McKinney seeks court approval for $30 million airport bonds

McKinney is asking a Travis County judge to clear $30 million in airport refunding bonds, a move meant to lock in financing for McKinney National Airport before any delay can ripple through the city’s commercial-service plans.

The city of McKinney and the McKinney Community Development Corporation filed the expedited declaratory judgment action to get a court ruling that the bonds were properly authorized. In plain terms, bond validation is the city’s effort to remove legal doubt before the refinancing closes. For McKinney, that certainty matters because airport funding is tied directly to a project the city sees as a long-term economic engine, not just a line item on a budget sheet.

City figures show why officials are pressing ahead. McKinney says McKinney National Airport generates more than $299 million a year for the city and the surrounding region, a figure it says is 41% higher than a 2018 study. The airport’s commercial-service plan is aimed at late 2026, with about 200,000 passengers expected in the launch year and more growth possible over time. Avelo Airlines has already committed to being the first carrier to serve the airport.

The city has been layering in other pieces of the financing and construction plan as well. In November 2025, McKinney accepted a $14.8 million Texas Department of Transportation grant for infrastructure supporting commercial passenger service. On Dec. 16, 2025, the City Council approved remaining terminal funding and related contracts, keeping the passenger terminal on track for completion in late 2026.

The legal fight comes against the backdrop of repeated voter skepticism. McKinney voters rejected a $200 million airport expansion bond in 2023, with 58.69% voting no, after also turning down a $50 million airport expansion bond in 2015. Since then, the city has leaned on other financing tools, including sales-tax-backed economic development funding, community development corporation dollars, airport-area tax increment revenue, airport operating revenues and other city funds. The city’s FY26 strategic goals also call for ongoing airport funding through repayment of a $30 million TIFIA loan or a sales tax revenue bond by Sept. 30, 2026.

The McKinney filing is not the only courtroom challenge. The North Texas Conservation Association has also sued in Collin County to try to block the airport bonds, and Attorney General Ken Paxton later sided with taxpayers in the Travis County case, arguing the petition was defective. Paxton’s office also challenged the city’s claim that the 2026 refunding bonds would save millions over the life of the debt.

For McKinney, the immediate question is whether this filing clears the runway for the airport or exposes how fragile the financing plan remains.