Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 16, 1990 TAG: 9005160638
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: MARK LAYMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Before approving the budget, the supervisors:
Rejected a suggestion by Supervisor Lee Eddy to continue paying Sheriff Mike Kavanaugh $11,000 a year in addition to his state salary of $53,373. The sheriff got the extra pay because he was the county's top law enforcement officer. But that job will be taken over by a police chief this summer.
Cut five additional patrol officers County Administrator Elmer Hodge wanted to hire for the new police department. The supervisors left the money for the additional officers in the budget, but said the new police chief should decide if they are needed.
Implemented only some of the pay increases recommended in a market survey of employee salaries. Hodge had included $331,251 in his proposed budget to implement the survey. The supervisors cut that by $117,855.
Used some of the money saved by that cut to pay for two new employees - an economic development specialist and a zoning enforcement officer.
The supervisors also learned that the county might have a surplus of $1.8 million in the current budget year, which ends June 30. But, Hodge said, "I think this is the last time you'll see that." The supervisors have told Hodge that beginning-of-the-year revenue projections should not vary from actual revenues by more than 0.5 percent.
The supervisors went along with Hodge's recommendation to add the surplus to the budget's unappropriated balance. That would raise the unappropriated balance to $4.6 million, about 7 percent of general fund expenditures.
Hodge has pushed for an increase in the unappropriated balance as a way to improve the county's bond rating and as a hedge against unexpected bills.
He told the supervisors Tuesday that there might be costs next year for additional cleanup at the old Dixie Caverns landfill. And the county might want to help Roanoke pay for a downtown convention and trade center, he said.
The 1990-1991 budget is based on a real estate tax rate of $1.13 per $100 of assessed value. However, tax bills mailed this spring were based on the current rate of $1.15. The new tax rate takes effect Jan. 1.
The county expects to get nearly $300,000 in new revenue next year by raising the fees for site inspections, rezonings and parks and recreation activities.
The budget includes money for four new firefighter/paramedics for the Bent Mountain and Vinton fire stations.
It also includes:
Money for the lease-purchase of two more "one-armed bandit" garbage trucks and enough roll-out containers to expand automated garbage collection to 60 percent of the county's households. It also includes money for a new recycling program for half the county's households.
$100,000 for economic development projects.
$265,000 for the county's annual payment to the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission.
Money for the Regional Partnership and the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Money for Total Action Against Poverty, Mental Health Services and other cultural and human service agencies.
The county's 1990-1991 general fund and school budget totals $112.6 million.
by CNB