The Cities of Pella and Oskaloosa have filed a 94-page legal petition against the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors for their attempt to leave the regional airport 28E agreement.

According to the documents, the cities say that the agreement was binding, and required permission from Oskaloosa and Pella to leave–a position they say was held by the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors until this summer. In the document, the draft reads “Pella and Oskaloosa deny and reject that Mahaska has the unilateral authority to modify or terminate the Agreement without the express, written approval of both Pella and Oskaloosa.”

The municipalities are requesting a Declaratory Judgement Regarding Validity of Agreement, and Breach of Contract, Request for Specific Performance. Pella and Oskaloosa are seeking the Mahaska County District Court’s backing to enforce Mahaska County’s performance of their part of the 28E agreement, which includes legal and regulatory action required to build the $30 million airport northwest of Oskaloosa.

The cities also produced exhibits, including emails from Supervisor Mark Doland and quotes from Doland stating he understood that the board needed Pella and Oskaloosa’s permission to leave the agreement, a stance he has since changed after Mahaska County hired special legal counsel in relation to the Regional Airport Project. Doland said in a statement over the weekend that he remains committed to fighting against the regional airport project.