Missouri Highway Patrol commander defends state plane purchase

The new state plane – a 2012 model Beechcraft King Air 250 – has become a point of contention in recent weeks among Republican lawmakers who say the Legislature should have been notified before the purchase was made. Several have sought to tie the plane to Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, who often uses state aircraft to travel to meetings in other parts of Missouri.

MSHP Col. Ron Replogle apologized to lawmakers and said he would have done things differently if he had known how much attention the plane purchase would get.

"Hindsight's 20-20,” he said.

Replogle told the Budget Committee that the new plane is part of a larger effort to modernize Highway Patrol equipment and talks have been ongoing since at least 2010 on the need to buy a new aircraft.

He used an equipment upgrade fund that had reached $13 million to make the buy, rather than putting that money toward new patrol vehicles. He said the agency’s patrol car turnaround has slowed so that need wasn’t as pressing.

He also detailed the timeline of the plane purchase: A request for proposals went out on Dec. 6. Only one bid was received, and it was awarded on Dec. 17. Funds were transferred on Dec. 20. It arrived in Jefferson City on Jan. 18.

Replogle said the quick turn around on the purchase was largely due to the fact that the state got a discount for buying a year-old model at the end of the year.

“It made good business sense to get it at that cheaper price,” he said.

Lawmakers who have dealt with a shrinking state budget in recent years voiced concern, though. They have asked for more information, including emails regarding the plane purchase and they want to speak to acting Commissioner of Administration Doug Nelson about his authorization of it.

“We have bought an airplane that’s a Cadillac model in times where we feel, from a budge perspective, it’s hard to justify,” said Rep. David Schatz, R-Sullivan. “I think it’s hard for taxpayers to look at this and not question what’s going on in Jeff City.”

Highway Patrol has been in charge of the state air fleet since 2006. Replogle said the state will continue to use a smaller 1999 model King Air 90 that it owns. He said air service has had to be denied on several occasions in recent years because the older plane was in use when others also wanted to use it.

The state also has a plane that is used mostly by the Department of Conservation and Missouri Department of Transportation, he said.

Other means of air transportation in the past have included chartering private flights from Jefferson City at a cost of about $900 an hour, plus pilot fees, he added.

Use of taxpayer-funded travel has become a common political fight across the country. Legislatures at odds with their governors often eye state aircraft use, and the purchase of a new plane has brought renewed focus to the issue here.

Missouri officials can’t use taxpayer-funded aircraft for political reasons – even if they reimburse the costs. Records obtained by the Post-Dispatch show most of Nixon’s trips in the past year have been for economic development projects or disaster recovery efforts.

But Nixon has been criticized for shifting some of his travel costs to other state agencies — essentially bypassing legislative control over his travel budget.

His predecessor, Republican Matt Blunt, traveled frequently on charter flights paid for by private supporters and often reimbursed with campaign money, making it difficult to compare Nixon’s travel to previous administrations.

Earlier this week, Nixon said that he supports Replogle’s decision to buy the plane and said he believes it is a long-term investment for law enforcement.

Replogle said he expects the state to be able to use the plane for at least 20 years. He estimated that aircraft use is split - about 30 percent of the time for law enforcement and 70 percent for other use and gave the committee several examples of how state planes are used by MSHP in investigations.

Officers recently traveled to Iowa to interview witnesses in a homicide case. MSHP also has used the aircraft when officers have been harmed and in drug stings, as well as disaster response.

Replogle told the committee that the state’s smaller plane costs about $635 an hour to use. The new, larger plane is expected to run close to $900 an hour.

Rep. Genise Montecillo, D-St. Louis, said she understands the need for quick travel in emergency situations, but she finds other use of the plane “upsetting.”

“We’re nowhere near full funding the education formula - $900 an hour to drive to a meeting anywhere in this state … I’m going to be honest – I’m appalled,” she said.

Replogle said that his agency uses a formula for determining whether it is more cost effective to travel by plane or automobile. The formula compares the costs, including whether a hotel stay would be necessary and how many people are traveling together.

He said he wasn't sure how other departments decide whether to use aircraft.