Section 02.15.090 - Operation and use privileges; fees and charges(a) In operating an airport or air navigation facility owned or controlled by the state, the department may enter into contracts, leases, and other arrangements covering periods not exceeding 55 years with a person, municipality, or the United States, granting the privilege of using or improving an airport or air navigation facility or a portion of it or space in it for commercial, governmental, or other public purposes, including private plane tie down, or conferring the privilege of supplying goods, commodities, services, or facilities at an airport or air navigation facility. The department may establish the terms and conditions and fix the charges, rentals, and fees for the privileges or services that are reasonable and uniform for the same class of privilege or service. Charges, rentals, or fees authorized by this subsection may be fixed for the international airports by order of the commissioner or by negotiated or competitively offered contract. Notwithstanding AS 37.10.050(a), the fixing of charges, rentals, or fees as permitted under this subsection is not subject to the adoption of regulation provisions of AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act). The terms, conditions, charges, rentals, and fees shall be established with due regard to the property and improvements used and the expense of operation to the state. A charge, rental, or fee imposed on a person who is not a lessee or concessionaire of the airport may not have the effect of charging a percentage of the gross revenue of the person as a condition of on-site access to customers who use the airport facility unless the charge, rental, or fee was in existence before January 1, 2006, and this exception is not affected if the department amends, increases, or decreases a charge, rental, or fee that was in effect before January 1, 2006. Use of state land and buildings by the Alaska Wing, Civil Air Patrol and its squadrons shall be permitted without rental charges. If the department permits space in state-owned or state-controlled airports to be used as lounges for members of the United States armed forces, the Alaska National Guard, the Alaska Naval Militia, or the Alaska State Defense Force, and if the lounges are operated by persons exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) (Internal Revenue Code), rent may not be charged for the use of the space. The department shall provide for public notice and an opportunity to comment before a charge, rental, or fee is fixed by order of the commissioner as permitted under this subsection. The public may not be deprived of its rightful, equal, and uniform use of the airport, air navigation facility, or a portion of them.(b) The department may by contract or other arrangement, upon a consideration fixed by it, grant to a qualified municipality or person for a reasonable period of time the privilege of operating, as agent of the state or otherwise, an airport owned or controlled by the state. A municipality or person granted that privilege may not operate the airport other than as a public airport or enter into a contract, lease, or other arrangement in connection with the operation that the department may not have undertaken under (a) or (c) - (e) of this section.(c) Notwithstanding the right of the public to rightful, equal, and uniform use under (a) of this section, before the expiration of a land lease, including the termination of a lease in holdover status, entered into under this section, the lessee may apply for a new lease, or for an extended term under the existing lease, for the same land. The commissioner shall approve the application for a new land lease or an extended term under this section without offering the land to other persons for leasing if(1) the lessee is in compliance with the terms and conditions of the existing or holdover lease; and(2) the continued use of the leasehold is consistent with written airport operation policies and is in the state's best interest.(d) A land lessee owns title to the permanent improvements that the lessee constructed or purchased during the term of the lease, unless the lease expressly provides that the state is the owner of the permanent improvements.(e) At the expiration, termination, or cancellation of a land lease entered into under this section, (1) a lessee who owns the improvements under (d) of this section shall continue to own the permanent improvements that the lessee constructed or purchased on a leasehold if the lessee is granted under (c) of this section a new lease or an extended term for the same land;(2) a lessee may sell the permanent improvements owned by the lessee to a succeeding lessee of the same land;(3) at the option of the lessee, the permanent improvements owned by the lessee may be sold by the state at public auction with the proceeds from the sale of the improvements going to the lessee, less administrative costs of the auction and obligations owed under the lease to the state; the successful bidder has the same right to enter into a new lease under (c) of this section without the department offering the land to other persons for leasing;(4) after notice by the department, the permanent improvements owned by the lessee shall be removed at the lessee's sole expense if (A) the permanent improvements do not comply with written airport operational policies or are not in the state's best interest;(B) the permanent improvements are not sold under (2) or (3) of this subsection; or(C) the department makes written findings that the permanent improvements are a hazard to the public health and safety;(5) title to the permanent improvements vests in the department if the state purchases or otherwise contracts for the ownership of the permanent improvements, or if the lessee abandons the permanent improvements.