Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 14, 1990 TAG: 9005140273
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"There is no way that these services could be provided at a comparable level without more manpower," said Nickens, who helped negotiate the consolidation plan.
During the talks, city and county officials concluded that a consolidated government would need at least 54 additional officers to provide the same level of police services throughout the area, he said.
"It was thoroughly discussed and it was agreed that the cost would be prohibitive," Nickens said.
The real estate tax rate would probably have to be raised to $1.50 per $100 assessed value to pay for the same level of public safety services in both the "suburban" and "urban" service districts, he said.
The urban district would coincide with the current boundaries of the city and the suburban district would include the area now in the county.
If consolidation had been in effect this year, the tax rate in the suburban district would have been $1.10, and the rate in the urban district would have been $1.23.
Nickens, who recently disclosed that he will work to defeat the consolidation plan, said city officials seem willing to say or do anything to try to persuade voters to approve merger.
But Bob Johnson, the county's other consolidation negotiator, said there is "nothing new" in recent statements by Roanoke Vice Mayor Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr. and other officials that the same level of public safety services would be provided throughout the consolidated government.
"It was never a great problem with me because I knew that when you formed a new government, you had to provide the same level of police, fire and rescue services throughout the area," Johnson said.
But Johnson said that doesn't necessarily mean the consolidated government would have to provide the same level of police patrols in the Catawba Valley or on Bent Mountain, for instance, as it would in downtown Roanoke.
"The city itself does not now provide the same level of patrol on Peakwood Drive, for example, as it does on the City Market," he said.
The consolidation agreement provides a "good deal" for the county because it would get the same level of public safety services at a lower tax rate.
The real estate tax rate in the suburban district will be at least 5 cents per $100 assessed value lower than the urban district.
Johnson said the comments by Fitzpatrick and others about the same level of police, fire and rescue services apparently were intended to help clear up any confusion that had been created by Supervisor Lee Eddy's proposal to change the boundaries for the suburban and urban service districts.
Eddy had argued earlier that perpetuation of the "old city" and "old county" boundary lines is not the way to start a consolidated government when the emphasis should be on the common good rather than the old "us vs. them mentality."
After last week's meeting, Eddy said there was an agreement among city and county officials to remove fire and police protection from the list of services that would be provided at a higher level in the urban service district. This means there would be no difference in the level of police and fire protection in the old city and the old county, he said.
Eddy said the consensus that was reached among the negotiators would satisfy his concerns about the service districts.
by CNB