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<br />0.) <br />D <br /> <br />TUESDAY <br /> <br />APRIL 26, 1983 <br /> <br />with the City of Martinsville) or from districts (or wards), as is now the case with <br /> <br />Henry County. City Manager Edmonds also presented a financing schedule, with variations, <br /> <br />pointing out--among other things--the probable financial effect upon both Henry County and <br /> <br />the City of Martinsville in the events of debt separation or consolidation. Mr. Edmonds, <br /> <br />furthermore, noted that the City can expect no short-term advantage from consolidation <br /> <br />because, in part, of the loss of certain revenues now being received from the State of <br /> <br />Virginia and the effect of achieving parity in the salaries of the teachers of the two <br /> <br />school systems, with a cost to the City for a number of years estimated at $2,000,000.00 <br /> <br />per year. Mr. Edmonds, in expressing his personal assessment of consolidating the two <br /> <br />governmental entities, noted that, while "down the road" some years from now merger is <br /> <br />inevitable, merger for the time being is not pressing and would be difficult to accomplish. <br /> <br />Mr. Edmonds further noted that the proposed agreement draft has been shared with--and re- <br /> <br />viewed by--Mr. William F. Franck and Mr. George G. Adams, Jr., Chairman and Vice-Chairman <br /> <br />of the City-County Merger Study Committee. Mr. Joseph Pritchett, expressing opposition to <br /> <br />the proposed district representation concept (assuming that six members would be elected <br /> <br />from what is now Henry County and two members from what now is the City of Martinsville), <br /> <br />urged Council "...to take a long and hard look..." before approving a merger agreement; <br /> <br />whereas, Mr. Bruce H. Dallas agreed with City Manager Edmonds' conclusion that the need <br /> <br />for merger is not pressing and, too, urged Council to postpone consideration of merger- <br /> <br />consolidation "...for a hundred years". Mr. Robert N. Crockett not only expressed com- <br /> <br />plete opposition to merger-consolidation but also indicated that he will exert every <br /> <br />effort to defeat any such proposal. Inasmuch, as Councilman West pointed out, as the <br /> <br />idea of merger-consolidation study was initiated by the City, and in response to the Henry <br /> <br />County Board of Supervisors' action taken at its April 25th meeting on the consolidation <br /> <br />draft proposal (wherein, it was reported, the Supervisors directed its Chairman to continue <br /> <br />discussions with Mayor Cole on the merger idea), Council requested that Mayor Cole, on <br /> <br />behalf of Council and the City, continue discussions with the Supervisors' Chairman and <br />