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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 25, 1993                   TAG: 9308250255
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

JOHNSON: IT'S TIME FOR COUNTY-CITY TALKS

"We pointed a finger at Roanoke city and said no. Now it's time to extend a hand and say yes," County Supervisor Bob Johnson said.

Johnson called for a joint meeting with Roanoke City Council in which the two governing bodies can come up with a common strategy for securing state money to deal with financial problems that confront Roanoke and other cities in Virginia.

Johnson made clear, however, that Roanoke should not look to solve its problems at the county's expense, either by seeking the power to annex county land or resurrecting the lost battles of consolidation.

Cooperation, he said, is the answer to solving problems and assuring mutual prosperity as equal partners.

"We've done a lot of good things together and we should use those as an example of what we can do in the future," he said.

Bowers, as it turned out, was meeting with county residents Tuesday night to discuss consolidation. After the meeting, he went to a late movie and couldn't be reached for comment.

However, Vice Mayor Beverly Fitzpatrick said he believes Johnson's proposal provides an opportunity for the localities to deal with financial pressures that stem from inner-city problems.

"If we can sit down and talk about it and be sincere about it, I think it is something we should do," Fitzpatrick said. "This is something we can do and it doesn't require consolidation."

Last week, the Board of Supervisors called a news conference to chide City Council for an ill-conceived plan to take over the assets of Roanoke Gas Co. within the city.

City Council, which hoped to generate $2 million a year from gas sales, abandoned the plan Sunday in the face of overwhelming opposition from city and county residents.

The gas deal came on the heels of Bowers' crusade to raise the specter of annexation and to revive the debate over consolidation, which county voters rejected by a 3-1 margin three years ago.

Both proposals resulted from the city's plight in dealing with a stagnant tax base, aging population and host of urban problems.

Johnson said the county is sympathetic to the city's plight and will join the fight for additional state funds for Roanoke and other cities.

His proposal is similar to the one advanced last month by House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton, who said the cities should look to the state - not surrounding counties - for help.

Johnson called for Roanoke City Council and the Board of Supervisors to sit down soon to discuss a common approach for the next General Assembly session, which convenes in January.

Windsor Hills District Supervisor Lee Eddy urged delay, saying that Roanoke officials may need several weeks to "lick their wounds" over the Roanoke Gas Co. debacle.

But Johnson said the county should seize the moment. "If someone's in the hospital, you shouldn't wait until they get home to see them. I don't think the timing could be any better."

Vinton District Supervisor Harry Nickens said he favored an open agenda that includes only two questions: How do we work together now, and how can we work together in the future?

Board Chairman Fuzzy Minnix suggested that he and County Administrator Elmer Hodge sit down with their counterparts in the city to discuss a date and agenda.

"We can coalesce on a lot of things. The sooner the better," Johnson said.