Cobb Airport May Get Customs Agent

Hiring a customs agent for Cobb County's airport is on the agenda for the  meeting Tuesday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has notified the county that Cobb County Airport-McCollum Field is eligible for inclusion in the User Fee Aiport Program.

Such airports receive, for a fee, customs services to process aircraft, passengers and cargo entering the country.

If approved, a full-time customs officer will be stationed at McCollum. The county will have to reimburse CBP $140,874 for the first year and $123,438 for succeeding years.

, who is a nonvoting member of the Airport Advisory Board, told the Marietta Daily Journal that the lack of a customs agent has kept the airport from maximizing its potential.

Right now, if a private plane flies into the area from outside the country, it isn't allowed to land at McCollum.

“There’s a segment of the aviation population that we’ve been missing out on,” Ott told the MDJ.

The commissioners will also take a look at the airport's five-year capital improvements plan.

The meeting, under a holiday schedule, starts at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the government building at 100 Cherokee St.