Board discusses regional airport

STAFFORD — Henry Scharpenberg spoke on behalf of the Stafford Regional Airport Authority at Tuesday’s Stafford County Board of Supervisors’ meeting.
He asked for a property tax rate decrease from $3 per $100 to $.01 per $100, bringing it in line with Manassas Regional Airport’s rate, their primary competition.

Scharpenberg explained that the facility was having difficulty attracting clients because of the high rate.

“If they can find a cheaper price, they will go there,” he said of customers.

Stafford Supervisor Bob Woodson, D-Griffis-Widewater, asked, “why not a drop to $2.50 or $1.75?”
“Isn’t this the price of doing business?” he asked.

Scharpenberg stated that it was, but one still had to consider the competition’s rate.

The statewide average is reportedly closer to the $3 rate. However, in this region, the $.01 would be the average. The higher rate included smaller airports that handled smaller aircraft and not the larger ones that Stafford hoped to attract in the future.

Supervisor Harry Crisp, D-George Washington, said he understood the request of $.01, but felt that it would also bring an increase in recreational planes and did not see an advantage to it.

Scharpenberg stated that the emphasis would be on business crafts. He touted the facility’s location, stating that though Manassas’s facility was a good one, it did not match Stafford’s location.

Supervisor George Schwartz, D-Falmouth, saw the decision as a “straight business decision.” He also stated the airport was not particularly popular, but that it was here and expressed a commitment to make it “viable.”

A resident of the Mountain View community opposed the tax reduction of the airport, stating that the presence of the airport has seriously impacted the quality of life in their area.

He cited also health reasons, noting statistics that showed that people living within 15 miles on an airport facility and their susceptibility to various physical afflictions.

In other news, a presentation of Fiscal Year 2008 was made at the meeting, and it was not a rosy one.

Budget Division Director Nancy Collins presented the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Preliminary End Reports, and it was not a particularly pleasant one.

Collections were down in every category but real estate tax, a rise from $118.8 million to $121.5 million. All in all, a shortfall of $9.7 million was noted.

“While the adoption of the $.84 rate generated $2.9 million more than was budgeted,” read Budget Division Director Nancy Collins, “it was not enough to make up for the other revenue shortfalls and maintain the goal of 10 percent of undesignated fund balance.”

At the request of the county administrator, several agencies had slashed their budgets. A total of $7.9 million “remains unspent,” according to Collins’ report, including $3.3 million from the schools.

Collins noted also that these figures are unaudited and not final.

“There were no happy surprises at the end of the year, I’m sorry to tell you,” she said.

Establishment of urban transportation service districts was discussed. This would bring about impact fees that would result in the county taking over road
maintenance by 2010.

The board had until Dec. 31 to develop and ordinance for this. A target date of Nov. 20 or a public hearing on the matter was recommended.

“We’ve got to make sure whatever we do here fully finances this,” said Supervisor Cord Sterling, R-Rock Hill. He stated that if this is not done, the county would have to draw on other sources to “make this work,” he said.

He urged everybody to look closely at the funding of the issue.

A discussion of whether or not to approve funding for a Juvenile and Domestic Relations court building was deferred until the Sept. 16 meeting. Judge J. Martin

Bass will be invited to address the board that evening.

The board appeared to be split on the issue.

Sterling felt that the project was not court ordered and it was therefore not necessary to build it. He felt that other capital improvement projects were of greater importance.

Schwartz stated that “it’s need that’s driving this, not a court order.”

Supervisor Paul Milde, R-Aquia, felt that it fulfilled a “core government function” and there was a need for it. He added that construction costs would only escalate the longer they waited.

“We’re running out of space,” he said.

Supervisor Joe Brito, I-Hartwood, cited prior figures of $11 million that have become $30 million. He stated that a three-courtroom building had become five-courtroom building. He felt that board of supervisors’ chambers could be used for procedures as could the school board chambers.

Woodson felt the courtroom was not a high enough priority to create a new debt.

Crisp stated he was less than enthusiastic about the new building but felt that the board might be better served if they heard from Judge Bassett first.

The board agreed unanimously to defer the discussion until Sept. 16 with an invitation to Judge Bassett to speak to the board.

Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer, R-Garrisonville, was not present at the meeting.

Jim Lawrence is a contributing writer at Media General’s Stafford County Sun.