Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 21, 1995 TAG: 9502210070
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
The state legislature, several Bedford and Bedford County officials say, has forced them to come up with a consolidation plan that never has been attempted before in the state of Virginia.
The state's moratorium on annexation and its history of epic battles between localities involved in annexation disputes have left local governments no choice, they say.
``Richmond needs to get the damn mess straightened out,'' said Ronnie Rice, a member of the Bedford City Council.
``Annexation has always been feudal warfare,'' said Dale Wheeler, chairman of the county Board of Supervisors. ``You put your knights out there and I put mine, and then we go at it.''
Wheeler and Rice are members of the study team that announced Monday that it has agreed to a 27-page draft consolidation plan.
Under the plan, the county would become a consolidated city - the largest in the state in land mass and the fifth-largest in the country. What's now the city of Bedford would become a shire, a semi-independent government similar to a town.
The General Assembly is expected to approve a bill this week allowing city and county residents to vote on the agreement, maybe as early as November.
It also was announced Monday that the first public meeting on the plan will be held tonight at 7:30 at Liberty High School. The draft plan will be explained during the meeting by members of the study team.
No services would be lost and no tax increase would result from the consolidation itself, the study team says.
The plan was developed after 15 percent of the county's registered voters - a percentage required by state law to get the issue on the table - signed petitions last year asking for it. The petitions were started by Forest residents who were looking for a way to keep the city of Lynchburg from annexing them in the future.
Under state law, surrounding counties could not annex land from a consolidated Bedford city.
The consolidated city/shire concept would seem a lot to go through to protect one portion of the county from possible annexation, but city and county officials say there's more to it than that.
Rice says although the shire concept would be unique in Virginia, it is a common practice in many states, including North Carolina.
``North Carolina is already ahead of us in areas like economic development,'' Rice said. ``Well, there's a reason for that. There's a lot we can learn, and we think we're on to something here.''
Rice and Wheeler say the agreement would also eliminate annexation squabbles such as the one that flamed up about six years ago between Bedford and Bedford County.
The dispute arose when the Carriage Hill Retirement Center, just outside the city, asked to be annexed to obtain water and sewer services not provided by the county.
Three years and $300,000 in legal fees later, the fight was settled when the county agreed to let the city annex about 26 acres for $104,000 in compensation.
``To spend that much money for litigation is outrageous,'' Rice said.
The consolidation would make it less painful for the shire to annex land from the consolidated city. Through General Assembly legislation, it could annex by ordinance - a quicker and cheaper method than by lawsuit or referendum.
Despite that, history is not on the side of supporters of the plan: Statewide, no consolidation agreement has been approved by voters in 21 years.
Bedford city and county officials are standing firmly behind their plan, though.
Town Councilwoman Joanne Graham went so far as to say other localities will be in awe of the concept if it is approved.
``It will be a model to follow,'' she said.
The plan still has be to sold to the public. And, if the reaction of John Boardman is any indication, it won't be easy.
Boardman, chairman of Bedford-based Sam Moore Furniture and spokesman for a group that opposes consolidation, sat in the back of the room at the county municipal building Monday and shook his head at many comments made during the news conference.
Afterward, he said the plan was conceived only to ``strangle Lynchburg'' from annexing Forest.
``Why do we want to sacrifice the city of Bedford to do that?'' he asked as those who drew up the plan looked on. ``Why? Can anybody tell me why?''
Boardman said he will study the document before pronouncing his final judgment, but he said he is skeptical of a lot of it, including the statement that taxes won't increase.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
by CNB