ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 24, 1996 TAG: 9604240030
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: KRISTEN KAMMERER STAFF WRITER
With one dissenting vote, City Council approved a tax increase and the 1996-97 budget Monday.
Radford's real-estate tax rate remains 68 cents per $100 of assessed value, but council's vote amounts to an effective tax-rate increase of 3.6 cents, or 5.6 percent. That is because a recent reassessment increased the total assessed value of property in the city.
Radford's new budget of $47.2 million exceeds the current spending plan by 8.9 percent and will take effect July 1.
Councilman David Worrell was the lone dissenter. He previously urged council to consider a pay raise for city employees before adopting the budget.
Earlier Monday, council members attended the opening ceremonies for the Radford Information Network. As of 11 a.m. Monday, the city officially went on line, joining the electronic community and following in the footsteps of the Blacksburg Electronic Village.
During the ceremony, Brack Stovall, a member of RIN's steering committee, showed an audience of 70 people Radford's home page on the World Wide Web. By linking up to that home page, computer users anywhere in the world can learn about Radford's schools, government, businesses and even its weather (Radford's address is:
http://www.radford.va.us).
Stovall said as of now the home page provides only information, but hopes that "in the future it will become more interactive and more dynamic so that citizens can interact directly with the government, schools and themselves."
Training sessions on how to use RIN will be provided to the public soon, Mayor Tom Starnes said. RIN started as part of a grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration which Radford acquired through the Blacksburg Electronic Village. The grant allows Radford to use the BEV's resources and Internet connection for an 18-month period. RIN's mission is to "expand the concept of the BEV throughout the region, connecting each citizen, business and school."
For more information on RIN, contact Stovall at 731-3621 or Jill Barr, Radford's economic development director, at 731-3623.
LENGTH: Short : 47 linesby CNB