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

DATE: MONDAY, July 3, 1995                   TAG: 9507030161
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: SOUTH BOSTON                                 LENGTH: Medium

SOUTH BOSTON IS 1ST TO DROP STATUS AS CITY

This city has become the first in Virginia to take advantage of a 1988 law that allows cities to revert to towns.

A city since 1960, South Boston became a town Saturday.

``I don't think I'll ever be able to say `town of South Boston,' I've been saying `city manager's office' for so long,'' said Jane Jones, the city clerk for 20 years and now the town clerk.

The General Assembly paved the way for the change in 1988 when it approved allowing cities with fewer than 50,000 people to revert to towns. South Boston, which has fewer than 7,000 residents, now is part of Halifax County.

In Virginia, cities are independent political divisions, sharing few services with the counties in which they lie. Towns share more services with their host counties.

Through the reversion, Halifax County inherits two more elementary schools, sole control and financial responsibility of the high school and middle schools and the responsibility of voter registration, tax assessment, elections and other duties for the people who live in the newly created town. South Boston residents now must pay county as well as town taxes.

South Boston's leaders think the duplication of county and town services wastes money. County leaders were less enthusiastic about inheriting responsibility for more services for town residents.

Town real estate taxes will drop 6 cents per $100 of valuation, but the corresponding county tax will increase 5 cents. County residents will have to pay an additional 5 cents in personal property taxes and $5 more a year for car decals.

Virginia's 40 cities are independent of the counties around them. Regardless of how small they are, cities must provide their own schools, court systems and other services. State law forbids cities to annex land around them.

Towns, even those as large as Blacksburg with 35,000 residents, are part of the counties that surround them and can annex land.

Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.

by CNB