Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 14, 1995 TAG: 9503140154
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
After two intense weeks of budget cutting, the county Board of Supervisors turned a $2.4 million deficit in the proposed 1995-96 budget into a $20,000 windfall. And they did it without raising taxes, the supervisors are quick to point out.
``It was fast but decisive,'' said board Chairman Dale Wheeler. ``We did what whittling we thought was necessary, and we still created funding for new programs. ... That's sort of a magic trick.''
The new budget, which will be discussed at a public hearing in the county administration building at 7:30 p.m. April 10, lowered real estate tax rates by more than 20 cents - from 65 cents to 44 cents per $100 of assessed value.
That's to balance out a recent reassessment that increased the assessed value of some county homes by as much as 50 percent.
Funding was preserved for a new $600,000 sheriff's headquarters and emergency 911 dispatch center, as well as $100,000 for the D-Day memorial to be built over the next few years in Bedford.
Most of this year's budget cuts were achieved at the expense of the county's public library system, schools and parks - but they don't really consider themselves losers.
The county School Board suggested a voluntary $250,000 cut when it found state funding to supplement its budget. And while the Recreation Department lost $500,000 in funding for improvements to facilities, it gained new staff positions and $200,000 for outdoor lighting.
As for the county's libraries, the biggest budget cut was a denial of $600,000 for construction of a branch library in Forest, one of the county's fastest-growing areas.
The money would have allowed construction of a 10,000-square-foot library to replace the 1,700-square-foot rented storefront the county uses to serve more than 15,000 patrons in Forest.
But the director of the county library system, Tom Hayman, is expected to request a November referendum on funding for the Forest library and three other libraries - in Moneta, Stewartsville and Montvale.
The proposed libraries in Forest and Moneta would be 10,000 square feet - twice the state minimum standard for a library branch. The Montvale and Stewartsville branches would be 3,000 square feet - under state standards.
In other business, the board:
Set a joint public hearing with the Planning Commission for March 27 about designated-growth areas in the county.
Debated following Botetourt County's lead in regulating cable rates.
In responses to citizen complaints about rate increases in western Bedford County by Tele-Media - some as high as 10 percent - board members said they would consider seeking regulation of county cable providers.
Botetourt County recently received certification to regulate its cable providers and it determined Tele-Media had overcharged customers. Tele-Media has appealed the decision, which would cost it $93,000, to the Federal Communications Commission.
Compared with three other cable companies operating within Bedford County, Tele-Media's rates are highest - $6 to $8 more per month for basic service.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.