Read and Oonsidened Response to Grand Jury Report Form Title: Sonoma County Airport: Addressing Challenges and

STS's current management resources are more appropriate for a general aviation or small commercial airport than for the medium sized passenger airport that Sonoma County Airport has become. The Department disagrees. STS is still categorized by FAA as a small commercial service airport. That said, Airport management acknowledges in generalthe need for additional staffing as operations grow. ln recent years, STS has added operations and information technology staff and is actively working with the County to secure further positions. A classification as "medium-sized" is not consistent with FAA definitions or comparable peer benchmarking. Nevertheless, staffing needs are continuously evaluated and aligned with service growth.

Sonoma County Airport's manatement is reactive rather than proactive due to inadequate resources and staffing. The Department disagrees. The Airport has demonstrated proactive planning, including early identification of runway rehabilitation needs (now a SS0 million project in coordination with FAA), implementing a $158 million capital improvement plan (ClP), and completing terminal modernization in advance of peak capacity. The ALP and CIP planning documents reflect proactive steps taken in line with limited funding and staff levels.

Sonoma County Airport projects compete with road repair, traffic management, purchasing and other projects for senior Public !nfrastructure Department leadership attention. The Department disagrees. Over 95% of capital funding for the Sonoma County Airport (STS) is derived from airport-specific revenue sources, including Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs), Airport lmprovement Program (AlP) grants, and Airport lnfrastructure Grants. Only a small portion of airport maintenance and repair projects require shared resources from the Public lnfrastructure Department, minimizing competition with non-airport projects. The Airport Manager reports directly to the Director of Public lnfrastructure and meets regularly to coordinate priorities. The department provides essential services as needed and maintenance resources when appropriate to ensure seamless operations and support for the airport.

Parking is the largest airport revenue source, but the absence of adequate parking on site is a material barrier to continued growth. The Department partially disagrees. Parking is a top priority. STS is actively pursuing a multi-phase plan: rate increases (effective July 2025) as a means to manage demand, design of a consolidated rental car facility (which will free up short-term and long-term parking), and development of two future long-term lots (Flightline parcel and Roads Yard parcel). While parking is constrained during peak demand, average occupancy data shows capacity remains viable in the near term. All identified solutions are in 2-3-year implementation Revised Jwe2022 Response to GJ Report Form windows. A parking structure was evaluated and determined not to be financially feasible due to the costs estimated to be in excess of SSO million. While parking capacity is an important component of airport access, it is important to note that airport offers a variety of alternative transportation options for passengers, including rideshare services, public transit via Sonoma and Mendocino Transit, SMART Train Shuttle, hotel shuttles, taxis and limousine services. These multimodal access options help mitigate potential constraints poised by limited parking and support the Airport's continued growth by offering flexible means of transportation for a broad range of travelers.