RICHMOND HILL – Richmond Hill’s city council will vote in May on whether it will continue to support a potential airport project in Bryan County.

Mayor Pro-Tem Cindy Hatala asked for the council’s support on a resolution for the city of Richmond Hill to retract political and financial support for the proposed Richmond Hill-Bryan County Airport project during a city council work session on Tuesday.

“I’m asking the council to support the resolution to stop our economic support of any potential money spent going forward from this point, as well as our support,” Hatala said. “We deem it is not economically feasible.”

Discussions on the project date back to 2022, and the Richmond Hill-Bryan County Airport Authority was created by the Georgia Legislature in 2025 after both the city and the county sent letters in support of its creation.

Richmond Hill had also previously spent about $300,000 on feasibility studies for a potential airport. The proposed airport would be a general aviation airport that primarily supports non-scheduled, non-commercial civil aviation activities.

This vote on city support was delayed during the city’s April 7 meeting because of what Hatala said was new information she had learned about the project. She clarified during the city’s work session on Tuesday that she had learned the airport authority could not be dissolved at the city level because it is a state entity.

The authority is responsible for planning, developing, and managing the airport, acting as the “landlord” for the airport.

If the city votes to retract support for the project, this would leave the Airport Authority without the financial backing of both Richmond Hill and Bryan County. In December, the Bryan County Commission voted to suspend funding for the airport. The Commission wrote in a resolution that it no longer supported the spending of tax dollars, incentives, or the incurring of additional costs for the airport project, which, after reviewing impact studies and a fiscal analysis, the county believed did not reflect the needs of the people.

Richmond Hill’s City Council seemed divided on the issue on Tuesday.

While Hatala introduced the resolution, Post Two Councilman Kevin Bowes spoke strongly in favor of retracting support, echoing the financial feasibility concerns. Councilmen Steve Scholar and Van Hunter expressed hesitation.

Mayor Kristi Cox closed the conversation by mentioning the Georgia Department of Transportation, which is currently engaged in the Southeast Georgia Regional Aviation System Plan. This move is designed to “evaluate the operational capacity and performance of the region’s 13 airports, both today and as future demand grows.”

The study is not being conducted to specifically determine the need for new air facilities but will provide “a comprehensive assessment of current aviation capacity and potential future needs in Southeast Georgia.”

“I think at the end of the day, the GDOT report is going to tell a lot,” Cox said.

The resolution will be voted on at the next city council meeting on May 5.