With higher sales tax numbers and lower employment figures already in place for Lowndes County and Columbus, the area received more positive economic news as the Columbus Air Force Base on Friday released its fiscal year 2011 economic impact report. The report was presented during a luncheon sponsored by the Base Community Council.
“We are here to help the (CAFB) perfect its mission and were are here to support them,” BCC President Kevin Stanford said. “This is a partnership between the base and our community.”
Maj. Jennifer Varga, Commander, 14th Comptroller Squadron, 14th Flying Training Wing delivered the good economic news, calling the CAFB an “economic engine.”
“Our studies show the (CAFB) had a $262.1 million impact on the area in 2011,” Varga said. “This is an increase of $5 million from 2010.”
With a personnel roster of 2,997, CAFB pumped $140.2 million into the economy through jobs and payroll. 1,520 employees are military employees, 685 employees are contract personnel and 516 are civil service employees.
“This area increased by $14.1 million from 2010,” Varga said. “Our 2010 numbers had increased by more than $6 million from 2009. We are an economic engine for Lowndes County and the City of Columbus.”
Varga said $38.7 million was created by CAFB in indirect jobs.
“These are the jobs created on the local economy in order to support (CAFB) and its personnel and adequate good and services,” she said. “The number of indirect jobs created last year was 977, with an increase of 23 jobs over 2010.
Annual expenditures contributed $83.2 million to the local economy through contracts, construction and other line item purchases. The three largest construction projects in 2011 were a $1.7 million design project supporting the upcoming MILICON project to rebuild the base’s center runway, a $1.1 million energy efficiency project and a $875,000 project to upgrade an electrical system.
“We have had our budget cut in recent years, but we still are providing the best service possible,” Varga said. “We had our funding cut $4.1 million in 2010. We are not able to do as many construction projects as we would like.”
Varga also pointed out a major boost to the local economy that was not reflected in her report: Local area military retirees provided approximately $103.1 million in additional revenue for the area.
“This is not part of our economic impact package, but it is a major boost to the local economy,” Varga said. “There are about 5,644 retired military personnel living in this area and almost 2,000 of that number have retired from the Air Force.”
Varga’s presentation was met with enthusiasm from BCC members and local elected officials.
“This was great news,” Ward 3 Councilman Charlie Box said after the meeting. “This is a tremendous economic impact on our economy. Having the (CAFB) is like having a small city within our city. I think Maj. Varga said it best when she described it as an ‘economic machine.’ Its existence is very vital to our area.”
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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