Las Vegas area airport fees may be going up. Way up.

The Clark County Commission has delayed action on a proposal to more than double some general aviation rental rates and user fees at four of the county’s general aviation airports.

Commissioners unanimously voted to pause approval until Sept. 2 on an ordinance that would increase rentals, fees and charges at Henderson Executive Airport, North Las Vegas Airport, Jean Airport and Perkins Field at Overton Municipal Airport.

The delay was ordered because commissioners wanted to review allegations that an airport administrator had a conflict of interest because he serves on the board of directors of the airports’ fuel contractor.

Air Elite’s board vice chair, Ben Czyzewski, a 17-year airport employee, was named managing director of general aviation airports in 2014, but was accused of a conflict of interest in comments during a public hearing because of his dual roles.

Several people who addressed the commission in a public hearing Tuesday questioned Czyzewski’s serving on the Air Elite board as an airport administrator.

Air Elite’s website lists Czyzewski as vice chairman of its board of directors, but airport representatives say the company is a network of fixed-base operators that provides customer service and safety standards and its board is a customer service program sponsored by World Fuel Services. Czyzewski is serving an unpaid two-year voluntary position and does not profit from the company’s fuel services.

Clark County officials also said there was no conflict of interest because Air Elite won the fuel contract in a competitive bid.

The ordinance that would increase fees at Southern Nevada airports does not include fuel sales and would be the first increase in nearly 15 years and would bring pricing to levels that would be competitive to other general aviation airports.

County officials said the ordinance would dictate a maximum fee level that on average is 154 percent higher than existing prices, but initial increases would only be around 10 percent and could go progressively higher in the future.

According to a chart displayed by Senior Aviation Director James Chrisley, fee increases are ahead for aircraft tiedown spaces, shaded hangars, security gate cards and conference room use. In addition to increasing space rental costs, the airports will add two new categories of aircraft size to accommodate parking for larger planes.

For based tenants, monthly rates for aircraft using less than 1,250 square feet would increase from $45 to as high as $80; for aircraft using less than 3,50o square feet, the fee would increase from $55 to $100; and for less than 6,000 square feet, from $250 to $500. Two new categories for larger planes needing less than 9,000 square feet, the new monthly rate would be $2,000 and for any aircraft over 9,000 square feet, the rate would be $5,000.

Apron parking for special events, such as Formula One or a Super Bowl, the maximum rate would become $15,000 per occurrence.

New rates also are proposed for shaded hangar rentals. For based tenants, the rate would move from $110 to $250 a month; the rate for transient customers would go from $150 to $300 a day; rates for enclosed structures for transient customers would go from $300 to $600 a day.

Other proposed fee increases: gate card security access, from $50 to $100 per card; conference room use, from $300 to $500 per 24-hour period; and Department of Aviation personnel fee for after-hours activity, from $200 to $500.

During the public hearing, some airport users said they feared the higher rates would be too high for them to continue to operate from the airports.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.