Lewiston agrees to pay guarantee to United Airlines

United Airlines flights between Lewiston and Denver will continue after the Lewiston City Council narrowly agreed to pay the airline a revenue guarantee.

The arrangement is spelled out in a contract that has been in the works since October and was approved Monday night by the council on a 4-3 vote, with Mayor Dan Johnson casting the tiebreaking vote in favor.

The contract is backdated to October 2023 and runs through September 2024. Lewiston could pay as much as $4 million from its general fund to help United turn a profit, but passenger loads on the route have been strong since October, according to airport officials, so the city’s payout might end up being closer to $1 million.

The council also passed a resolution voicing support for the Lewiston City Library that was brought forth by a group of self-described library fans. More than a dozen citizens commented in favor of the resolution — no one spoke in opposition — and the council passed it 5-1, with Councilor Jessica Klein voting against it.

The Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport secured United service to and from Denver in 2021, thanks in part to Nez Perce County providing $4 million to the airline. When that original contract lapsed, the airport looked to the city to provide the revenue guarantee this time.

Several airport officials and others spoke in favor of the agreement. Gary Peters, chairperson of the airport board, said keeping Denver service is crucial to continuing the Lewiston airport’s momentum. The transportation hub now flies to Denver, Salt Lake City and Seattle, after having only Salt Lake City flights five years ago.

“Think of this as a mosaic of tile,” Peters said. “You start to pull one out, those other routes are going to suffer. United leaves, fares will go up, people will drive north, and then you’re going to lose another route.”

Airport Director Michael Isaacs said the Lewiston-Denver flights have had an average capacity of about 83.5% since October. United hasn’t shared its invoices with the airport during that timeframe, but if the average passenger load is 85%, the guarantee payout would be $618,000, Isaacs said.

Council members Kassee Forsmann, John Spickelmire and Klein voted against the contract. Forsmann said the contract isn’t clear enough, Spickelmire is opposed to spending money that isn’t budgeted and Klein said Lewiston’s passengers should prove to United this is a viable route.

Voting in favor, but also with reservations, were Councilors Hannah Liedkie and Kathy Schroeder, and Council President Jim Kleeburg.

The 3-3 tie put the onus on Johnson, who only votes in the case of a tie. He voted yes, saying he supported the contract since the city’s obligation will likely be less than $4 million.

“I can tell you right now that we need our business community to step up to the plate,” Johnson said. “I don’t mean filling the airplanes up; they’re going to have to maybe open the checkbooks up and help provide subsidies for these things. That’s how it works, is the businesses get involved in these things too. It doesn’t have to be just the governments that take care of these things.”

The second-floor conference room was packed at the start of Monday night’s meeting, with many in attendance wanting to speak about the library resolution.

Mary Ann Funk, a retired Lewiston High School librarian and part of the group that brought the resolution forward, mentioned the measure has three parts: a brief history of public libraries in the United States; a mention of Idaho code, which says libraries are free to operate without direct supervision of the city council; and a statement of support for the Lewiston City Library board and its director.

Some councilors wondered if the resolution ran afoul of Idaho’s “harmful materials” bill, which was signed into law in April. The measure requires public and school libraries to have a form available to request that a material be moved to an adults-only section if the material is thought to include sexual content that is “harmful to minors,” which is defined in Idaho’s obscenity code.

Lynn Johnson, director of the Lewiston City Library, said her staff is working on a policy to address the new law. She said they want to “accurately” follow the measure, which was House Bill 710.

“The library staff greatly appreciates the support of this community,” Lynn Johnson said. “I believe this may have come whether 710 passed or not, because I think our community is aware there has been pressure the last three years on libraries. ... We have no intention trying to get around state law.”

Early in the meeting, Dan Johnson also read into the record proclamations that declared National Public Works Week and Emergency Medical Services Week.

Also, two members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars presented awards to Lewiston firefighters Mikael Leach, who was named VFW Paramedic of the Year, and Nick Stevens, who was named VFW Firefighter of the Year. Those awards cover the state of Idaho.

Baney may be contacted at mbaney@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2262. Follow him on X @MattBaney_Trib.