Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, December 12, 1994 TAG: 9412120006
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Since 1974, when Nansemond County and Suffolk merged, no consolidation proposal in Virginia has survived a voter referendum.
But government leaders in Bedford County and Bedford say the proposed merger of those two localities may succeed, because the city and county already have a history of cooperation. Still, most local government experts agree consolidation is always a hard sell to voters.
"The forces for change will really have to make their point," said Nelson Wikstrom, an associate professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University. "Unless people can be convinced that consolidation is pragmatic and that it won't hurt them, they'll tend to favor the status quo.
"That's why it's been so difficult to bring about changes in government in the past."
Wikstrom, who is writing a book about regionalism and consolidation, also served on a committee that studied an unsuccessful proposal to create a limited regional government in the Richmond area this year.
But he said the General Assembly and the governor are more sympathetic than ever before to consolidation and to projects such as regional jails and that could help the Bedford plan gain approval.
Also, "the population has become more mobile, and a lot of folks have just moved into the area in the last five or 10 years. They're not wedded to the local government, as opposed to people who have lived in the area all their life."
Consolidation talks in Bedford began earlier this year when a Forest couple submitted a petition to both governments citing the need to protect Bedford County from annexation by the city of Lynchburg to the east or the town of Vinton to the west. Bedford and Bedford County have until February to prepare a consolidation plan for voters to consider in a November 1995 referendum.
Bedford City Councilwoman Joanne Graham, who heads the city's merger study team, said: "I think the chances are really good that the referendum will pass. This business of growing and annexation is a problem in Virginia, and this [consolidation plan] is one way of answering these problems. I think we have a good chance."
County Supervisor Gus Saarnijoki predicted the Bedford consolidation referendum will fare better than earlier proposals because the county and city already share some services, including schools, which are traditionally a big source of arguments in consolidation talks.
That improves the chances for consolidation, said state Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County.
Bell first caught the public eye as an organizer of the petition drive that led to the 1990 Roanoke-Roanoke County consolidation vote.
County residents "just weren't convinced about the net benefits" of merging city and county schools, even though the merged government probably could have benefited economically by having a central school system, he said.
Bell's advice to consolidation advocates?
"Minimize the emotional side of the issue and focus on what the benefits are to the taxpayer."
He said the Roanoke Valley-consolidation referendum was hurt by the secrecy in which the merger plan was prepared.
"When it came time to vote, people were very suspect,'' Bell said.
In Bedford, consolidation talks have been held in executive session by a joint team consisting of representatives of City Council and the Board of Supervisors, the county administrator, the city manager and the city and county attorneys. The two governments have yet to hold a public forum on consolidation.
Bell said another problem in Roanoke was that some business leaders saw no financial justification for consolidating the city and county.
John Boardman, chairman of Bedford-based Sam Moore Furniture and spokesman for a group that opposes the Bedford consolidation, echoed that sentiment. He said he sees no economic advantages to consolidating Bedford and Bedford County to ward off threats of annexation from Lynchburg or Vinton.
"Why should Bedford be a party to strangling Lynchburg and Roanoke? This [consolidation] is trying to prevent their growth" and could hurt the regional economy, Boardman said.
Bedford and Bedford County agreed last month on a basic consolidation plan under which the county would become a city - the state's largest in land mass. The existing city would become a shire, a semi-independent government similar to a town. It would retain its own elected representatives and provide its own services. The consolidation agreement states that tax rates for residents of the old city will not rise because of the merger.
Details such as political structure, land boundaries and shared services have yet to be worked out and probably will not be released in a comprehensive report until the consolidation team presents its final plan to the General Assembly in February.
Because it would be a city, the consolidated locality would be protected from possible annexation by Lynchburg or Vinton if a state moratorium on annexation ends in 1997.
Currently, the state moratorium blocks Bedford from annexing land from the county. With special legislation from the General Assembly, it would, as a shire, be able to annex land by ordinance from the surrounding city. Annexing by ordinance would be quicker and cheaper than pursuing annexation in court or by referendum.
