Mayor Karen Alexander is reframing the debate over Fibrant finances. Taxpayers’ money that goes to support the broadband utility is not just spent, nor is it wasted, she told the Salisbury Rotary Club on Tuesday. The money is invested, she said, and it amounts to only 8-9.25 percent of the general fund budget. “Is this too much to invest in the most important tool to attract high tech jobs for our children and grandchildren?” she asked.

The question was rhetorical, but Alexander’s listeners seemed receptive. If anything, they might have wondered why the mayor was taking a defensive tone. But then, only Alexander knows the blow-back she’s received about Fibrant.

City Manager Lane Bailey had to unwind cross-resource accounting to establish the real cost of Fibrant across all departments, Alexander said. City Council got the results last week. As a staff member presented the city’s midyear financial report, Fibrant’s name and numbers came up in several places. Fibrant is far from self-supporting — some $3 million of the general fund will help fund it this year — but it is bringing in money and business is growing.

Alexander shared one story that demonstrated the value of Fibrant’s fast speeds. She said a group planning a one-day conference on data analytics in Charlotte was upset to learn the hotel their 450 conferees planned to use didn’t have sufficient broadband. At best, they’d be able to text each other. Anything more would crash the system. “I told them that the Trolley Barn was already equipped with 1 gig of service and the chamber had already tested it with their Chamber Business Expo last summer with no crashes,” Alexander said. “We can accommodate their conference attendees in our hotels and they can commute to Salisbury in the same time they go from the airport to South Park, due to the tangle of traffic in Charlotte.”

Word of Fibrant’s 10 gig capability is getting around and needs to spread far and wide. Alexander said that is happening. Fifteen businesses have signed up for Fibrant this year, she said.

City leaders have taken the blinders off to fully assess Fibrant’s finances, Alexander said. Now Salisburians need to “get over our myopic view of ourselves,” she said, value Fibrant for the tremendous asset it is and get behind it.

The mayor may have been preaching to the choir, or at least many of its members. Everyone, including the mayor, is eager to see Fibrant pull in more business and stand on its own feet. The city could stand to invest in some other areas, too.