Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 4, 1995 TAG: 9501040107
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
With the 1995 General Assembly and a nasty budget battle about to begin, Roanoke County's wish list isn't filled with requests for new funding or favors from the state.
Instead, the county is just trying to hang on to the status quo.
Over coffee and Danish pastry, county supervisors, staff and constitutional officers let local legislators know they want their revenue sources left alone and money promised from the state delivered.
The county, like other localities, lets state delegates and senators know every year what they want to see happen in that year's session in Richmond.
In 1995, the supervisors said, restore funding for law enforcement and constitutional officers' fringe benefits, and let us keep the business-license tax that Gov. George Allen hopes to eliminate.
"I don't think you have anything on there unreasonable for Roanoke County," said Del. Vic Thomas, D-Roanoke, who said he didn't think Roanoke Valley representatives would support all of Allen's proposals.
Of those proposals, he said, "This is too much of a change for the commonwealth of Virginia. We're 47th [in order of tax burdens by state] - 46 have heavier taxes than we do."
"There's a national frenzy to cut, cut, cut," Supervisor Bob Johnson said. "The amount of money taken out of the citizen's pocket is pretty low. I don't think it should be any higher, but I don't think we should get caught up in the frenzy."
Del. Clifton "Chip" Woodrum, D-Roanoke, said eliminating the business-license tax, which allows localities to tax the receipts of businesses, was not a tax cut, but a tax transfer because the money lost would have to be made up by raising property or other taxes.
"You cannot go around 'cut now and pay later' - that's a kind of Visa card government," Woodrum said. "I don't believe in that. I'm loath to say we'll have cuts now and have generations further along pay."
Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, commended the governor "for what he's trying to do." Griffith said he thinks the business-license tax is unfair, especially to struggling businesses that have to pay taxes on their gross receipts even if they're losing money.
But, he added, "We may have to say to the governor, 'You're right to look at this, but we can't cut as deep as you said.'''
Commissioner of Revenue Wayne Compton said 75 percent of the business taxes in the county are paid by out-of-state entities, such as Sears, Kroger and Marathon Gas. Cutting that tax and raising the property tax would place that $3million burden onto county residents.
Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County, said he doesn't think the business tax is fair, but if it were eliminated, he would want to know what other revenue sources localities would be provided.
Also of concern to the county is money promised by the state that has been whittled away in recent years. So-called "599 funds," for localities with police departments, have been reduced, as has money for fringe benefits for constitutional officers. Roanoke County has to come up with $428,791 annually through other sources because of the cuts.
Supervisor Lee Eddy said tax cuts at the state level have to be made up by local governments.
"It's making you guys look good and going to make us look bad..." Eddy said.
He asked representatives if they would support giving localities the power to impose a local income tax.
Everything's on the table, Bell said.
"I don't see that," Griffith said.
The idea of charter schools generated some lively debate.
Johnson asked Bell why he was sponsoring legislation to allow the experimental, largely self-governing schools. "Where are the Roanoke County schools failing in your opinion?"
"I don't think you have to have failure to pursue new ideas," Bell replied.
Woodrum, however, strongly objected to the concept, which has been suggested by a governor's task force.
The idea "sounds very familiar," he said. "It comes from Massive Resistance," when some counties closed their public schools rather than integrate them, and private, "segregation academies" were opened. "We've been down that sad and tawdry road ... I'm not going to be a part of that again."
"Resegregation is not black and white in every instance," Johnson said. "It's also segregation by classes ... Charter schools legally can create a separate class of people."
Bell said the charters for these schools would spell out that no segregation by race, sex or other characteristic would be allowed.
Roanoke County also asked the General Assembly to:
Enhance funding for public education; authorize local school divisions to establish school opening dates; and change the basis for disparity funding to take into account the locality's tax effort for education.
Continue funding the Virginia Museum of Transportation and Explore Park.
Restore funding for the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service and the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station.
Adopt legislation making counties' taxation and borrowing powers equal with those of municipalities.
Reduce unfunded mandates.
Oppose legislation that would make environmental protection and zoning actions by localities more difficult - a response to the governor's strike-force recommendation to adopt "property rights" legislation.
Support relaxing state laws on stump dumps and debris landfills.
Support state funding incentives that encourage regional cooperation.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1995
by CNB