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

DATE: THURSDAY, March 9, 1995                   TAG: 9503110032
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: E-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CHARLES STEBBINS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

VINTON COUNCIL SETS REAL ESTATE RATE THIS MONTH

Vinton Town Council has approved a tax adjustment to bring the town's real estate levy in line with new property assessments. But, council will not take final action until its March 21 meeting.

The adjustment will involve a small increase in taxes but no citizens complained during two public hearings on the matter.

Town Manager Clay Goodman said the tax rate will remain 5 cents per $100 assessed value. Because of the higher assessment, the amount of taxes that property owners pay will increase slightly, less than 1 percent of what they are now paying. Residents also pay $1.13 per $100 assessed value to Roanoke County.

The town's tax revenue from the new assessment would increase only $3,826, Goodman said. The revenue from the higher assessment would be $111,814, Goodman said. In 1994, the revenue was $107,988.

The total property assessment for 1995, Goodman said, is $223,627,500, compared to $215,976,400 in 1994.

In another action, Vinton Town Council:

nApproved a resolution authorizing an application for a Community Development Block grant for flood prevention and street and water and sewer line improvements in the Midway area.

One of the goals, if a grant is obtained, Goodman told council members, will be to move houses out of the flood plain so they would no longer be subject to damage in floods. Previously the goal was to repair houses, but now Goodman said, moving them would be more feasible.

Approved Vinton's participation is the annual Clean Valley Day on April 1. The project, sponsored by the Clean Valley Council, enlists various civic groups to pick up trash along streets and highways of the localities in the Roanoke Valley. Mayor Charles Hill said Vinton has participated in this project for the past 12 years.

Renewed the Vinton Historical Society's annual lease on downtown house it uses as a museum. Council said it would consider a longer lease and additional funding, both requested by the society, during budget study. The additional money would be used to hire a part-time museum director.

by CNB