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

DATE: THURSDAY, January 19, 1995                   TAG: 9501190122
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE                                LENGTH: Medium

PRISON ADVISORY VOTE SOUGHT

Del. Thomas Jackson, D-Hillsville, will introduce legislation seeking an advisory referendum on construction of a private prison in Wythe County, even though the governing body apparently will not ask him to do so.

A group calling itself Citizens Against the Prison made the request during a constituents' meeting last week with Jackson and state Sen. Jack Reasor, D-Bluefield. Jackson agreed at that time to try to get the referendum scheduled in March.

The Wythe County Board of Supervisors did not request the referendum at a session held Tuesday night, and probably will not do so when it meets next Tuesday.

``Not at this time. It's not on the agenda, and I do not anticipate that the discussion will come up at this next meeting,'' board Chairman Mark Munsey said Wednesday. ``We're in a holding situation awaiting other information, and we're also taking input from the citizens.''

But Kay Horney, an aide in Jackson's office in Richmond, said the bill to seek the referendum is being drafted and has to be filed by 5 p.m. Monday. She said Jackson plans to file it because he promised Citizens Against the Prison he would do so.

The group's members are circulating petitions in support of the referendum. Horney said it is uncertain whether the referendum requires 10 percent or more of a locality's registered voters to request it. The bill probably could be filed without petitions.

But, as Jackson told the prison opponents, the General Assembly historically has been reluctant to approve advisory referendums not requested by a governing body. A large number of petitions requesting it would give his bill more weight.

However, even if voter sentiment in an advisory referendum were against the prison, the Board of Supervisors would not be obligated to take any action based on it. And because the county has no zoning ordinance, about the only action that the board could take would be to pass a resolution for or against the project.

Corrections Corporation of America, which announced plans seven weeks ago to build the 1,500-bed prison two miles east of Wytheville, would not be legally bound to honor a resolution from the board.

by CNB