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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 15, 1994                   TAG: 9406210044
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SUPERVISORS SET REGIONAL MEETINGS

The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, having delayed a vote since last month, decided to invite Roanoke to meet in the name of regional cooperation. And Botetourt County. And Salem. And Vinton.

Supervisors will set up four meetings to get to know their elected counterparts in the Roanoke Valley's other jurisdictions. The other governments were included at the insistence of Supervisor Harry Nickens, who wanted to go beyond the original resolution inviting Roanoke.

Last month, the board tabled the vote because of differences in opinion among board members.

Supervisor Bob Johnson proposed the idea after May's election put new members on City Council who campaigned on themes of regional cooperation. He said the delay last month in voting made the county look bad, but that it won't hurt relations with the city.

Said incoming City Councilman Jack Parrott: "I couldn't quite figure it out. I didn't know what the problem was. I think everybody figured they would [pass it] eventually."

Parrott said he was "tickled" with the invitation and will attend the get-together. He said an informal, meet-and-greet like the county is planning will help elected officials get to know each other.

Johnson sees this as a major step for valley cooperation.

"Once it's started, I don't think anything will stop it," he said. "But it's got to get started. You have to get the egos and other peripheral stuff out of the way."

He already has proposals ready to go, including a joint project that uses proximity to Virginia Tech to attract high-tech business.

In other action, supervisors:

Passed the fiscal 1994-95 budget: an $85.7 million general fund budget and a total budget of $187 million.

Voted themselves a 3.8 percent pay raise, which will make their annual compensation $10,181. The chairman gets an additional $1,800, and the vice chairman an additional $1,200. It's the same raise county employees will get if they receive a full merit raise of 0.8 percent and a cost-of-living increase of 3 percent.

The supervisors' raise was killed once, as was a 3 percent raise, on 3-2 votes, until Supervisor Ed Kohinke brought the issue back. He had supported an unsuccessful 3 percent raise and, when it failed, voted against a 3.8 percent increase. He then changed his vote because he said he supports keeping the salaries adjusted for inflation

Approved a plan to make the county self-insured for general and automobile liability.