ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 9, 1996 TAG: 9603110022
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: ELISSA MILENKY STAFF WRITER
Town residents will see no real-estate tax increase in the proposed $20 million town budget for 1996-97. But they will pay more for water and sewer and some parks and recreation services.
The town released the budget proposal Friday.
The real-estate tax, which has remained the same for several years, will stay at 20 cents per $100 of assessed value. Real-estate taxes are expected to generate approximately $1.7 million.
Unlike last year, when the town raised cigarette and lodging taxes to help build a senior center and the Clay Street road extension, this budget reveals no new tax increases.
Blacksburg residents will see a 12.5 percent increase in their water bill and a 5.5 percent increase in sewer rates effective July 1, 1997. The increase is part of a five-year program to stabilize these funds, and is expected to help generate $332,289 during the 1996-97 fiscal year. The program is in its fourth year.
Some sports registration fees and tuition for special classes are also likely to increase. Town Manager Ron Secrist said the larger issue with these fee increases is whether the General Assembly will change the way the town collects Business Professional Occupation License tax.
The General Assembly is considering a $50 annual license fee, which would be collected by towns the size of Blacksburg. Secrist said the town could actually collect more money with such a change, but officials are waiting on the assembly's actions before setting the fee changes.
The biggest chunk of the budget comes from the $11.8 million general fund, which is primarily tax-driven.
The 1996-97 general fund is projected to increase by $697,592 from last year for a number of reasons, including: more money from Intergovernmental Revenue for street and highway maintenance; a slight increase in federal police reimbursement funding; $2.7 million in proceeds from a proposed summer bond sale; and proposed increases in parks and recreation fees.
Secrist will present the $20 million budget, up from $19 million last year, to Town Council on Tuesday. Public hearings and workshops will be scheduled starting this month through April 23, when the budget comes up for a vote.
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