Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 20, 1990 TAG: 9003202711
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: MARK LAYMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Roanoke Mayor Noel Taylor told City Council on Monday that he has received a letter from Board of Supervisors Chairman Dick Robers outlining the suggested changes and asking for a response by March 31.
But he also has received a letter from Vinton Mayor Charles Hill, who warned that changes in the plan "could result in serious consequences that may jeopardize the harmony of the Roanoke Valley for years to come."
In his letter, Hill urged City Council "not [to] unilaterally concede to amending an agreement that affects the town of Vinton. . . . This precipitous action on behalf of the city and county would raise serious concern as to Roanoke City's and Roanoke County's intention as it relates to the town of Vinton."
Under the plan, Vinton would be allowed to expand its boundary east to the Bedford County line, taking in subdivisions along Virginia 24 and Hardy Road.
One of the Board of Supervisors' suggestions is to let residents of those subdivisions vote on whether to become part of the town.
Robers asked City Council to act on the changes by the end of this month. Timing is important, because some of the changes suggested by the county might need to be approved by the General Assembly, which will have a one-day session in mid-April.
City Council voted to refer the suggestions to the city's negotiating team. Vice Mayor Beverly Fitzpatrick said he and the other negotiators probably will meet to discuss the changes in the next week. The city's negotiators also might want to meet with the county's negotiators, he said.
The other changes the supervisors suggested last week are:
That the school board of the consolidated Roanoke Metropolitan Government have an equal number of representatives from the former city and the former county.
That residents of Mason Cove, Bennett Springs and the Catawba Valley be given the chance to become part of Salem if the consolidation plan is approved.
That current city-county boundary lines not be used for "urban" and "suburban" service districts.
Also on Monday, City Council:
Gave former Roanoke County Supervisor Lee Garrett a framed color photograph of the new terminal at Roanoke Regional Airport.
Taylor called Garrett, a founding member of the regional airport commission, "a tireless advocate of civic betterment and honest government."
Garrett's term on the commission ended in January. He was defeated for re-election in November.
Garrett, who didn't know why he had been asked to attend the City Council meeting, said he was "overwhelmed. . . . You have done me a great honor."
It is only "a myth," he said, that the city and the county don't get along. And Garrett said he supported the consolidation plan that he helped negotiate. "I hope that people can put aside any kind of selfishness . . . and look at what the benefits are" to consolidation, he said.
Voted to hold all discussions relating to appointments to the School Board in public, rather than paring down the list of nine applicants in a closed session.
by CNB