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Hayden — Airport plans and possibilities could be at the center of a powwow Thursday between the Routt County Board of Commissioners and the Hayden Town Council.

At a work session, the two groups will discuss the future of Yampa Valley Regional Airport, a possible rental-car tax and road maintenance. Part of the meeting will center on planned airport improvements and Hayden's understanding of the benefits YVRA provides, Commissioner Doug Monger said.

Through an informal agreement, Hayden had given YVRA 10 percent of the sales tax that comes in from businesses of the airport. The town skipped that contribution this year amid budget cuts. In the past, it's amounted to more than $50,000.

"I guess we wanted to have a philosophical conversation," Monger said. "We understand times are tough, but we want to make sure they understand the revenues that come out of the Yampa Valley Regional Airport."

Town Manager Russ Martin said Hayden was aware of the benefits of YVRA, which provides about 50 percent of the town's sales tax. He compared it to other businesses.

"Everybody has their own little assets," Martin said. "Steamboat Springs has a ski resort. Ours happens to be an airport."

The town makes contributions such as $12,000 in annual road maintenance and services on Routt County Road 51A, Martin said.

YVRA uses town contributions to help fund capital improvements, Airport Manager Dave Ruppel said. The city of Steamboat Springs and the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association provide some of that funding.

Part of that comes through an agreement to pay for the phase three expansion of the terminal. Ruppel will explain those plans at Thursday's meeting. The city and Chamber pay a combined $100,000 a year for the expansion. That agreement expires after next year, Ruppel said.

He called Hayden a "faithful contributor" to the airport but said lost revenue could have an effect.

"It's one of those things where every little bit of money helps, so it just reduces our revenue outlay for some of those capital projects," Ruppel said. "It's not that it makes it impossible for us to do those things. It just means we have to take money we would have used for other operations and move it to those capital projects, or we have to wait till we have more money in hand to do those capital projects."

Thursday's meeting also will include a discussion of the possible rental-car tax, which Hayden voters will decide on in November. Monger and Ruppel said they weren't trying to dissuade the town from approving the 3.5 percent additional sales tax.

Ruppel said he planned to take figures to the meeting about the impact of a tax.

"When we continue to add costs on to the cost of coming here for a vacation, at some point we price ourselves out of the market," he said. "I don't think this is it : but I think we all need to be aware this is a potential issue."

Commissioners and council members also plan to review agreements about which agency maintains which roads. Commissioners also might address questions about their transfer of development rights plans, Monger said.