Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 25, 1991 TAG: 9103250129
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B/5 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Virginia Del. Linda Rollins said it's time to bring the fuzzy border into focus. The 1991 General Assembly approved her bill appropriating $5,000 for a commission to determine the exact border.
"It's a matter that needs to be resolved," said Rollins, R-Leesburg. "For one thing, we're about to go through redistricting, and I would like to have my boundary lines set. And there's also the question of taxes."
Rollins said establishing a boundary might benefit Loudoun County, which has a higher tax rate than neighboring Jefferson County, W.Va.
"Most residents along there would probably rather be taxed in West Virginia," Rollins said.
But the matter certainly will not be resolved before redistricting, which the General Assembly will consider in a special session April 1.
The Virginia border commission had been waiting for West Virginia Gov. Gaston Caperton to appoint a similar panel, which he finally named last week. The Virginia commission was created five years ago.
The area in question begins near Virginia 9 and extends south, Rollins said. The terrain is rugged, and the area sparsely populated. Rollins said she does not know of anyone who believes he lives in one state but might wind up in the other after the border is determined.
Although both states have lived with the stretch of imaginary border since West Virginia gained statehood in 1863, Rollins said it is important to clearly establish the state line.
"In the early '60s, there was a rape up on this mountain along the border," Rollins said. "The commonwealth's attorney couldn't prove the crime took place in Virginia."
There is nothing to prevent such a thing from happening again, she said.
by CNB