Advocacy

The Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce (Mount Airy, NC) supports legislative action that promotes a strong quality of life by fostering a growing economy for our county, region, and state. We believe that the state must focus on developing a skilled workforce, promoting economic development, and supporting local businesses to strengthen the economy and improve the lives of our residents. 

Guiding Principles

1. We support state investment in infrastructure. Specifically, the state must invest in transportation systems that promote tourism and facilitate the movement of people, goods, and products, as well as education systems that improve our workforce. Additionally, it must support utility systems that enable growth and utilize technology platforms that will allow seamless interaction between businesses and the government.

2. We support legislation that recognizes the needs of both our growing communities and those that are economically challenged, and that both communities can exist within the same county.

3. We oppose unfunded mandates on local governments, including school systems, or the creation of programs without recurring funding. 

4. We recognize that the current health insurance system is unaffordable for many small businesses and support efforts at all levels of government to address this burden on our small businesses. 

Workforce and Education

1. Support measures that address multi-faceted issues that restrict access to childcare for workers with programs such as: 

   • Minimizing financial barriers to quality childcare by offering tax credits to businesses that support employee childcare, raising subsidy income limits to promote career growth, and adjusting subsidy rates to reflect actual childcare costs. This includes the continuation of stopgap funding to alleviate childcare workforce shortages and support families as long-term solutions are developed.

2. Developing and launching pilot programs that test innovative, scalable approaches to address the childcare shortage, creating models that meet community needs, and building a sustainable support system for working families. 

3. Support initiatives that equip students with advanced skills and knowledge, preparing them for the demands of the local workforce, such as dual enrollment programs that foster career and technical skills. 

4. Revise the school report card system to recognize achievement, growth, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) credentialing so that businesses have a better understanding of the performance of their local schools. Specifically, we support a system that:

   • Focuses on growth in early grades;

   • Focuses on achievement in later grades; 

   • Measures achievement through both tests and credentials earned through CTE concentrators. 

5. Support long-term solutions to promote the recruitment and retention of staff for both public-schools and the community colleges. 

6. Support modernization of the Community College funding model to align investments with labor market needs, promote job training, and support enrollment growth as proposed by the Community College system through Propel NC.  

Healthcare

1. Create more options for small businesses and reduce healthcare costs, support any additional legislative or rulemaking action needed at either the state or federal level for the implementation of affordable health plans.

2. Advocate for accessible, affordable local healthcare for our citizens while supporting the long-term viability of our local hospitals and rural health infrastructure.  

Competitive Business Climate

1. Continue local investment in economic development at the county and municipal levels, including funding the economic development corporation. 

2. Support expanding site development funding through the State. 

3. Advance agriculture policy priorities and legislation that protects and promotes North Carolina’s agribusiness. 

4. Advocate for a modernized transportation funding structure, including increasing overall revenue, to keep our residents and visitors safe, improve our quality of life, and meet the demands of an increasingly competitive business environment. 

5. Work to address challenges to housing availability to improve opportunities for the workforce.  

6. Advocate for policies and projects that create local jobs and support the formation, retention, and relocation of businesses in Surry County. 

Tax and Regulatory Reform

1. Support energy policies that control carbon emissions, modernize the grid, and keep energy prices as affordable as possible. 

2. Oppose significant increases in the salary threshold for exempt employees by the Department of Labor, as drastic changes could burden businesses and limit flexibility in workforce management. 

3. Advocate for tax policies that keep rates low for small businesses to foster economic stability and growth.