Editor’s note: This is a copy of a letter that Salisbury Mayor Paul Woodson sent on Monday to members of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners. The board was scheduled to discuss a proposal for de-annexation of the Rowan County Airport at its meeting later in the evening.

On Friday, the Salisbury City Council discussed the Rowan County Airport at our annual goal-setting retreat. Much of the retreat focused on how to make our city and county an overall better place for our citizens. This includes providing jobs and opportunity to those who already live and work here in Rowan County.
The council also discussed the need to work together, cohesively, with Rowan County. Our recent progress regarding building inspections, an example of working together, was such a success we highlighted it at one of our publicly attended luncheons last week.
We need more of these successes.
When we are aligned pulling the sled together, our momentum is unstoppable; our results are incredible; and we make our citizens collectively proud.
When we are not aligned, we wind up spending valuable time, resources and energy pulling our sled in a circle. There is no progress, and our citizens suffer.
It is within this spirit that the City Council voted unanimously to propose lowering the tax rate an additional amount and to focus resources on extending the runway at the airport and to improve facilities overall at this location. Let this be our next success. Let this be, like building inspections, an item we can highlight the success of at next year’s retreat.
We stand ready to pull the sled with you and request that this agenda item be tabled and discussed at a joint meeting of both the Rowan County Board of Commissioners and the Salisbury City Council, called at your convenience.