TAX RATE STAYS FLAT IN COUNTY SPENDING PLAN

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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 7, 1993                   TAG: 9304070354
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
TAX RATE STAYS FLAT IN COUNTY SPENDING PLAN
Roanoke County Administrator Elmer Hodge presented a $77 million county spending plan for 1993-94 on Tuesday that contains no tax increases.
The proposed budget would add four new employees, fill seven vacant positions, provide $1.2 million for employee raises and buy three new trucks to automate garbage collection throughout the county.
The spending plan, which must be approved by the Board of Supervisors, includes a 5.9 percent increase in general fund spending over the budget adopted for the current year.
Hodge had to balance the spending plan with existing revenues because the board already has decided not to raise land and personal property tax rates.
The administrator paid for the new spending in part with more than $1.6 million in "nonrecurring" revenue that will not be available later.
Hodge acknowledged that the quick fix will make it more difficult to balance the budget in future years.
Supervisors made it clear that they plan to make some revisions before the budget is adopted June 8.
For instance, some supervisors questioned the continued $300,000 general fund subsidy of the county's sewer rates.
They said residents with sewer service should pay their own way and not have to rely upon help from all county residents, many of whom do not have the service.
"I made a commitment that we would make this a true enterprise fund and not subsidize it with the general fund," said Hollins District Supervisor Bob Johnson.
Hodge said he did not want to hit residents with a sewer rate increase at the same time they are paying higher water bills for the $72 million Spring Hollow Reservoir.
Hodge said he would prefer to wait until the county knew its share of an estimated $42 million upgrade to the regional sewer treatment plant.
A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for the evening of April 27 at the county office building on Brambleton Avenue.
\ PROPOSED EXPANDED SERVICES\ ROANOKE COUNTY PLANS TO MAKE THESE SERVICES AVAILABLE\ \ Automated trash collection: Lease-purchase three trucks and 9,900 containers to expand automated service to entire county - $250,000.\ \ Law enforcement: Hire three corrections officers, one drug education instructor, one police detective and one patrol officer - $221,000.\ \ Leaf collection: No money to resume service, but county officials looking into contracting with private company to provide service at request - fee to be determined.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB