ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996 TAG: 9604250023
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: ELISSA MILENKY STAFF WRITER
Blacksburg residents will not pay more in real-estate taxes, but water and sewer and some parks and recreation services will cost more in the $20 million budget Town Council passed unanimously Tuesday night for the 1996-97 fiscal year. This is the only tax increase in the budget.
The real-estate tax will remain at 20 cents per $100 of assessed value, a rate that has remained constant for several years.
Water rates will increase by 12.5 percent; sewer rates will go up by 5.5 percent. Both increases, which are part of a five-year program to stabilize these funds, will be effective July 1, 1997.
Some sports registration fees, such as adult basketball and volleyball, and tuition for some special classes also are being increased
Town Council passed the budget after holding several work sessions. During these sessions, the council decided to fund two initiatives that were not included in the budget:
The Lyric Council will receive $5,000 to satisfy a local matching requirement in a grant application the organization is applying for to refurbish the old movie theater.
The parks and recreation department will receive an extra $5,500 to fund a full-time senior citizens director as of January 1997.
Other budget highlights include:
A Blacksburg Transit seasonal youth pass will be available from June through September for $12. People who are 3 to 17 years old are eligible for the pass.
To compensate those who collect the town's lodging tax, which was just raised last year, 3 percent of the amount due can be counted as a deduction on the collector's monthly return.
LENGTH: Short : 44 linesby CNB