ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Wednesday, March 5, 1997               TAG: 9703050070
SECTION: CURRENT                  PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: LESLIE HAGER-SMITH AND KATHY LOAN

PUBLIC PULSE

* Radford City Council on Monday held the first of four scheduled work sessions to prepare the 1997-98 budget. It heard requests from the Department of Social Services, the Health Department, Radford City Library and the Women's Resource Center. The council will consider requests from other boards and commissions at 5 p.m. March 12. At 7 p.m. March 17, it will review the School Board budget, and at 5 p.m. March 19 an additional work session is planned. The work sessions are open to the public and take place in council chambers in the Municipal Building, 619 Second St.

* Jeff Johnson, Montgomery County's new chief administrator, signed a one-year contract with the county on Monday, his first day on the job.

The employee agreement may be extended for additional one-year periods by mutual consent. Johnson will be paid $65,164 and will receive annual evaluations to determine whether merit increases are warranted. Johnson attended his first Public Service Authority and Board of Supervisors meetings Monday.

Upcoming

* The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will meet Thursday for a presentation of the proposed school budget for fiscal year 1998. The meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. on the third floor of the county courthouse, is the first work session for the supervisors as the board examines a proposed $78 million budget. Almost 74 percent of the proposed budget, or $57.3 million, is for schools.

The board also is scheduled to resolve a tie vote so that a March 20 public hearing on the proposed budget can be properly advertised. A motion to advertise a tax increase of no more than 7 cents per $100 of assessed value of real estate ended in a 3-to-3 vote because Supervisor Nick Rush was absent. The supervisors were reluctant to advertise such an increase, even with the knowledge it would likely be considerably pared down. Last year, the supervisors advertised a 6-cent increase, but eventually raised the rate by only 1 cent.

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