Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 7, 1995 TAG: 9506070050
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
It was not until after the work of preparing a budget was finished that Town Council members on the committee began debating some of its provisions. That has required long Finance Committee meetings going line by line through a two-volume budget, the most recent being a two-hour early-morning session Tuesday.
At that meeting, committee Chairman W.H. "Rocky" Schrader had members come to a consensus on some of the parts of the budget they had been debating. Now Town Manager Tom Combiths, Assistant Town Manager Rob Lyons and Finance Director Max Beyer have the task of incorporating those changes into the budget and bringing it back to the committee at a 7 a.m. session June 15.
Town Council had to approve increases in water and sewer rates at its meeting Tuesday afternoon, but has until its second monthly meeting at 7 p.m. June 20 to approve the rest of its budget.
One change in the revamped budget will be the hiring of two, rather than three, new town police employees. A majority of the committee, which is also a majority of council, agreed to hire another dispatcher and an officer under a federal grant paying 75 percent of the cost for three years. It decided against hiring another person to make parking checks.
Lyons said the dispatcher shortage has required regular officers to come in and handle these duties, which was not an efficient use of their time. He also said the position that would be provided by the federal grant is needed now, whether or not council decides after three years to permanently fund it.
Councilwoman Alma Holston said it has been perceived, correctly or not, that the parking officer would be funded through revenue generated by additional parking tickets that person would issue. She said that was "a bad signal" to send the public.
"We're not talking about creating additional revenue. We're talking about more space to park," Councilman Roy D'Ardenne said. Downtown Pulaski has a two-hour parking limit but can only enforce it with enough parking officers to check and see if vehicles are moved in that time.
Councilman Eddie Hale said the problem is that downtown workers occupy parking spaces and leave none for potential shoppers and customers. Enforcement of the parking limit had been seen as the only way to change this.
On contributions, the committee had already decided to keep them at the same level as this year, which eliminates donation requests from organizations that got none this year.
Committee members discussed the possibility of a recreation study covering the town's program with Pulaski County and Dublin, as well as town facilities like Gatewood Park. D'Ardenne noted that boats used at the park are deteriorating and that only temporary repairs are being made on them.
One area the committee has not reached agreement on is how much money to provide for economic development in the 1995-96 fiscal year. The town formed a 30-member Board of Economic Development this year, and its Human Resources Committee will meet Thursday to discuss applicants for the position of executive director of that board.
by CNB