ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 7, 1996 TAG: 9603070036
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: What's on your mind?
SOURCE: RAY REED
Q: Last week, you reported the outstanding debt on Roanoke County's bonds was $137 million on water projects, schools and other capital improvements. How much interest is owed on the $137 million?
A: The county's finance department said total interest came to almost $108 million as of June. Since then, about $5 million of the principal has been retired, and a couple of million dollars in interest, as well.
It's common practice to exclude interest when reporting debt, so the county wasn't hiding anything in the figures given last week.
Corporations usually omit interest on debt in their annual reports. Consumers do likewise when applying for car loans, because banks ask only about the outstanding principal on other loans a consumer may have.
The county reports its bonded debt in three parts.
The principal owed on water and sewer projects was $65 million, and interest stood at $67.8 million in June.
School bonds' principal was $39.7 million, and interest was expected to be $18.5 million.
On general-fund bonds, the principal was $37 million and interest was $21.8 million.
Two other factors can affect interest: Bonds can be refinanced if interest rates drop. And if bonds are paid off early, some of the interest would be avoided.
Language no barrier
Q: The settlement last week of a lawsuit related to the 1994 fatal accident at the Ironto rest stop reminded me that one of the drivers did not speak or read English. At the time of the wreck, his language skills were given as a possible reason for the accident. Is being able to speak and read English a requirement for a commercial driver's license?
M.H., Radford
A: No. Commercial drivers are not required to read and speak English fluently unless they're transporting hazardous materials.
Federal regulations in 1992 standardized the rules for a commercial driver's license, but they didn't require a good grasp of English.
Drivers who understand traffic signals and basic signs such as "STOP" can qualify for a commercial driver's license.
Florida and Virginia offer the commercial-license test in Spanish as well as English.
Some states give the test in English only, the Federal Highway Administration said, but non-English-speaking drivers from elsewhere still use their roads.
The fatal accident at Ironto in August 1994 involved two trucks in an area reserved for cars.
Some folks thought the accident might have been avoided if one of the drivers, who spoke only Spanish, had obeyed a sign that directs trucks to veer to the right into a truck parking area.
That's speculation; it's hard to prove that the driver, Melvin Vargas, 22, looked at the sign and failed to comprehend it. Rather, testimony indicated he was looking to the right instead of where he was going. Americans often face these circumstances in other countries. Canada does not require U.S. drivers to read French, and Mexico lets Americans drive there without taking a Spanish test.
The driver's lack of English would be typical in Florida. David Lang of the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles said as many as 90 percent of the state's commercial drivers have Spanish or Creole as their first language. An English requirement on the test would lock many drivers out of jobs, he said.
Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Or, e-mail RoatimesInfi.Net. Maybe we can find the answer.
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