Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 25, 1995 TAG: 9507250099
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
The Board decided Monday night that it would be easier - and less expensive - to take Lynchburg's word that it doesn't intend to annex portions of Bedford County, instead of hammering out a legal agreement.
"Why should we waste money buying something they said they were going to give to us?" asked Supervisor Tony Ware, who represents Big Island.
In May, Del. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, announced that he would negotiate a no-strings-attached, 30- to 50-year moratorium on annexation of Bedford County land by Lynchburg.
Wary citizens and supervisors have criticized the gesture as political grandstanding by Newman. Others see it as a means to derail the proposed consolidation of Bedford and Bedford County, which would prevent Lynchburg from ever annexing land.
Lynchburg has asked that its offer be voted on by the Board of Supervisors before a referendum on consolidation is held, probably in November.
Two proposed deals offered to Bedford County by Lynchburg Monday varied greatly from what Newman suggested.
Both deals only offered 15 years of protection from annexation and did not include the Boonsboro area of Bedford County. Though one deal asked for nothing in return for the promise, the state Commission on Local Government would likely not approve, supervisors said.
The other offer asked for millions of dollars in commitment to joint infrastructure that could have been threatened after an annexation moratorium ends.
Of more importance than annexation, board members and county officials said, is getting a promise from Lynchburg that it will not revert to a town and seek inclusion into Bedford County.
The Urban Partnership, of which Lynchburg is a member, has been actively lobbying the General Assembly to allow cities with 125,000 people or less to revert to towns. If that was done, Lynchburg, with 66,000 people, could revert to town status.
And if Lynchburg joined Bedford County, "That would forever change the political structure of Bedford County," County Administrator Bill Rolfe said. As a town in Bedford County, Lynchburg would have more political representation on the board of supervisors than the current county does now, he said.
In other business, the board voted to keep the per-day price at $25 for inmates from other localities housed in the county jail.
Sheriff Carl Wells said that since the board raised the per-day price for inmates from $12 to $25 in June, several localities have transferred their inmates out of the jail, resulting in a loss of revenue for the county.
In the past month, Wells said, the county jail has gone from about 110 inmates to around 87 inmates.
The Board of Supervisors also approved overtime pay for deputies who process concealed weapons permits. The Sheriff's Office has processed 49 applications since the new concealed weapons legislation took effect.
And, the board approved the establishment of firearms safety classes to be taught by certified deputies.
Memo: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.