For the second year in a row, legal spending is sharply up at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport, due largely to the recently-concluded lawsuit with the county over control and authority at the Island’s only airport.

Meeting Thursday morning, the airport commission approved a $4.4 million supplemental budget for the current fiscal year, as well as a $4.6 million budget for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The supplemental budget represents an increase of $529,559 over the original 2015 budget. Much of the increase — $175,000 — can be tracked to legal costs incurred in the court case with the Dukes County Commission. The case ended this week with a decision by a superior court judge strongly favoring the airport.

Unbudgeted increases also included repairs to the airport terminal and maintenance at the air field.

A majority of commissioners attending the meeting did not vote on the budget. Commissioners Christine Todd and Norm Perry voted to approve it. Commissioners Clarence (Trip) Barnes 3rd, Rich Michelson, vice-chairman Robert Rosenbaum and Beth Toomey abstained. The chairman, Myron Garfinkle, did not vote.

Last year the airport spent nearly 11 times the amount budgeted for legal fees, also due to court disputes with the county and a workplace dispute that remains unresolved. In 2014 the airport incurred approximately $271,191 in legal expenses; $25,000 was budgeted. A supplemental budget was also needed.

Also on Thursday, commissioners approved the budget for the coming fiscal year, though several members said they were uncomfortable with the short amount of time they have had to review it.

The 2016 budget will require a transfer of $717,168 from airport reserve funds.

“The transfers are almost three quarters of a million dollars,” said Mr. Rosenbaum. “That’s a lot of money. That basically means we are running at a three quarter million dollar deficit. The good news is the cash balance is slightly over $3 million, but that’s not the way to run a viable organization. That’s not sustainable,” he said.

Mr. Garfinkle urged commissioners to approve the budget with a caveat.

“We do have a responsibility to keep the airport running,” Mr. Garfinkle said. “I ask the commission to approve with the proviso that within 90 days, we come up with a supplemental budget which would reflect that we’ve had the opportunity to scrutinize the budget.”

Mr. Rosenbaum, Ms. Todd, Mr. Perry, Mr. Michelson, and Mr. Barnes voted to approve the budget. Ms. Toomey voted to abstain. Mr. Garfinkle did not vote.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, Mr. Garfinkle said he would like to schedule a meeting as soon as possible with county commission chairman Leon Brathwaite to discuss the recent court ruling involving the two commissions.

The ruling found that the state law that governs the airport trumps the law that created the county, especially in light of grant assurances signed by the county that allow state and federal funds to flow to the airport. The county appoints the airport commission. Much of the dispute in the past year has been over the appointments process and also questions raised by the county treasurer about legal spending at the airport.