.....Advertisement.....
.....Advertisement.....

Government

  • Board approves them on 4-3 vote

        The Bedford County Board of Supervisors voted Monday night to spend $265,000 to give county employees one-time bonuses.
        The bonuses come from money left unspent as the current fiscal year ends. County Administrator Kathleen Guzi said that the county is ending the fiscal year with a savings equal to 5 percent of the budget, which will go into the fund balance.

    Click here to read more...
  • Putney to seek reelection

        Delegate Lacey Putney will seek reelection to another two-year term in the Virginia House of Delegates representing the new 19th House District.

         Under the new redistricting plan, the 19th House District consists of the cities of Bedford and Covington, all of Alleghany County, parts of Bedford County and all but one precinct in Botetourt County.

    Click here to read more...
  • George Allen calls for diversified energy policy

        George Allen, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run for Senate in 2012, called for a diversified energy policy on a visit to Bedford County, Wednesday.    

    Click here to read more...
  • City budget, school board selections fill agenda

        A public hearing on Bedford’s budget, last week, drew no speakers.

        “There is no proposed increase in the real estate tax rate or personal property tax rates,” stated City Manager Charles Kolakowski in a letter to the mayor and City Council members last month. “There is no proposed increase in the solid waste charges.”

    Click here to read more...
  • BCSO launches new Lake patrol boat

        A grant through the Department of Homeland Security has allowed the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office to purchase a new Lake patrol boat.

        And it’s up and running.
        The department officially launched the boat for Memorial Day weekend and patrols from the Sheriff’s Office will continue to man it on weekends through Labor Day. The patrols will be focused on crime prevention and safety.

    Click here to read more...
  • District 7 seat open

        Monday night’s Bedford County Board of Supervisors meeting included a surprise announcement from District 7 Supervisor Gary Lowry.

        “I will not run for the board of supervisors in 2011,” Lowry said. “The District 7 Seat is open.”

    Click here to read more...
  • Planning commission turns down tower

        The Bedford County Planning Commission unanimously turned down, Monday night, a request from AT&T to build a 160-foot cell tower on a property on Perrowville Road.

        The proposed location is in a wooded area at the rear of a commercial site, but there is dense residential development nearby. The people living in these adjoining neighborhoods spoke out against the proposal at a public hearing.

    Click here to read more...
  • Bedford Co. eliminates tax on inventory

        In an effort to provide tax relief for small businesses, Bedford County has eliminated its Merchant’s Capital tax. That tax requires that businesses calculate their inventories on January 1, and pay a certain percentage of tax on that.

        District 1 Supervisor Dale Wheeler, who made the motion last month to eliminate this tax, said  the tax put retailers in a dilemma as the end of the year approached. If they didn’t buy enough, they could run out of inventory. If they bought too much, they got taxed.

    Click here to read more...
  • Business owners say current zoning creates problems

    There are cases in which Bedford County’s current zoning ordinance chases business out of the county, according to Lee and Stan Aylor. They presented that message to the Bedford County Board of Supervisors Monday night.
        The Aylor brothers have owned Aylor’s Farm and Garden in Forest, located on U. S. 221, for three decades. They bought the property and got their business going there before the county had any zoning at all. When the county adopted a traditional zoning ordinance in 1998, their property was zoned commercial.

    Click here to read more...
  • Redistricting

    A historic state-level redistricting effort is currently in the hands of the U. S. Department of Justice.

        “It was unlike any other redistricting session in 50 years,” commented Delegate Lacey Putney, who has been in the General Assembly for the four that preceded this one.

    Click here to read more...