ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996 TAG: 9605080018
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-9 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
Pulaski County will advertise a $17.9 million budget with no tax increases for 1996-97 after fine-tuning it at a meeting Monday night.
One change was to add $116,987 in local funds for the school system next year. The School Board had asked for $371,000 more in local money to meet what it called a minimum-needs budget.
The additional school funding was conditioned on the School Board meeting with the supervisors on how future economies might be managed in such areas as a joint garage operation or financial setup. The School Board has already expressed its willingness to do this.
A 3 percent increase for Board of Supervisors employees would become effective in January, if the budget passes. Board members would also get an increase in compensation of $200 per month.
The budget calls for hiring a zoning administrator to handle increased site planning duties, as well as helping to enforce litter, unlicensed vehicle and property maintenance codes.
Other adjustments include full funding of fire and rescue squad requests, the area Agency on Aging and Retired Senior Volunteer Program requests, and the county's share of funding for the New River Valley Planning District Commission, New River Community College and the New River Valley Airport; $14,000 toward cleaning up Claytor Lake, in addition to $6,000 already pledged to the Friends of Claytor Lake organization for water quality testing; and adding $2,596 for New River Community Action toward health and weatherization programs.
The budget change which drew the most discussion was adding $7,799 to the Pulaski County Public Library budget, with the money to come through library patron contributions such as the "gold card" program which waived fines in the past.
These cards cost $25, and Supervisor Bruce Fariss noted that the library would have to sell more than 300 to come up with the budgeted amount. Not only is that unlikely based on the small number of cards sold when the program was tried before, he said, but it would mean a loss of revenue from any fines those card-holders might otherwise pay for overdue materials.
"I hate to see them forced into the money-raising business," Fariss said.
"If someone wants to exercise that option, I don't see any problem with it," Vice Chairman Jerry White said. "It's an avenue to do that."
County Administrator Joe Morgan said the library's planned automated circulation system should provide better tracking of books and materials lent out, which will bring down costs in the long run.
A change to help balance the revised budget would include a transfer of $31,596 from reserves. The revisions also took into account the library plans to raise at least $7,799, and an increase in estimated interest on county investments of $58,098.
Morgan said the transfer from reserves is earmarked for items that either are one-time commitments or will produce revenue which would exceed their costs.
The proposed $756,000 in capital projects for next year includes $55,000 for ambulance replacement, $150,000 to complete the shelled-in third floor of the Old Courthouse rebuilt following a fire, $100,000 for county offices in the planned Dublin Town Center building, $10,000 for work on reopening the Draper Mountain Overlook, $30,000 to repair or demolish the former Belspring Elementary School building, $50,000 toward a South Claytor Lake access, and $125,000 for reassessment costs.
LENGTH: Medium: 66 linesby CNB