Topeka Airport Authority's Costly Surrender: Taxpayers Foot $1.8 Million Bill to End Embarrassing Lease Fiasco
Topeka, Kansas — December 15, 2025
In yet another display of bungled management at the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority (MTAA), taxpayers are on the hook for a staggering $1.8 million payout to extricate the authority from a self-inflicted, years-long lease dispute over a rundown hangar—Building 281 at 650 SE Airport Drive West.What insiders derisively call "the mess" stems from a sloppy 2016 lease agreement with the Rural Development Corporation (RDC), a company tied to local developer Robert Zibell. Disagreements over the true version of the contract and bogus claims of renewal options dragged into a 2019 lawsuit (Shawnee County Case No. 2019-CV-000816), complete with accusations of breach, unjust enrichment, and fraud.Rather than fight what should have been a winnable case on solid contractual grounds, MTAA leadership caved in July 2025, signing a humiliating Settlement and Mutual Release Agreement. Under its terms, the authority agreed to buy out RDC's dubious leasehold interest for $1.8 million—split into two $900,000 installments—effectively rewarding the tenant for years of litigation headaches.The first payment and property handover were supposed to wrap up by September 30, 2025, with the lawsuit dismissed and the building turned over "broom-clean." The final $900,000 is due by December 31, 2025—just weeks away. Yet, as of today, public court records show no confirmation of dismissal, raising questions about whether MTAA even followed through on its obligations.Compounding the incompetence are glaring errors in the settlement document itself: MTAA President Eric Johnson's signature bizarrely dated "Feb 16, 2008"—a full 17 years off—and RDC's Robert Zibell leaving his signatures undated altogether. These amateurish typos scream carelessness and could invite future legal challenges, further exposing taxpayers to risk.Critics point to this as symptomatic of deeper mismanagement at MTAA, where prolonged disputes drain resources that could go toward actual airport improvements. Instead of reclaiming the property cleanly through the courts, the authority opted for an expensive buyout, handing a windfall to RDC while regaining a building transferred "as is," complete with whatever headaches remain from deferred maintenance like the sprinkler system.MTAA has remained tight-lipped, issuing no public statement on the settlement—perhaps hoping the controversy fades quietly. Tomorrow's board meeting agenda conspicuously omits any mention of the pending final payment or this lingering debacle.For Topeka residents, this "resolution" is anything but clean: it's a costly capitulation that underscores the need for greater oversight of how public authorities handle contracts and disputes. One can only wonder how many more such "messes" are buried in the books.
In yet another display of bungled management at the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority (MTAA), taxpayers are on the hook for a staggering $1.8 million payout to extricate the authority from a self-inflicted, years-long lease dispute over a rundown hangar—Building 281 at 650 SE Airport Drive West.What insiders derisively call "the mess" stems from a sloppy 2016 lease agreement with the Rural Development Corporation (RDC), a company tied to local developer Robert Zibell. Disagreements over the true version of the contract and bogus claims of renewal options dragged into a 2019 lawsuit (Shawnee County Case No. 2019-CV-000816), complete with accusations of breach, unjust enrichment, and fraud.Rather than fight what should have been a winnable case on solid contractual grounds, MTAA leadership caved in July 2025, signing a humiliating Settlement and Mutual Release Agreement. Under its terms, the authority agreed to buy out RDC's dubious leasehold interest for $1.8 million—split into two $900,000 installments—effectively rewarding the tenant for years of litigation headaches.The first payment and property handover were supposed to wrap up by September 30, 2025, with the lawsuit dismissed and the building turned over "broom-clean." The final $900,000 is due by December 31, 2025—just weeks away. Yet, as of today, public court records show no confirmation of dismissal, raising questions about whether MTAA even followed through on its obligations.Compounding the incompetence are glaring errors in the settlement document itself: MTAA President Eric Johnson's signature bizarrely dated "Feb 16, 2008"—a full 17 years off—and RDC's Robert Zibell leaving his signatures undated altogether. These amateurish typos scream carelessness and could invite future legal challenges, further exposing taxpayers to risk.Critics point to this as symptomatic of deeper mismanagement at MTAA, where prolonged disputes drain resources that could go toward actual airport improvements. Instead of reclaiming the property cleanly through the courts, the authority opted for an expensive buyout, handing a windfall to RDC while regaining a building transferred "as is," complete with whatever headaches remain from deferred maintenance like the sprinkler system.MTAA has remained tight-lipped, issuing no public statement on the settlement—perhaps hoping the controversy fades quietly. Tomorrow's board meeting agenda conspicuously omits any mention of the pending final payment or this lingering debacle.For Topeka residents, this "resolution" is anything but clean: it's a costly capitulation that underscores the need for greater oversight of how public authorities handle contracts and disputes. One can only wonder how many more such "messes" are buried in the books.
Henry McClure
Time kills deals
785-383-9994
www.henrymcclure.live