The Boulder airport gets free land, utilities, and grounds maintenance from the city. The 179 acres of our public land that are currently locked up as an airport are a HUGE taxpayer subsidy to a very small number of aviation enthusiasts.

Besides the direct costs, there are also opportunity costs. The city is foregoing revenues from homes and businesses that would be located on the property if the airport weren’t there (e.g. property tax, sales tax). 

The Boulder airport gets capital improvement grant funding from the FAA and Congress via FAA Reauthorizations (taxpayer subsidies).

Boulder airport would not function without these taxpayer subsidies. The tiny amount of users and businesses located there now do not pay their own way.