SUPERVISORS TO DEAL WITH BUDGET, FLOOD CONTROL, CHAIRMAN SELECTION

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

DATE: SATURDAY, January 11, 1992                   TAG: 9201110044
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-5   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Greg Edwards
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                  LENGTH: Medium
SUPERVISORS TO DEAL WITH BUDGET, FLOOD CONTROL, CHAIRMAN SELECTION
Flood control for Elliston, the 1992-93 Montgomery County budget and selection of a chairman face the county Board of Supervisors Monday night.
County Administrator Betty Thomas will ask the board to reconfirm its willingness to work with the Army Corps of Engineers on a flood control project for Brake Branch at Elliston.
Thomas's staff has been working with the Army on a study of ways to control flooding on the creek.
Although rechanneling appears to be too costly, it does look like clearing brush from a 15- to 25-foot-wide corridor and removing debris, including fallen trees, from the creek would help lessen the flooding threat at a reasonable cost.
The clearing would be conducted from the mouth of Brake Branch on the South Fork of the Roanoke River, upstream to the end of the heavily developed section along the stream.
The Army has asked that $23,000 be included in the county's 1992-93 capital improvement budget to buy 2,860 feet of easements along the creek.
Thirty tracts of land would be involved.
Another $28,000 has been requested to help pay for the work on the project.
The board will conduct a public hearing on next year's budget at Monday's meeting and also hear Thomas's recommendations.
Revenue projections indicate that the county's tax revenue will grow only about $550,000, at current tax rates.
Among Thomas's recommendations are that no new major county purchases of buildings or equipment be considered, that $886,038 left over from last year's budget be used for non-recurring capital purchases already planned, and that no raises be included in the budget except merit raises based on an employee's performance.
The board's first order of business Monday will be to choose a chairman and vice chairman and set a regular meeting time.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB