The Hollister Airshow budget as presented by Management Services Director Mike Chambless—whose job includes running the airport and annual event—excluded an estimate of costs for time he put in overseeing it.
Chambless on Sept. 7 presented an overview to council members of the 2015 Hollister Airshow that took place two days over Father’s Day weekend. After hearing his report, council members didn’t show any reluctance for continuing on with an airshow in 2016, though there was some debate about an appropriate weekend.
Chambless told council members the 2015 event lost about $9,500 with total expenses of $47,000. In 2014, the airshow had about $64,000 in expenses and $38,000 in revenue making for a loss of around $26,000.  It was the fifth consecutive year of losses for the city—Hollister’s airport enterprise fund pays for the mostly volunteer-run event—after a slight profit for the first airshow in 2011. Airshow organizers and supporters, meanwhile, have contended such losses are worth it for the city because the event helps to promote the airport.
That $9,500 loss and $47,000 in expenses for 2015, however, excluded costs for airshow time put in by Chambless, who makes a base annual salary of $134,301, according to Director of Administrative Services Brett Miller. Chambless did not include cost figures for his own work in the accounting for any of the prior Hollister Airshow events, either, he confirmed.
Upon request from the Free Lance, Miller confirmed that the only personnel charges for the event were $447.48 from the finance department and $383.52 from the airport department. None of those charges were for Chambless, Miller confirmed.
When asked about his time spent organizing the Hollister Airshow, Chambless by email estimated he spent 120 hours on the Hollister Airshow in 2015. He said he doesn’t log the time he spends on the event.
He said he worked “probably about 40 hours” during traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. office hours and “probably 80 hours before 8 and on weekends.”
“A lot of that work is grunt work (setup, takedown, cleaning, advertising), not executive type work,” he wrote. “About 48 hours of the 80” are on the Saturday and Sunday show days, he said.
As the city’s management services director, Chambless oversees multiple departments—including the airport, code enforcement and public works. He also has a second title of assistant city manager and has been heavily active in such matters as park infrastructure planning, while other duties stated in his job description include involvement in risk management/workers’ compensation issues and economic development.
Chambless estimated he spends 20 hours a week—“give or take a few” —on airport matters.
