Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 22, 1994 TAG: 9411030034
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY BELL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Despite their protests though, Vinton Town Council members passed a resolution placing incremental audit fees on bingo profits.
The William Byrd Boosters and other nonprofit organizations using bingo to raise funds at Valley Hall in Vinton will pay three -fourths of a percent of gross receipts this year, 11/2 percent in 1995-96 and 2 percent during 1996-97. The fee reimburses the town for the cost of quarterly audits that are required by the state.
``This is not a financial audit per se,'' said Joan Furbish, Vinton treasurer and finance director. The audits, which she described as costly, instead ensure that state rules and regulations governing bingo are being followed. Vinton has never audited bingo earnings.
Paul Bernard, a coach and teacher at the high school, recommended that the town be reimbursed for the actual costs of the audits instead of attaching a percentage to the earnings of nonprofit groups.
``We have gotten $5,400 [from the Roanoke County School Board] for all non-revenue sports for the past 15 years, yet the costs of transportation and equipment climb yearly,'' he said, adding bingo earnings have been use to offset the increases.
Byrd High School Principal, Bob Patterson, said since the booster club started bingo, it has provided about $87,000 to maintain fields, transport students, purchase equipment and send students to camp.
``We have gotten a lot of help from the parents of this community,'' he said.
Vice Mayor Joe Bush said council set the percentages after much consideration of what other localities charge for bingo audits.
``We cannot have the taxpayers of this town shoulder the burden for auditing the bingo profits,'' he said.
Bush said he's concerned that if Vinton sets a ``bingo tax'' lower than other Roanoke Valley municipalities, Vinton will become ``the bingo capital of Southwest Virginia.''
That, he said, would mean more bingo halls, more groups playing and more money being spread around more thinly.
Roanoke charges nonprofit organizations 1.5 percent of the earnings to audit bingo proceeds. Roanoke County's rate is 2 percent.
``Our plan is meant to be easy on the groups by easing into the 2 percent,'' Councilman Billy Obenchain said.
``I won't support anything that takes money from the kids or elderly citizens of this town, but we also cannot encourage the bingo landlords,'' he said.
by CNB