Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 14, 1995 TAG: 9506140070
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Landmark News Service
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium
After almost 12 months of studies and meetings, they're sure: It's the commonwealth's unique system of mutually exclusive city and county governments and what some say is its stifling effect on Virginia's business climate.
On Thursday, as they meet in Norfolk for a third statewide summit, they'll be sorting through potential solutions with an eye toward the economic prosperity North Carolina is experiencing.
The partnership, a group of 16 cities and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, calls this emerging consensus ``A Framework for Virginia's Competitiveness.'' It covers concerns such as economic development, taxing powers of local governments, delivery of certain city services and neighborhood preservation.
``We are really plowing new ground,'' said Hampton Mayor James L. Eason, partnership co-chairman.
"What I hope, longer term, will come out of this is ... [the notion] that we're going to rise and fall as regions, not as separate governments," said Roanoke City Manager Bob Herbert.
To keep Virginia's cities working toward long-range metropolitan solutions, the Urban Partnership has pursued two strategies, both of which will be employed again Thursday:
Raising awareness about how Virginia and its cities are falling behind competing regions throughout the South, especially in North Carolina.
For example, a report prepared by researchers at Virginia universities shows earnings per private-sector employee in Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte-Gastonia increased more than 11 percent between 1970 and 1990. At the same time, earnings declined 2.1 percent in Hampton Roads, 3.7 percent in the Richmond-Petersburg area, and 0.4 percent in Roanoke.
Seeking common ground on various issues so cities and suburbs will be more willing to help each other solve problems and share the economic benefits.
The framework lays out a guiding philosophy: that metropolitan areas prosper when economic disparities between cities and suburbs are reduced, and that strong neighborhoods are essential to attract and maintain economic development.
The partnership's framework also calls the concentration of poverty ``the most critical urban problem'' facing metropolitan regions, and a problem that has started crossing city lines into suburbs.
The advocates say they are trying to propose flexible solutions that can be tailored to the separate regions of Virginia. Proposals are expected to be unveiled in December.
While the partnership leaders say they aren't ready to discuss specific solutions, one proposal is for creation of regional incentive funds financed by the state that would reward cities and counties that cooperate.
Another idea often mentioned is for regional sharing of tax revenue from economic development.
Still another proposal would amend state law to allow larger Virginia cities to give up their charters and revert to towns, said Brian Wishneff, acting director of the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center Commission.
State law says cities with populations no larger than 25,000 may revert. Wishneff said he has heard suggestions to expand the population limit to 125,000, high enough that Roanoke would be eligible to force a merger with Roanoke County.
In at least one sense, the conference could be a reality check for advocates of regional alliances in Virginia.
The state's two most populous cities - Virginia Beach and Norfolk - are locked in a bitter controversy over water prices associated with the proposed Lake Gaston pipeline.
``While it sort of does cloud the picture on regionalism between those two cities, I still hope that the localities are looking at the bigger picture on the long term. They're working cooperatively on a number of other issues,'' said Neal Barber, project director of the partnership.
by CNB