... comments from staff of Council run airports that the nominal $10 LF falls way short of covering the cost of running an airport and the Council dips into general revenue to fund the balance. They see this as the price the community pays for the benefit of having a town airport, as Mostlytossas pointed out.
What the staff of the Council run airports and the Council often overlook is that when those freeloading GA losers lob into the airport, they occasionally also lob into a local taxi, motel, pub, restaurant, general store etc, all of which contributes to "the general revenue" of "the community".
It's like putting toll gates on the roads through a town, on the grounds that the Council has to dip into general revenue to maintain the roads. See how much money the Council's rolling in when everyone decides to drive somewhere else.