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

DATE: SUNDAY, March 14, 1993                   TAG: 9303150553
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: D-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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TIME FOR CITY OF ROANOKE TO CUT SPENDING

I HAVE NOTICED that our elected, appointed and hired officials have no idea of the money problems the city of Roanoke is and will be facing. Let's look at what is happening to our tax base: Sears Telecatalog closing, no more Dominion and Gardner-Denver, President Clinton raising taxes, etc.

How do you think this will affect the revenue for Roanoke? I don't think that City Council can figure this out, nor do they care!

They gave Hotel Roanoke $18 million without asking taxpayers, and $90,000-plus for a new school superintendent while still paying the retiring superintendent's salary (which most taxpayers are not aware of).

Now, there's a jail expansion that council says the taxpayers need not vote on or approve. Need I bring up again their 2-for-1 retirement plan, the best and most expensive in the state? A 10-percent pay raise for the good ol' boys, which brings the city manager to $100,000-plus a year and a new budget director with $80,000-plus?

My real-estate tax has gone up for the last four years. When is City Council going to follow President Clinton's example and cut expenses? Why do the citizens, with an average income of $20,000 a year, have to pay for the best of everything for our leaders? Who is the servant - our elected officials or the taxpayers/voters?

All we want is a little fiscal responsibility during these hard times. STEPHEN VASSAR ROANOKE

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