Wednesday, August 15, 2012

County: JPA voting should be equal

Debate over various roles continues

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By KATHERINE WUTZ
Express Staff Writer

Blaine County commissioners want parity with cities on a board that would decide how to allocate a proposed $2 million in local option taxes to support and expand air service in the Wood River Valley.

Representatives from the cities of Ketchum, Hailey and Sun Valley as well as the county and Fly Sun Valley Alliance met on Wednesday to create a new draft of the joint powers agreement on the board's structure.

Assuming the tax passes in each city, the current draft calls for the cities to have weighted votes that are commensurate with the amount of local option tax funds collected in each locality. The city of Hailey also would receive 10 percent of the votes for being an airport owner.

Based on current revenue projections, the draft would give Hailey a weighted vote of under 25 percent; Ketchum, roughly 51 percent; and Sun Valley, more than 25 percent. The current draft agreement does not give the county a voting seat on the board.

Fly Sun Valley Alliance President Eric Seder said that all major decisions would require a two-thirds majority to pass.

"With the airport owner taking [an additional] 10 percent, it keeps the city of Ketchum from owning the vote," County Commissioner Tom Bowman said.

The city councils currently are reviewing the draft. Although county representatives have attended the meetings to draft the agreement, county approval is not required to put the issue on the ballot.

Votes would determine how much funding should go to minimum revenue guarantees, an amount of money promised to airlines that might be otherwise unwilling to fly into risky resort markets such as Sun Valley.

The board created by the joint powers agreement also will determine how much of the funds should go toward marketing flights into Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey, and how much should go toward the cost of administering the tax.

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But Commissioners Larry Schoen and Angenie McCleary said they felt the votes should be even, especially if Hailey voters do not pass the supplemental local option tax and Blaine County is asked to take the airport owner's seat on the board.

"I have a problem with the idea of voting power proportionate to the amount contributed," Schoen said. "That's not how we typically do things."

Schoen pointed out that while residents of the unincorporated county will not be able to vote on the local option tax, they will need to pay it when they go to restaurants in the cities.

"The voting shares should be equal," he said, suggesting that the county commissioners should have a voting seat on the board to represent county constituents regardless of whether Hailey also is on the board.

Bowman said that would likely not be possible.

"[I suggested during the joint powers meeting] it might be good just to have a [voting] member of the county commission on to represent the county as a whole," he said. "That discussion lasted about 20 seconds and it was summarily dismissed."

However, he said, he hopes that the cities will be able to hash out an agreement that works for everyone, as expanding and maintaining air service would benefit the entire valley.

"Overall I hope that this LOT supplement passes in all three cities," he said. "The bottom line is that we need them to be successful."

The question will be on the ballot in November if the cities provide ballot language to the county by Sept. 7.

Kate Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com

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