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

DATE: TUESDAY, March 19, 1991                   TAG: 9103190344
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

BOND REFERENDUM REVIEWED

Montgomery County supervisors on Monday night discussed the idea of another bond referendum to raise money for capital improvement projects, including a Blacksburg library, a new health and human services building, and a Shawsville fire station.

Those were in a long list of projects on a referendum Montgomery residents rejected last November.

The supervisors wondered whether narrowing the list of projects and doing a better job selling them to voters might make a new referendum better received.

Supervisor Ann Hess questioned whether, with the ailing economy, this would be a good year for a referendum. But she noted the county has "a buyer's market" now for construction jobs.

Supervisor Ira Long speculated that a big turnout for this fall's general election might help a referendum pass.

Supervisor Todd Solberg hammered on the need for better planning for capital needs. He offered support for a new health and human services building, which he said could also house county administration offices and a parking garage and be built on county-owned property near the courthouse.

But he sees many of the proposed projects as pork-barrel items, Solberg said. He also said he feels the supervisors have "turned a deaf ear" to the needs of his Blacksburg district.

The board made no decision at Monday night's work session about another referendum, but asked its staff to look for areas in the county budget where money might be diverted to a long-range capital-improvement fund.

Chairman Henry Jablonski said the board should consider setting aside a specific amount regularly for capital projects. He suggested the supervisors pick four or five projects and start doing that.

The supervisors also asked the county staff to prepare a picture of the county's current debt status.

The county's Capital Improvement Projects committee has suggested the board limit borrowing to 1.5 percent of the assessed value of county real estate, a figure Jablonski called "so far conservative it's right-wing almost."

The county had a general obligation debt of $9.4 million last year and new school construction debt will bring the total to $20 million. The recommended debt limit of 1.5 percent of assessed value would allow roughly $28 million.

Nobody could afford to own his own house if the 1.5 percent limit was imposed on an individual, Jablonski said. The board was told the state lets municipalities borrow up to 10 percent of their assessed property value.

by CNB