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Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS)

State Assistance

Reference Number: MTAS-77
Reviewed Date: 08/14/2023

State Technical Assistance
Engineering and other technical assistance is available from the state Department of Transportation to any city or group of cities requesting help with planning, acquiring, constructing, improving, maintaining, or operating airports. T.C.A. § 42-2-203(a).

State Funding Assistance
The department may give loans, grants, or both to any city or group of cities. Such funds are for planning, acquiring, constructing, improving, maintaining, or operating an airport that is owned or controlled by a city or group of cities. T.C.A. § 42-2-203(b).

The department also is authorized to act as agent for a city or group of cities to obtain and disburse federal money and other public and private funds to finance municipal airports. It must act as a municipality’s agent for certain federal funds, but this is optional if the municipality’s airport has a minimum of 25,000 originating takeoffs annually. At the request of a city or group of cities, the department also may act as agent in contracting and supervising airport construction, improvements, maintenance, or elimination of hazards, regardless of the size of the facility. T.C.A. § 42-2-203(c), T.C.A. § 42-2-223, T.C.A. § 42-5-119.