Mayor Paul Winfield and North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield OK’d giving the Vicksburg-Tallulah Regional Airport an additional $25,000 on Tuesday to help the struggling airport pay its bills in the remainder of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.

South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman cast the lone vote against increasing Vicksburg’s contribution toward the airport’s operating expenses to $54,889.79, up from $29,889.79.

“This isn’t a budget amendment like we usually do. Our amendments have to be in our budget; they are dollars that we have, and amending their budget causes us to pay out more money,” Beauman said. “I’m just not supportive of that.”

Vicksburg is one of four municipal owners of the airport at Mound, La., along with Warren County, Tallulah and Madison Parish. Each municipality has equally shared the airport’s expenses since it was conceived in 1983 and opened a decade later. Until last year, each was required to give about $30,000 a year for operating expenses, along with additional contributions for capital upgrades as needed.

In June, VTR’s board of directors gathered representatives of each municipal owner and informed them they’d be asking for an additional $25,000 from each to pay the bills. Revenues at the airport fell to $380,000 in 2009 — of which the owners provided $220,000 — down from $830,000 in 2008. Projected revenues in the revised budget for the fiscal year stand at $360,000.

The same was true in 2009, when each of the four owners had to increase contributions to $55,000, up from the $30,000 for which the VTR board had said it could budget.

Winfield acknowledged more oversight of VTR operations is needed, but said the additional funding is necessary according to the city’s contractual obligation to the airport. Mayfield agreed.

“This is something we have to do,” Winfield said. “We’re going to have to take a more active role with the other boards. Times are tough, and we’re going to have to make some difficult decisions and prioritize better than we ever have.”

Warren County Administrator John Smith said the county recently shuffled $25,000 earmarked for VTR capital improvements to cover its share of the airport’s operating expenses. He added the allocation for VTR in the fiscal year 2011 budget approved has $46,500 for operations and $50,000 for capital improvements.

The city has also set aside $45,500 for VTR in the proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, but City Accountant Doug Whittington said he has not budgeted for any capital improvements. The city is expected to adopt the spending plan on Friday, and must do so by Sept. 15 by state law.

Vicksburg also funds and operates the Vicksburg Municipal Airport on U.S. 61 South, and is still in the process of renovating the 60-year-old terminal building after starting the project two years ago.

The development fund for VMA, which is not a part of the $31.3 million general fund budget, totals $453,538 in the proposed budget — up from $373,785 allocated in the current fiscal year.