Bryan County Commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday withdrawing the county’s support – and potential funding for – a proposed airport in Richmond Hill.

The resolution, read out in its entirety by Commission Chairman Carter Infinger, also asks the Airport Authority to “suspend all further due diligence, expenditures, and efforts to develop and construct the Richmond Hill-Bryan County Airport,” while also requesting the county’s local delegation in the General Assembly to “prepare and consider legislation” to suspend the Authority.

“We’ve been talking about this for a while, and we’ve listened to the community on this. We’re not saying we’re against the airport, we are saying we are not going to fund it. If somebody private wants to come in and fund it, that’s a different story,” Infinger said after the vote, which passed 4-1 with District 4 Commissioner Patrick Kitzgen voting against the measure.

He proposed commissioners table the matter for further discussion, but it died for a lack of a second. District 5 Commissioner Dr. Gene Wallace, who is on the Airport Authority, then made a motion for a vote on the resolution, which passed.

While it was unclear Tuesday what the county’s resolution will ultimately mean for the proposed airport, the resolution shed some light on how much such an undertaking could cost. The resolution cited an August 11 study showing one option costing $63 million for “development costs-initial layout” and $124.7 million for “development costs-ultimate layout.” A second option would cost an estimated $76 million for “development costs-initial layout” and $107.5 million for “development costs-ultimate layout.”

The resolution also cites a September “fiscal analysis” commissioned by the Airport Authority which claimed 180 private aircraft would be hangered at the proposed airport,  a number the County deemed is “not supported by credible evidence,” and is “further diminished by the evidence” that at the time of Phase II of the study only 34 aircraft were registered in Bryan County.

While Bryan County, Richmond Hill and the Development Authority of Bryan County have reportedly spent upwards of $200,000 on various studies on the feasibility of the airport, which would sit on land off Highway 17 owned by Rayonier – land which ultimately could be the site of more housing or warehouses. But many residents have been vocal in their opposition to the airport, on social media and in person at meetings. Some have questioned the makeup of the Authority, which was formed in May by local legislation and has members from Richmond Hill, Bryan County, the Development Authority and residents with aviation backgrounds.

While proponents of an airport say such a facility will provide benefits ranging from opportunities for youngsters wanting to learn to fly to increased tax revenue and jobs, opposition to the idea has been so vocal that a number of candidates for office, including Richmond Hill Mayor-elect Kristi Cox, came out against the measure.

But the idea of an airport has been kicking about for years, and in 2023 city officials hired a consulting firm to do a study on the proposal.