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Terrell County commissioners have approved a lease allowing border construction contractor Fisher Industries to use part of the county airport as a staging area for its work on border infrastructure in the Big Bend region.
The agreement allows Fisher to lease about 20 acres at the Terrell County Airport for $10,000 a month. The property can be used for construction staging, including storage of fence panels and equipment, and the lease allows for the development of temporary worker housing if Fisher determines it is needed.
The airport itself will remain open, although the lease limits some uses of the property during construction.
The vote followed nearly two hours of public comment, with residents and others raising questions about the potential effects of bringing construction workers and equipment to the small community of Sanderson.
Concerns about public safety and costs
Terrell County Chief Deputy Manuel Jiménez told commissioners the county has enough deputies to handle its normal workload but does not have all of them available simultaneously.
He said additional workers and construction activity could bring more traffic and increase calls involving crashes, intoxicated driving, assaults, narcotics and other disturbances.
The county jail has seven beds, Jiménez said. When the county has to house inmates elsewhere, he said, the cost is about $64 per inmate per day, in addition to transportation and other expenses. Jiménez urged commissioners to consider whether the county has enough personnel and other resources to handle the additional activity.
Other speakers questioned whether the $10,000 monthly lease payment would cover potential costs to the county, including road maintenance, law enforcement, emergency services and other infrastructure needs.
Some residents also raised questions about water, utilities, security, liability and the process used to lease county property.
Supporters of the agreement said the lease would provide revenue to the county and argued that the border construction would bring economic activity to the area.
A competing vision for the airport
Before Thursday's vote, Brewster County businessman and professional aviator Billy Bartko had offered an alternative proposal for the airport.
Bartko proposed paying the county $10,000 a month to operate the airport himself, rather than having Fisher use part of the property for border construction.
He said he would seek to restore and expand airport services, including improvements to the runway, hangars, a fuel farm and other aviation services. He also proposed pursuing about $2.2 million in previously approved airport grant funding that he said had not been capitalized.
Bartko described the airport as a potential economic engine for the region, particularly for aviation and tourism.
“I see myself as uniquely qualified to offer that airport lease to turn an essentially rundown, neglected airport that offers no viable services to the flying public into a rehabbed, viable airport offering those services,” Bartko said.
Bartko also opposed using the airport as a staging area for border construction, saying the proposed Fisher lease would occupy 20 acres near the entrance to the airport and could affect the usefulness of the remainder of the property.
After the county approved the Fisher lease, Bartko said his competing proposal was no longer viable.
Border construction in Terrell County
Fisher Industries is involved in federal border infrastructure projects in the Big Bend region.
The company's work in Terrell County is part of the Big Bend 5 project, which calls for about 165 miles of vehicle barriers and associated patrol roads. The project is part of a much larger federal effort to construct border infrastructure across West Texas.
The Fisher airport lease refers to “fence panels and all other construction activities related to its border wall projects.” The lease does not specifically call for construction of a 30-foot steel wall at the airport. The Big Bend projects in this area are planned primarily as vehicle barriers.
The proposed worker housing has been another point of concern. Residents have questioned how many workers could eventually be housed at the airport and what effect that population could have on the small community.
During Thursday's meeting, some speakers cited concerns about crime, traffic, local businesses, tourism and the ability of the county's limited emergency services to respond to additional calls.
Other residents said temporary worker housing is a necessary part of large construction projects and that the county should benefit financially from the activity.
Commissioners approve the agreement
After public comment, Commissioner Adam Johnson said he had kept track of the people speaking from his constituency and concluded that support for the lease was substantial. He moved to enter into the Fisher lease, effective Sept. 24, 2026. Commissioner Adam Chavez seconded the motion. Commissioner Lupe Garcia also voted in favor.
Commissioner Ele Chris Hagelstein abstained because of his property interest, and Judge Dale Carruthers also abstained.
The motion therefore passed with three votes in favor, no votes against and two abstentions.
The approval ends the county's consideration of Bartko's competing airport proposal, while allowing Fisher Industries to begin using the leased property under the terms of the agreement.
