Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 1, 1993 TAG: 9312010240
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KAREN BARNES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
A paid advertisement in today's Bedford Bulletin urges citizens to consider the costs of a consolidation plan: decreased services and a likely tax increase.
"The petition will require the city and the county to prepare a very costly plan of consolidation for submission to the voters," the ad reads. "Such a plan was presented by the city of Emporia and Greensville County in 1987 at a cost to the taxpayers of over half a million dollars."
A group of six business leaders, calling themselves the Committee of Concerned Citizens, sponsored the ad. Led by John Broadman, president of Sam Moore Furniture Industries, the committee points out the failure of the state's last 13 consolidation efforts. This attempt is headed in the same direction, he said.
City residents, who enjoy a high ratio of police officers to residents, would lose a portion of that protection under a merged law enforcement system as police coverage would be spread throughout the consolidated city, he said.
Bedford Mayor G. Michael Shelton said city voters would have problems approving consolidation. "It's not an economically viable proposal unless city residents are willing to make cuts," he said.
In order to equalize protection throughout the new city, residents could face a hefty tax increase - as much as a dollar per $100 of assessed value, he said.
Broadman estimated the budget would require an additional $1.1 million dollars, generated from increased taxes.
However, petition leaders H.F. and Anita Garner of Forest cite the possible benefits of consolidation.
Long-term planning would be greatly improved through consolidation, they argue. "We alternately lurch between residential construction, industrial parks, supposedly conserving agricultural land, touting the tourist-attraction merits of scenic vistas while encouraging unlimited population growth and urbanization," they said. "Consolidation should provide the unity to force reconciliation of these conflicting aims."
Elimination of duplicate services could save taxpayers' money, they said. "Just putting one of the two operating landfills on standby would save over $2,000 a day," they wrote. The city and county already share several services - social services, Health Department, court system, libraries, schools and extension services.
The Garners started their push in late October after attending a meeting on the possibility of Lynchburg's annexing Bedford County's wealthiest area - Forest, which borders the city.
Through collecting signatures at polling sites on Election Day, the couple and nearly 40 volunteers gathered 2,400 names, nearly two-thirds of the 3,850 needed to demand a charter committee.
The committee, expected to be composed of the City Council and county Board of Supervisors, would then have one year to develop a cogent consolidation plan. Once a plan is reached, residents would vote in a special referendum.
Lynchburg officials have denied any plans to annex Forest and a state moratorium on annexation is in effect until 1995.
by CNB