Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/894958
NOVEMBER 1 - 7, 2017 UCW 25 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Henry Tyson District 5 UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emer- gency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the coun- ty should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city's baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies? Tyson: Government should be a community resource and use tax dollars effectively to not waste taxpayers' money. It is most important for our residents to receive the services that meet the needs within their individual communities. If there is a prudent possibility to merge services, the City and County must share the burden, responsibility, and services to save funds. Ongoing communication and cooperation between elected boards will improve our community and not overtax our city and county residents with duplicate services. The challenges with implementation are two distinct elected bodies with differing statutory and constitutional requirements, differing philosophies, and unique budget goals. The county is mandated by the state to provide funding and maintain: social service programs, hospital & EMS services, mental health services, our school system, health department, the sheriff's department, and our judi- cial facilities. This mandated funding makes some of the county's budgetary spending non-discretionary. Our city government provides key infrastructure like storm water control, city street maintenance, and other services like fire protection services. I stand ready to work with our commissioners on the areas of community where these services overlap, like our parks and recreation departments, to make sound fiscal decisions. My business success requires me to bring parties together. This experience will help facilitate agreement among all elected officials. UCW: The city's tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayette- ville's lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development? Tyson: If Fayet tev i l le is to successf u l ly compete w it h Ra leig h, Cha rlot te, Greensboro, a nd ot her major cit ies, our pr ior it y is to pursue a nd at t ract new job creators a nd new oppor t unit ies for our residents. Residents, sta keholders a nd leaders in t he pr ivate sector must create oppor t unit ies, w it h a work st rong work force a nd educat iona l ex per iences t hat w i l l at- t ract a nd keep good pay ing compa nies. As we at t ract new businesses, pro- v ide new homes a nd develop new a menit ies, reg u lat ions must be ta i lored to meet our needs. Econom ic development must engage t he ent ire com- munit y, educat iona l inst it ut ions, t he pr ivate sector, a nd Cit y a nd Count y gover nments to focus on gover nment as a n asset a nd not a hindra nce to g row t h. Hav ing a compet it ive ta x base a nd st r uct ure, g iv ing law enforce- ment tools to help ma ke t he cit y sa fe a nd prov iding needed a menit ies w it h our ha rd-work ing work force w i l l prov ide us t he adva ntage. Election 2017 Fayetteville City Council Candidates Pa i d f o r b y C i n d y B l a c k we l l f o r C l e r k o f Co u r t Experienced. Qualified. Committed. the PEOPLE'S CLERK