Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 11, 1990 TAG: 9007110311
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Special to the Roanoke Times & World-News
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
The Wythe County Board of Supervisors, on a vote of 3-2, turned down a request from the Lake Authority for $38,000 in operating funds.
Supervisors Bobby Williams, Tom Dupuis, Alan Dunford and Charlotte Naber voted against the request, with Supervisors Andy Kegley, George Johnstone and Sid Crockett voting in favor.
Following the vote, memberts of the lake authority, who had issued an ultimatum to quit, did so, turning in their resignations to the Board of Supervisors.
A substitute motion, recommending $19,000 in funding for the lake, then was offered by Dupuis. That motion passed on a vote of 3-2, with two abstentions. Dupuis, Naber, and Crockett voted in favor of the substitute motion, while Williams and Dunford voted no, and Kegley and Johnstone abstained.
Williams, chairman of the board, issued this reason for voting against funding for the lake: "I believe the lake funds have been mismanaged for years and there has been nobody accountable to anybody, and, to keep putting taxpayers money into this entity would be unthinkable."
Naber also accused the Lake Authority of poor management.
"I personally have a problem with the management of the lake, your poor record-keeping, and accountability of how funds are spent."
Wanting to keep the lake open, the board hurriedly appointed five new members to the authority: Stephanie Porter of The Southwest Enterprise, Joe Heldreth of The Southwest Times, Tommy Anders of the Bank of Speedwell, Kegley and Danny Gordon of WYVE Radio.
A sixth authority member, Sam Cassell, agreed to stay despite the resignation of the others.
Sam Wagner is continuing at the lake and for all practical purposes it is business as usual at Rural Retreat Lake.
by CNB