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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 12, 1995                   TAG: 9507120068
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SARAH HUNTLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

OFFICIALS TACKLE REPORT

Roanoke Valley officials began Tuesday to make headway into a consultant's recommendations for increased regional cooperation, touching on issues of health care, transportation and local governance.

The three topics, discussed during a regularly scheduled joint meeting between Roanoke City Council and the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, were outlined in May in a $30,000 report produced by Towers-Perrin Consultants of Arlington.

Although Tuesday's meeting produced no concrete plans, the two governments agreed to consult Salem, Vinton and Botetourt County and study the issues further.

The recommendation with the strongest support was the consultant's suggestion that the jurisdictions pool their employees, making them eligible for a less expensive health care plan.

"It's a matter of supply and demand. It's a matter of economic principle. If you've got a large group, you can obviously get a better deal," Vice Mayor John Edwards said. "I don't see any controversy here. I see this as a win-win."

At the urging of Mayor David Bowers, who included the idea in his State of the City address Monday, the city and county officials committed to having their staffs develop a proposal.

Bowers also asked county officials to consider the idea of a shared transportation district. The city, which had to increase its funding to Valley Metro by $190,000 last year because of cuts in federal subsidies, is eager to involve the county in the issue of buses, but Bowers was quick to point out that transportation districts have other benefits.

"Transportation districts include not only mass transit, but greenways, bikeways, and transportation for elderly and disabled," Bowers said.

County officials made it clear they were interested in discussing transportation districts only in a broad sense, but agreed to address the idea again.

"I think there are a lot of possibilities here," Supervisor Lee Eddy said. "Rather than accepting or rejecting outright, I would suggest we assign a task force to look at the issue."

The two governments also agreed to draw up specifics for the creation of a council of local governments. The consultant has suggested that the jurisdictions form two groups, one of elected officials and one with administrators, to examine regionalization efforts further.

by CNB