Through annexation, the shire would be able to expand its revenue base and increase the amount of land it has available for industrial and commercial growth. New residents probably would pay higher taxes, but they also would receive a wider range of services.
James Svara, director of public administration at North Carolina State University and an expert on North Carolina government, said annexation by ordinance in his state has promoted regionalism and shared services between counties and cities.
But he said the Bedford consolidation plan differs from government agreements in North Carolina in one respect: There are no small governments in North Carolina (such as the proposed Bedford shire) that can annex land from bigger governments (such as the new Bedford city) that can themselves annex.
If the state moratorium on annexation were lifted, the new city of Bedford would be able to annex land from neighboring counties such as Franklin, Botetourt and Campbell.
Vinton is safe from annexation by the new city since it is separated from Bedford by a slender strip of Roanoke County. And the General Assembly granted Roanoke County, and other large metropolitan counties, immunity from annexation in the late 1970s.
However, before any annexation, the city would have to prove that it needed the land - for commercial or industrial development, for example. Also, "Bedford County's got a lot of space. Moving from a county to a city, we're going to have sympathy for other counties" facing annexation, said Bedford County Administrator Bill Rolfe.
Nevertheless, the shire's ability to annex land by ordinance from the new city of Bedford could be a major stumbling block in passing the referendum.
Boardman said annexation by ordinance would not give citizens a chance to voice opposition. And, he added, since tax rates are higher in the city, where more services are provided, county residents being annexed automatically would receive a real-estate tax increase - from 65 cents to 71 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Graham disagrees.
"Oh, but it does give voters a voice," she said, adding that all annexations by ordinance would require public hearings at which residents could voice their concerns or desires.
Svara also said annexation by ordinance doesn't eliminate the voter.
"Everybody as a resident of the state has a say in how these ground rules for annexation are maintained."
If they so desire, voters can try to overturn the concept by referendum, petition or constitutional amendment.
The benefits of annexation for residents usually outweigh any tax increase, Svara said. In North Carolina, cities have a year to provide annexed areas the same level of basic services received by other city residents. Within two years, annexed residents are guaranteed by state law to receive all the same services as other city residents.
Because the city must be able to pay for the services it extends to annexed areas, the city can bite off only as much as it can chew, meaning there usually will be no sweeping annexations of land.
North Carolina law also requires that the area to be annexed meets certain requirements of urbanization and borders a significant part of the city, meaning that the city can't grab farms or industries just to bring in revenue.
Virginia law allows localities considering consolidation to draft their own agreements outlining how one body may annex land from another. Because Bedford and Bedford County's plan is unique in allowing the shire to annex land from the city by ordinance, the plan will require special legislation by the General Assembly and the approval of the Commission on Local Government before it can be put to a vote.
"I would think it would have an excellent chance of passing [in a referendum] after it gets through all the General Assembly hurdles," said state Sen. Elliot Schewel, D-Lynchburg. "It represents a very creative and innovative plan for consolidation ... but it depends entirely on the educational effort put behind it by the Board of Supervisors and City Council."
Del. Lacey Putney, I-Bedford, echoed Schewel's sentiments, adding that area legislators don't see any problems with Bedford's consolidation plan and don't anticipate any major obstacles to it in the General Assembly.
"The tough job will be the educational challenge, articulating the terms of consolidation to the voters in the county and the city," Putney said.
Many question what the merger would accomplish if Bedford and Bedford County essentially would remain unchanged, Putney said.
Most say the only benefit they see from the merger would be safety from annexation - regardless of whether that threat is real.
Putney, who lives in Forest, said "nothing is more important to the residents of Forest than putting a stop to the possibility of annexation. They live in constant fear of another annexation coming down the pike" from Lynchburg.
But Schewel said, "We're not in any position to do any annexation," noting that Lynchburg still is facing building two sewer systems at a cost of $200 million to prevent sewage from overflowing into the James River.
"I think there will always be an interest [on Lynchburg's part to annex Forest], but it wouldn't be financially feasible, given what we've got on our financial plate right now.''
And, the state senator said, "If I had to bet, I'd bet that the moratorium [on annexation] would be extended after 1997."
by CNB