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

DATE: THURSDAY, April 19, 1990                   TAG: 9004200630
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: N6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By TAMMY POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TOWN MAY RAISE FEE FOR WATER CONNECTION

Council wants to increase its water connection fee from $300 to $500 for commercial accounts and from $150 to $200 for residential accounts.

"We'll still be six to seven times cheaper than the nearest fee," Councilman Dean Paderick said.

A public hearing concerning this issue will be held at the next council meeting.

Council also wants to start penalizing customers who are late paying their water bills. The bill is due by the 20th and quite a few accounts are habitually late. Some are several months past due.

Although the current bills state that there is a penalty for late payments, no penalty has been charged. If the proposal passes, there will be a $10 reconnection fee plus a 10 percent penalty added if the bill isn't paid by the first of the next month.

In other business, council:

Learned that the town's audit for its loan application to Dominion Bank was finished and was satisfactory, according to Mayor Jewell Tyndall. Council applied for the tax-free loan to fund its water extension to Exit 44 of Interstate 81. Council should find out whether or not the loan has been approved in a couple of weeks.

Was informed that 225 vehicle decals had been issued as of April 10. Last year, a total of 300 decals were issued.

Voted to exchange business services in lieu of rent in the amount of $200 per month for Dominion Services, an accounting firm whose offices are in the town hall. Owner Devin Moeller agreed to create a new billing system for the town's water and sewer accounts in lieu of paying rent.

Heard a report from Tyndall that she hadn't persuaded the state Tranportation Department to incorporate Boone Drive into its system because there was only a 30-foot right-of-way for the drive, instead of the 40-foot right-of-way the state requires.

Voted to charge a single rental fee of $50 for the town hall's meeting room and kitchen. Previously there was a separate rental charge for each room.