 is when the date is that we need to have it completed by. I wouldn’t go beyond January because that sends us into fiscal year 2026 for grant funding.”

Skene said he wants to “iron everything out in advance” in a new partnership agreement to avoid potential problems that could result in litigation.

“So we know what it’s going to be, rather than just quickly signing it and then having to litigate it if we have a problem in the future,” Skene said.

Sabatino referenced litigation between the two counties over the 2010 sale of the region’s Triple-A baseball franchise to SWB Yankees LLC. Luzerne County sought $7.3 million, half of the proceeds, and agreed to a settlement in 2017 for $4 million with $3 million going to a fund for stadium repairs at PNC Field in Moosic.

“And that didn’t end as well for Luzerne County as it should have,” Sabatino said. “So if once bitten, twice shy, we need to protect ourselves. So we need to take the steps to protect ourselves now, instead of trying to litigate it later.”

Crocamo said the proposed partnership agreement needs “specific terms” for the possibility of the airport ending operations.

“We hope the airport survives all of us. It’s a wonderful asset in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Crocamo said. “We would just like to have something carved out should something happen. But we also I think are in a position right now in Luzerne County to say, yes, we could be the lead County.”

Thornton added he’s concerned Lackawanna County won’t contribute to pay for unanticipated costs if there’s an emergency situation at the airport.

“We can’t foresee what might happen in the future,” Thornton said. “These are all things that should be ironed out before tonight. I hate getting cornered in a corner, my back against the wall. Here it is in two weeks, you got to vote on it, or else. This has happened to us in the past here several times, and I just don’t like it.”

Councilman Kevin Lescavage asked Teichman if parking ticket revenue could be used to pay for law enforcement officers. Teichman said she “can find out” if that’s an option and noted the airport contributes $60,000 from its budget to pay for law enforcement officers.

Griffith said Luzerne County is still paying “the lion’s share” of the cost for law enforcement officers at the airport.

“So the concern that I have is everybody comes to Luzerne County with gun to our head and says, hey, you guys have to act, or it’s going to be curtains for everybody,” Griffith said. “How about we do that once? … We’re going to get into a partnership with somebody with no money, and that makes no sense to me. They can’t come up with half of $12,000 a month.”

Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan said law enforcement officers don’t need to be at the airport because the airport spends $500,000 a year on a security force. Security guards can’t arrest anyone but can detain people and call local police for arrests, Gaughan said.

“I don’t understand the controversy,” Gaughan said of Luzerne County’s concerns with the proposed partnership agreement. “It makes sense to stick with what we’ve been doing since the 50s.”