Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 17, 1993                   TAG: 9306170229
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

TOWN BUDGET INCLUDES FEE INCREASES

The 11 percent fee-increase implemented by the Blacksburg-Christiansburg & VPI Water Authority, effective July 1, is reflected by a matching increase in Christiansburg's budget, also effective July 1.

Also starting July 1, town residents will pay $10 a month, up from $7.50, for solid waste service to help offset a 34 percent increase in fees charged by Montgomery County for use of its landfill.

The town's real estate tax will remain at 14 cents per $100 valuation, and the personal property and machine and tools tax will stay at 45 cents per $100. Town residents also pay county taxes.

Council members stressed the increases are in fees, not taxes. Services, such as water and waste disposal, are supposed to pay for themselves, members say.

"We don't particularly like it, but everything has gone up, and we don't have a choice," said Scott Weaver, who helped prepare the budget as part of council's finance committee. "They have rising costs just like everybody else."

Weaver said council could have decided to absorb the fee increases without passing them onto residents. But, he said, "the budget is about as stable as it could be, and something else would have to be eliminated."

The budget, up from $8.4 million last year, features another expense that was imposed on the town. Because Montgomery County Sheriff Kenneth Phipps decided to stop the DARE program in town schools, the town will have to hire a new police officer to conduct drug and alcohol education.

Other notable expenses in the budget include $275,000 for street paving, $235,000 for a new fire truck, $100,000 for the rescue squad building fund and a 4 percent raise for town employees.

Major revenue sources for the town include an estimated $1.1 million in general property taxes and $1.2 million in prepared meal taxes.

In other news, council decided Tuesday night to not allow seperate water meters for residents who want to use them to measure the water they use for their gardens and to wash cars.

Sewage costs, at $2 per 1,000 gallons, are so inexpensive as to not merit the increased expense and effort that reading added water meters would entail, council decided.

Residents recently have asked council to allow them to install second water meters so they won't have to pay for sewer expenses for their garden and car washing water.

Also, council approved a conditional-use permit for Robert and Annette Marshall, who want to operate a commercial garage and towing service at 1270 Roanoke St.

Several neighbors attended Tuesday's meeting and asked council to reject the permit because they feared the property would become an unsightly junk yard.

In issuing the permit, council required that the Marshalls install an 8-foot fence around the one-acre property and plant evergreen trees that are at least 6 feet tall.