Cobb Airport May Get Customs Agent
Currently, if a private plane flies into the area from outside the country, it is not allowed to land at McCollum.
Hiring a customs agent for Cobb County's airport is on the agenda for the Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has notified the county that Cobb County Airport-McCollum Field is eligible for inclusion in the User Fee Aiport Program.
Such airports receive, for a fee, customs services to process aircraft, passengers and cargo entering the country.
If approved, a full-time customs officer will be stationed at McCollum. The county will have to reimburse CBP $140,874 for the first year and $123,438 for succeeding years.
Commissioner Bob Ott, who is a nonvoting member of the Airport Advisory Board, told the Marietta Daily Journal that the lack of a customs agent has kept the airport from maximizing its potential.
Right now, if a private plane flies into the area from outside the country, it isn't allowed to land at McCollum.
“There’s a segment of the aviation population that we’ve been missing out on,” Ott told the MDJ.
The commissioners will also take a look at the airport's five-year capital improvements plan.
The meeting, under a holiday schedule, starts at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the government building at 100 Cherokee St.