George Mentz Elected by City Council Vote to Serve on the Colorado Springs Airport Commission

George Mentz Elected by City Council to Serve on the Colorado Springs Airport Commission

The Colorado Springs Airport, is about 1/2 the size of Manhattan in New York at 7,200 acres. The Colorado Springs Airport is city-owned & civil-military airport 6 miles SE of downtown Colorado Springs, in El Paso County, Colorado, USA, and the 2nd busiest commercial airport in the state after Denver. According to CDOT, COS Airport generates a combined impact of over $3.4 billion each year for the region with 1.6 million passengers per year.  

The city of Colorado Springs is about 195 square miles with El Paso County population at about 750,000 people with the largest or most populous county in Colorado, bigger than Denver County. Pursuant to City Code Section 14.1.101, the Airport Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the Mayor, the City Council and the City Planning Commission. The Airport Commission has 7 Members with 3 year terms. Peterson Space Force Base, which is located on the north side of runway 13/31, is a tenant of the airport.

Colorado Springs ranked number #1 in U.S. News and World Report’s “Most Desirable Places to Live” list for 2019 and ranked #2 in the nation in 2022. For the fourth straight year in 2022, Colorado Springs ranks 1st among all metro areas for “desirability” in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of Best Places to Live — the premier ranking index for cities. The second busiest airport in Colorado is the Colorado Springs Airport. Former AG/General and Mayor John Suthers is the leader of Colorado Springs and makes appointments to the Airport Advisory Commission where the City Council must review and confirm the nomination.

The City Council may appoint non-voting liaison members from various agencies and organizations. The Commissioners act on matters pertaining to land use, construction, planning or operation of the Colorado Springs Airport. Additionally, the Commission may act in an advisory capacity to the El Paso County Planning Commission and the El Paso Board of County Commissioners.