The public has a right to know how its tax dollars are being spent. For airport projects, this includes bonds that are issued for construction that might later be paid back by airline or customer fees. But elected mayors and city councils also have an obligation to make sure that airport projects, in particular, have a fair selection process that's not unduly influenced by public lobbying from prospective developers and contractors. Kansas City International Airport and Chicago's O'Hare International recently showed differing approaches to transparency, neither of which was ideal.
"The City Council selected a successful proposal with no final drawings or details of the project, or solid figures about the total cost will be. This is unprecedented in publicly financed projects of this magnitude. This concept will likely result in cost overrun [with estimated costs now at $1.3 billion]."