CRAIG SUPERVISORS BALANCE BUDGET WITHOUT RAISING TAXES

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

DATE: THURSDAY, April 8, 1993                   TAG: 9304080573
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: W-29   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CHARLES STEBBINS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEW CASTLE                                LENGTH: Medium
CRAIG SUPERVISORS BALANCE BUDGET WITHOUT RAISING TAXES
It appears that Craig County will go into a new fiscal year with a budget that is in the black and with no tax increase.
This prognosis is based on a preliminary 1993-94 budget that Craig County Administrator Richard Flora presented to the Board of Supervisors Monday.
The $4,469,411 spending plan is about $175,000 more than the one for the current fiscal year. The higher amount, Flora said, is brought about by higher revenue from from the state and federal governments for schools and a full year's revenue from the county's utility tax.
In the current fiscal year, Flora said, the county has collected utility tax revenue for only 10 months, because the tax was not enacted until after the fiscal year began.
Board Chairman Zane Jones said that the balanced budget with no tax increase puts Craig in a stronger financial position than some counties.
The budget also includes $2,967,816 for schools.
Citizens will have a chance to speak out on the budget May 18 during a 7:30 p.m. hearing at the county courthouse in New Castle.
During their Monday meeting, the supervisors also discussed - but made no effort to resolve - the issue of elected school boards.
Last fall, county voters decided that Craig should have elected school boards instead of appointed boards as now. However, Craig County School Board members will not be elected until November 1995.
Craig's present School Board has five members, three representing magisterial districts and two at large. Under the new law, all of the members will have to be elected at large or elected to represent magisterial districts. Jones said that unless the state law is amended, Craig must decide whether to reduce the board to one member for each of the three magisterial districts or make all five spots at large.
Jones said he does not like the idea of having all board members at large, but he does like the five-member board concept. He said he thinks school matters have been handled more efficiently since the five-member School Board was created some years ago.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB