ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 15, 1997 TAG: 9704150092
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BEDFORD
SOURCE: JOANNE POINDEXTER THE ROANOKE TIMES
The School Board's request was cut by $4 million, and the superintendent feared positions would need to be eliminated.
The Bedford County Board of Supervisors approved an $86.4 million budget Monday night that will not raise taxes as much as some residents had feared.
A 9-cent increase in the real estate tax rate and a $2 increase in personal property taxes are used to balance the fiscal 1997-98 budget. Motor-vehicle decals will go up $5, but not until March 1, 1998.
Supervisors Bob Crouch and Roger Cheek voted against the budget. Crouch had no comment about his negative vote. But, Cheek said, "I didn't like the idea of us increasing taxes to add money to the unappropriated reserves."
He said that as part of the tax increase, the county is adding $1.2 million to the reserves needed to get a better bond rate.
The budget is about $7 million less than county department heads wanted. No area escaped cuts, said County Administrator Bill Rolfe.
There are major reductions in capital improvement programs across the board, but the county was able to decrease its debt service on library and courthouse projects by using a different financial schedule, Rolfe said.
The supervisors cut a $54 million School Board request to $50 million, but added $750,000 - $500,000 for facilities and $250,000 for operations and maintenance - to the county's capital improvement fund for the schools.
Supervisors said the maintenance money would be available to the School Board on request, but that it should keep them informed of school repair needs. During the past year, the School Board has come under attack by residents and supervisors for spending construction money on projects other than those the supervisors intended to fund.
Of the $50 million budget, $15.1million is local money.
The School Board scheduled a meeting Monday night - after the Board of Supervisors meet - to work on the cuts.
Based on a $4 million cut, Superintendent John Kent said before the meeting, "We obviously will have to cut some positions."
Under state law, the School Board has to notify any personnel by today if their contracts are not going to be renewed.
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