City/County airport negotiations continue
BY TODD LUCK
THB CHRONICLE
Forsyth County com
missioners passed a resolu
tion asking state lawmakers
to exempt local govern
ments from stormwater
fees and the Airport
Commission heard a new
proposal from City Council
Member Robert Clark on
Monday, April 25.
Stormwater fees at the
Smith Reynolds Airport,
which is owned by the
County, have been a source
of tension between city and
county governments for
months. The airport asked
the City to exempt its run
ways and taxiways from
fees last year but the item is
still in committee.
According to airport offi
cials, the $118,000 it
spends in annual stormwa
ter fees could be used to
leverage money from state
and federal government for
capital projects at the air
port to attract more busi
ness.
The Airport
Commission, which runs
the airport, voted in March
to ask the County to seek
de-annexation of the air
port from the city as a solu
tion to the problem. County
Commissioners mentioned
the idea to state lawmakers
last week who urged them
to find a local solution with
the City instead.
Clark's airport com
promise
Clark presented his
own potential compromise
to the Airport Commission
during its monthly meet
ing. His proposal, which he
had yet to run by his City
Council colleagues,
involved de-annexing just
the runways, taxiways and
a small plane parking area,
while leaving buildings
and the surrounding land in
the city. This "split the
baby in half' solution
would cut stormwater fees
in half and was meant to
open dialog between the
City and County.
"I do think it's impor
tant to preserve the rela
tionship between the City
and County," said Clark,
who represents the West
Ward and is the sole
Republican on the council.
The airport commis
sioners welcomed the idea.
"On the surface this is a
very, very good opening,"
said County Commissioner
Ted Kaplan, who sits on the
Airport Commission.
Airport Commission
Chair Scott Piper also felt
the proposal was getting
them close to where they
wanted to be. However, air
port commissioners said
they felt it only addressed
part of the pipblem. Other
airports in the state, such as
Piedmont International
Airport near Greensboro,
tend to be located outside
city limits, thus planes
don't pay city property tax.
This makes leasing a hang
er at Smith Reynolds much
more expensive than its
competitors. For example,
plane owners pay 42 per
cent less property tax at
PTI. Airport officials say
they want to "level the
playing field" so Smith
Reynolds can compete.
The City collects approxi
mately $294,000 annually
in personal property taxes
from Smith Reynolds ten
ants.
After the meeting,
Kaplan met with Clark and
City Council Members DD
Adams and Jeff Macintosh,
who were also in atten
dance, behind closed dooi's.
Kaplan and Clark 'said
afterwards they felt
progress is being made on a
possible agreement arid
that the matter is being
worked on now by City and
County staff to come up
with a more concrete pro
posal to present to their
colleagues.
Even if county com
missioners and City
Council approved it, any
de-annexation would
require legislation that
would have to be passed by
the General Assembly.
Clark's proposal is just one
of several on the table. The
City has drafted a resolu
tion for the City and
County to each give up to
$100,000 a year in match
ing funds to help the airport
secure state and federal
funds for capital improve
mejits. City Council public
works committee is also
considering stormwater
credits for businesses that
make structural improve
ments to reduce stormwa
ter runoff.
County's stormwater
fee request
During its Monday
meeting, county commis
sioners argued that it's
unfair for local govern
ments to pay the city
stormwater fees and passed
a resolution asking state
lawmakers to exempt gov
ernmental entities from
stormwater fees, citing the
airport and the local school
system, which pays
$233391.
The vote was 5-2 with
County Commissioner
Walter Marshall as one of
the dissenters saying that
all properties with impervi
ous surface of more than
400 square feet, regardless
of who owns them, are
required to pay for federal
ly mandated stormwater
management.
"We're asking the State
to do something it doesn't ?
have the power to do," he
said.
Stormwater fees on
impervious surfaces,
charged by the acre for
businesses, are used by the
City to fund stormwater
management, a program
required by the Federal
Clean Water Act in larger
cities to protect bodies of
water from pollution that
can come from stormwater
runoff. Stormwater fees are
a common way cities fund
the program, though some
cities add the cost onto its
property taxes instead.
County Commissioner \
Everett Witherspoon was
the other "no" vote. He
wondered how such
exemptions might affect
the budgets of stormwater
programs in other cities.
Though he felt the airport
is paying too much in fees
compared to its revenue,
the fees are only a fraction
of the percentage of the
school system's and the
county's budget
"We have the ability to
pay," said Witherspoon.
County Commissioner
Don Martin, a former local
school superintendent,
countered that even if it
was a small part of the
budget, the school system
could still find better uses
for the money.
UNC system president checks out WSSU
BYTEVIN STLNSON
THE CHRONICLE
i
Margaret Spellings' tour of the all the
institutions in the University of North
Carolina (UNC) system stopped on the
campus of Winston-Salem State
University earlier this week.
Spellings visit was part of a 100-day
listening tour where the newly appointed
president intends to visit all 16 public uni
versities, the NC School of Science and
Mathematics, die NC Research Campus in
Annapolis and UNC Health Care.
WSSU was the fifteenth stop on
Spellings' list of public universities. She is
scheduled to return to Winston-Salem on
Friday, April 29, to visit the. N.C. School of
the Arts.
Prior to joining the state's university
system. Spellings served as the U.S.
Secretary of Education and White House
domestic policy advisor. During that time
she helped launch No Child Left Behind,
which has since been replaced by the
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
which was signed by President Barack
Obama last year.
Spellings has also servfed as the presi
dent of the George W. Bush Presidential
Center, worked with the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce and the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation Education Advisory Board.
During her nine-hour tour of WSSU on
Tuesday, April 26, complete with perform
ances by the marching band, Spellings sat
down with a number of students to discuss
the future of the UNC system. She men
tioned most students are concerned about
the affordability of education.
On a number of stops on the tour, stu
dents have made it clear that they are not
happy with the UNC Board of Governors'
decision to appoint Spellings president
because of her involvement with Apollo
Group, a company that collects student
loan debts. Apollo Group also oversees the
University of Phoenix, a for-profit institu
tion.
When asked how she plans to address
the students' concerns, Spellings said, "I
plan to take these issues to the N.C.
Legislature and push for more resources
here and at every other institution in the
system.
"That's my job. To be their advocate,"
she said.
While on her listening tour. Spellings
also met with Chancellor Elwood
Robinson and the WSSU Board of
Trustees. Robinson said Spellings was
very attentive during her many discussions
throughout the day.
"Everyone she met with today, she
gave her fiill attention," he said. "We want
to thank her for spending that time with us
today."
When asked what she has learned from
her tour of the institutions in the UNC
System, Spellings said, "I have learned
how different each university in this sys
tem is.
"Each one has a unique character,
leader and even community^' she contin
ued. "That's the strength of this system."