Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 17, 1995 TAG: 9504180065
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: SHANNON D. HARRINGTON AND BREEA WILLINGHAM STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
In Forest, residents applaud one man who speaks in favor of the proposed merger of Bedford and Bedford County. On the other side of the county, a Montvale resident sparks a heated debate over whether or not consolidation is needed.
Bedford and Bedford County officials are showing off their proposed merger agreement at a series of community meetings that began almost two months ago - and they're hearing different things, depending on which side of the county they're on.
In suburban Forest, residents appear eager to vote for a consolidation plan they think would prevent them from ever being annexed into neighboring Lynchburg. But in the rural western parts of the county, voters appear skeptical of any change in their form of government.
"We're not trying to sell the plan, we're trying to educate," Bedford County Board of Supervisors Chairman Dale Wheeler said of the community meetings.
While education may be their goal, the government leaders sometimes find themselves defending the consolidation plan.
The panel emphasizes that the main purpose of the consolidation plan is to "put up walls around the county" so that Lynchburg and other cities can't annex some of the higher tax-revenue areas. But some residents from the western part of the county wonder if annexation is really a threat.
One Montvale resident staged a heated discussion with the panel during a recent meeting over whether or not Lynchburg is actually posing a threat to annex the areas of Forest and Boonsboro.
"We have been led to believe that the threat from Lynchburg is nil," Maile Armstrong said. There's currently a statewide moratorium on city-initiated annexations. However, Wheeler countered, "annexation is the normal way any urban area would grow." City Councilwoman Joanne Grahame added that a city historically will annex every 10 to 20 years when there is not a moratorium prohibiting it from doing so.
After several other questions from Armstrong about such issues as the cost of the consolidation plan and the possibility of increased taxes, Wheeler asked if she was playing some sort of game.
"No. This is not a game. It's our lives," Armstrong responded.
Asked if she would vote against the plan, Armstrong replied after the meeting, "You're damn right I would.
The mood was much different at a meeting in Forest. Annexation was a real concern for these residents.
Forest resident Robert Middleton, who previously lived in Lynchburg, said annexation has never been good for his family, who has been through two annexations.
"My grandparents were annexed by Lynchburg in 1976. They got a paved road this year," Middleton said. "I guarantee with the difference in taxes they paid for 18 years, they could have paved it themselves." Middleton was applauded after cautioning residents to "think about this" before voting in November.
Harold Jones, assistant principal at Jefferson Forest High School, said that the consolidation plan is the best thing for Bedford County because of the enormous tax base it would lose if the Forest area were ever annexed - 37 percent of the county's tax money comes from Forest and Boonsboro.
Not all Bedford County residents have come to the meetings with an opinion. Boonsboro resident Mike Duval was concerned about the condition of both state and private roads if the county and city consolidated.
"I came in here with no real opinion either way," Duval said. ``And I'm leaving with some real information to help me in making my decision.''
Staff writer Richard Foster contributed information to this report.
Memo: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.