Government

    A public hearing on Bedford County’s budget and tax rate, held Monday night at Bedford Science and Technology Center (BSTC), was dominated by the school budget.    
    About 75 people, attended the hearing. A majority of the 13 speakers at the hearing urged the supervisors to support the budget the school board presented. All of these speakers were applauded by a group of 20 people who sat together in one section of BSTC’s Susie Gibson auditorium where the meeting was held.

    At least four hopefuls have thrown their hat in the ring to secure the Republican nomination for the House of Delegates seat being vacated by 19th District Delegate Lacey Putney.
    Jim Crosby, Jerry R. Johnson, Jim McKelvey and Zach Martin have all announced their intention to seek the nomination.
    A firehouse primary will be held Tuesday, May 7 from 6-9 p.m. for the Republican nomination at three locations: Alleghany County/Covington City, Botetourt County and Bedford City/County.

Zach Martin

    The Bedford County Planning Commission has nearly finished its comments on the board of supervisors’ proposed amendments to the county’s zoning ordinance.   
    District 2 planning commission member Jeff Burdett said that the corridor overlays requirements are fine in rural areas but too restrictive  at points where the corridor goes through developed areas. In those areas, the planning commission members want to eliminate the overlays’ additional setbacks and allow larger signs.

    Salem City Manager Kevin Boggess announced this week the hiring of Rosie Jordan as the city’s new finance director.

    Jordan goes to Salem from the city of Bedford, where she has been a fixture since 1994. She began her professional career here as an accountant, later became the assistant director of finance and in 2001, was named Bedford’s finance director.