DATE: Wednesday, April 2, 1997              TAG: 9704020707

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: PUBLIC LIFE 

                                            LENGTH:   53 lines

YESTERDAY

VIRGINIA BEACH

STATE FAIR COMES HERE: Producers of the Virginia State Fair announced Tuesday that they will take their show on the road, holding regional fairs in Virginia Beach and Lynchburg. The Beach fair will be at Camp Pendleton from Aug. 1 to 10. Story, Page B5.

BUDGET INTRODUCED: The city staff proposed a $957 million operating budget for 1997-98. It calls for increases in utility and storm water taxes, amounting to about $27.36 a year for the average homeowner. The budget does not call for a real-estate tax increase, but one might be added to meet the demands of the school system. The council, which saw the budget Tuesday for the first time, will review it over the next six weeks and approve a final version May 13. Story, Page B1.

NORFOLK

NEW HOTEL: A $25-million Hilton Suites Hotel is in the works for a vacant lot less than a block from the coming MacArthur Center mall, the latest signal that private investors are becoming bullish on downtown's prospects for a successful rebirth. Story, Page A1.

UTILITY BILLS: Weary of citizen complaints about expensive utility bills, the City Council on Tuesday decided to study the possibility of switching from bi-monthly to monthly billing. Some residents and businesses say they have trouble paying off two months' worth of charges. .

LIBRARY NAMES: At the request of City Councilman Paul R. Riddick, the council on Tuesday agreed to prepare a resolution to name the city's Brambleton Avenue branch library after the families of Joseph A. Jordan Jr. and Thomas Newby. Members of both families have been educators or played key leadership roles in city and community life, Riddick said. Council members said they would like to gather public input before voting on the name change.

CHESAPEAKE

The City Council did not meet. It will convene at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday. A work session is scheduled for that day at 5:15 p.m. in the personnel training room on the fourth floor of City Hall.

PORTSMOUTH

The City Council did not meet.

SUFFOLK

BUDGET: The City Council tonight will consider a $10 million capital budget that will pay for a new 800-student central elementary school and the remaining costs for the Mills E. Godwin Courts Complex. The council also is likely to vote on a plan to collect real estate taxes on June 5 and Dec. 5 instead of only in December.

STATE OF THE CITY: Mayor Thomas G. Underwood will give his ``State of the City'' address today at 8 a.m in the Holiday Inn at 2864 Pruden Blvd. in Suffolk. He'll talk about the direction the city is headed and its challenges. The breakfast is sponsored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Suffolk Division. Tickets are $15.

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