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

DATE: TUESDAY, June 22, 1993                   TAG: 9306220289
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

COUNTY GETS THE BILL FOR STORM, AND IT HURTS

The county is expected to spend more than $52,000 in direct costs to rent trucks, hire temporary workers and pay overtime to remove trees felled during the storm.

The storm costs are part of an estimated $223,296 in "unavoidable" expenses that the county's General Services Department has incurred this year in excess of its budget.

Today, County Administrator Elmer Hodge will ask the Board of Supervisors to pay for the expenses with money from the county's budget surplus, which already is close to falling below a target set by the board.

The target - established in 1990 - calls for the county to maintain a surplus equal to 6.25 percent of general fund expenditures. The surplus is needed to minimize the county's need for borrowing money for cash-flow purposes.

The surplus could drop to $3.7 million - or about 5.24 percent of the general fund - after the new fiscal year begins July 1.

Hodge said Monday that he was not concerned because the "industry standard" for local governments is 5 percent.