(f) The department shall require as a term of all aviation-related contracts, leases, and other arrangements for use or occupancy of an airport operated by the department, including the international airports, that the parties to the contract, lease, or other arrangement, including the department, shall be required to reimburse each other according to the principles of comparative fault for amounts paid others for personal injury and property damage. The apportionment of liability among the parties to an agreement under this subsection may not affect the rights of persons who are not parties to the agreement.(g) If the department determines that it is in the best interests of the state to require that persons holding aviation-related leases, permits, or concession contracts for use or occupancy of an airport operated by the department, including international airports, provide insurance coverage, the department shall develop and adopt by regulation guidelines for the types and limits of insurance coverage required for aviation-related leases, permits, or concession contracts. The department may authorize a variation from the coverage required by the regulation if the department finds in writing that the variation is necessary considering the best interests of the state and the unique circumstances underlying a specific aviation-related lease, permit, or concession contract.(h) For the privilege of occupying or using a state-owned facility on an airport, which facility is or will be acquired, constructed, equipped, installed, or improved with the proceeds of indebtedness, the payment of which, with approval of the commissioner, is or will be secured solely by proceeds from customer facility charges, the department may require all persons under contract to occupy or use all or a portion of the planned facility, and shall require occupants or users of all or a portion of the facility, to collect from their customers a uniform customer facility charge and remit the proceeds to (1) the department if the state on behalf of the department incurred the indebtedness; or (2) a trustee or another third party bound to use the proceeds for the principal, interest, reserves, and any other applicable requirements of the indebtedness documentation if the state on behalf of the department did not incur the indebtedness. The commissioner shall set the customer facility charge at an amount projected to generate proceeds sufficient to satisfy all requirements established by the indebtedness documentation, including payment of principal and interest on the indebtedness, maintenance of any reserves, and satisfaction of any other requirement of the indebtedness documentation. The commissioner shall periodically adjust the amount of the customer facility charge to reflect changes in the amounts necessary to pay the principal of and interest on the indebtedness, to maintain any required reserves, and to satisfy all other requirements established by the indebtedness documentation and to reflect changes in the number of occupants, users, or customers of the facility. The proceeds of the customer facility charge are not revenue of the state securing any other indebtedness. The commissioner may impose charges authorized by this subsection for the international airports by order or by negotiated or competitively offered contract. The department shall provide for public notice and an opportunity to comment before a charge is set by order of the commissioner under this subsection. Notwithstanding AS 37.10.050(a), the setting of charges under this subsection is not subject to the adoption of regulation provisions of AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act).(i) In addition to requiring collection of a customer facility charge to be applied as described in (h) of this section, the department may require occupants or users of, or persons under contract to occupy or use, all or a portion of a state-owned facility on an airport, which facility is or will be acquired, constructed, equipped, installed, or improved with the proceeds of indebtedness, the payment of which is secured solely by proceeds of a customer facility charge, to collect from their customers a uniform customer facility maintenance charge and to remit the proceeds to (1) the department if the state on behalf of the department incurred the indebtedness; or (2) a trustee or another third party if the state on behalf of the department did not incur the indebtedness. The commissioner shall set the customer facility maintenance charge at an amount projected to generate proceeds sufficient to pay some or all, as determined by the commissioner, of the costs, fees, and expenses required to operate and maintain the facility, including costs of insurance and maintenance of reserves for the facility. The commissioner shall periodically adjust the amount of the customer facility maintenance charge to reflect changes in costs, fees, and expenses to operate and maintain the facility, including costs of insurance and maintenance of reserves for the facility and to reflect changes in the number of occupants, users, or customers of the facility. If the proceeds of the customer facility maintenance charge are remitted to a trustee or another third party as set out in this subsection, the proceeds of the customer facility maintenance charge are not, unless otherwise contractually required, revenue of the state securing any indebtedness. The commissioner may impose charges authorized by this subsection for the international airports by order or by negotiated or competitively offered contract. The department shall provide for public notice and an opportunity to comment before a charge is set by order of the commissioner under this subsection. Notwithstanding AS 37.10.050(a), the setting of charges under this subsection is not subject to the adoption of regulation provisions of AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act).