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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 13, 1991                   TAG: 9103130388
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Southwest bureau
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE                                LENGTH: Short

WYTHE STOPS REVENUE TO TOWNS

The Wythe County Board of Supervisors voted 4-3 Tuesday to repudiate a 17-year-old agreement that gives the towns of Wytheville and Rural Retreat a cut of county sales tax revenues.

Wytheville Mayor Trent Crewe said the decision could affect cooperation between the towns and county. The agreement also included a pledge by the town of Wytheville not to seek city status.

If the county got $1.3 million in sales tax revenue in 1991-92, Wytheville's share would have been $410,000, Rural Retreat would have gotten $49,000 and the county would have kept $839,000.

Supervisors George Johnstone, Charlotte Naber, Alan Dunford and Bobby Williams voted to end the agreement. Tom DuPuis, Sid Crockett and Andy Kegley voted against the motion.

The agreement is to end July 1.

Crewe said Wytheville citizens are county taxpayers, too. He said Wytheville generates 39 percent of all county real estate taxes, 41 percent of personal property taxes, 77 percent on machinery and tools and 79 percent of the merchant's capital tax.

In fact, he said, the town generates 79 percent of the sales taxes for the county.

He said the town had realized slightly more than $1.1 million from the sales tax agreement over the past five fiscal years, and had paid twice that much in recreation services and fire protection for people living outside the town limits.

by CNB