ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 20, 1996 TAG: 9603200079
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: ROCKY MOUNT
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors got its first look at the proposed 1996-97 budget Tuesday, and there's one recommendation it can buy into: no tax increases.
Franklin County Administrator Macon Sammons and his staff presented a $53.8 million draft budget that includes an estimated $1.1 million in new revenue. They recommended that the county's main tax rates remain unchanged.
Several members of the Board of Supervisors - now with a fiscally conservative majority - have said they can't support a real estate tax increase this year.
Historically, spending on county schools makes up the largest part of the budget, and the 1996-97 plan is no exception. If the board approves the proposal, education money will take 69 percent of the budget.
The School Board has asked for $37.8 million, which includes $1.7 million in new county funds. Tuesday's draft would give the schools a $1.2 million increase.
Sammons said it is projected that the Wal-Mart Supercenter being built off Virginia 40 near Rocky Mount will generate $200,000 in sales tax for the county in 1996-97, one of the largest revenue increases expected.
The budget, if approved, would be less than 1 percent larger than the 1995-96 budget of $53.4 million.
The board took no action on the draft Tuesday. It will hold several workshops to discuss the numbers over the next several weeks.
LENGTH: Short : 36 linesby CNB