Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 8, 1990                   TAG: 9003081890
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: BEDFORD                                LENGTH: Short

BEDFORD COUNTY PROPOSES SMALL TAX INCREASE

The rate - 2 cents higher than the current rate per $100 on county real estate - can be lowered, but cannot be increased after advertisement.

Last week, county officials began studying a proposed $52.8 million budget that included no real estate tax increase for the 1990-91 fiscal year.

But County Administrator William Rolfe warned county supervisors that the plan would not allow a 5 percent cash reserve to guarantee that the county does not need to borrow money during the year. A 2-cent increase on the real estate tax rate would bring the county $337,788 more in revenue and within $100,000 of the suggested cash reserve amount of about $2.6 million.

County supervisors may opt to increase the tax rate by 2 cents, could cut spending from the proposed budget, or could do a little of both.

A public hearing on the budget and tax rates is scheduled March 27. Supervisors will adopt a budget April 4 - earlier than most years in order to send out tax tickets for the county's first-ever June collection under a new biannual collection policy.