By Cody Lowe
The Roanoke Times
ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. — The volunteer Clearbrook First Aid and Rescue Squad was officially dissolved Tuesday and its $70,000 in assets appropriated by the county for use at the station by paid staff. The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors approved the dissolution at its regular meeting.
The volunteer crew had failed to maintain the required 20-person membership in recent years and its bank account had been inactive so long it was in danger of reverting to the state treasury. Roanoke County Attorney Paul Mahoney initiated legal proceedings to dissolve the organization and distribute its assets to the county’s fire and rescue department. Circuit Court Judge James Swanson approved the plan last month.
In other action, the board approved the first reading of its budget for next year. The step is a formality before a second reading and final approval at its May 25 session. The budget is essentially flat from this year, with about $168 million in general government spending.
Finally, the board approved the first reading of an ordinance that would go into effect July 1 doubling the daily fine for overdue library books, from 10 cents per day to 20 cents per day, with a cap of $5. The ordinance also allows the library to charge the full replacement cost for a lost library book, instead of a $20 flat fee for adult books and $15 for children’s books. And the total fines a patron can accumulate before his or her privileges will be frozen will drop from $25 to $10. It has been 19 years since the current fine schedule was set. A second reading for final approval of the changes will come May 25.
Copyright 2010 The Roanoke Times