Warren County Airport is asking the county for funding to widen a taxiway, rezone a newly acquired parcel and extend infrastructure to support future hangar construction on its west side.

Airport President Jack DeBrunner made the request to the Warren County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday during an annual update at 406 Justice Drive in Lebanon. No specific dollar figure appeared in the presentation, and no vote was taken. Commissioners Tom Grossmann, Shannon Jones and David G. Young heard the update as an informational item.

What the airport wants

DeBrunner's funding request covers five categories, according to the agenda document: widening the taxiway to a new apron by an additional 10 feet, surveying and rezoning the 12-acre parcel, extending infrastructure and services to the site, funding for WCA Ltd services (the presentation did not detail what this line item would cover) and tying into WCA Ltd's stormwater drainage system.

The airport completed the purchase of 12 acres on its west side using FAA funding. The parcel is landlocked and requires rezoning before construction can begin. DeBrunner told commissioners the airport plans to lease the land for hangar development to generate income.

FAA funding applications are pending for an apron and taxiway connection on the new parcel. The airport has also pre-applied to the FAA to build an east-west taxiway and service road.

By the numbers

The airport, formally known as Warren County–John Lane Field, recorded 37,685 operations in calendar year 2025, its first full year of tracking after software was installed in fall 2024. That includes 32,550 single-engine flights, roughly 4,000 helicopter operations (784 of them medical flights), 926 multi-engine movements, 191 business jet flights and 18 military operations.

The facility supports 40 aerospace and aviation businesses and more than 150 based aircraft, according to DeBrunner's presentation. He described it as Ohio's fastest-growing general aviation airport and its third-largest general aviation field. The airport cites an annual economic impact of $18 million to $27 million, based on a state study whose original year was not specified in the presentation.

What's next

The July 21 session was informational. The commissioners had previously approved an ODOT aviation grant agreement for the airport unanimously on Tuesday, May 12. Warren County is one of only two counties in Ohio where the runway and taxiway are county-owned while all developed airport land is privately held.