Slashing the proposed real estate tax rate hike to 3 cents per $100 assessed value as a budget-balancing option , finance committee members cited "fairness" in taxation as the issue during their Monday night session.
The new option was aired as the committee again reviewed its options in the face of an estimated $4 million-budget deficit.
The 3-cent projection will join an earlier 6-cent tax hike consideration due before the entire Board of Supervisors in draft budget form at the board's regular April meeting.
Halifax County's current tax rate is 31 cents per $100 assessed value.
Real estate tax hike proposals have ranged from a recommended 10-cent hike, to a 6-cent increase to 3 cents as supervisors consider funding options.
Supervisors will also consider over a half-dozen other tax and fee increases in the draft budget proposal.
Unappropriated funds would be tapped to complete budget funding.
Supervisor R.E. "Dickie" Abbott told finance committee members at the Monday night meeting that he would rather drop the real estate rate to 3 cents and seek an increase in a tax that hits everyone.
"That's fairer," Abbott said. "And that is my concern. A tax everybody pays, not just some...
"Some people don't own anything and don't pay anything," he said.
Officials estimate that a 1-cent real estate tax rate increase would produce about $212,000.
Abbott also told committee members that there has been a growth of 2 percent to 4 percent annually on taxes received by the county. That factor, too, should be considered, he advised. Following the meeting, the supervisor said the increases had occurred over the previous 15 to 18 years.
"You are not supposed to tax people more than you use," said Abbott of the unappropriated fund surplus.
Abbott also told supervisors that as of June 30, there was $6 million in cash in the treasury, according to the county audit.
The supervisor noted that the board "had worked on a whole lot less money than we have now."
James Edmunds II continued to seek economic impact information regarding tax relief for senior citizens and farmers.
County staff is preparing an impact statement for the board concerning those two categories.
Green Box Collection System
A Halifax County Solid Waste Study that recommends the creation of community convenience centers for trash collection will be presented to the joint county/ towns of South Boston and Halifax meeting on April 17.
Members of the Public Works and Environmental Services Committee asked that Joe Levine of Dewberry & Davis present the same report to the full board and town councils.
The Dewberry & Davis study cites the following problems in the current green-box collection system:
·150 collection site locations.
·Use by neighboring county residents.
·99 percent of boxes on private property.
·Entrances do not meet VDOT standards.
· Trucks exceeding bridge weight limits.
·Secondary roads not suitable for trucks.
·Frequency of collection problems.
Equipment and staff limitations were also cited.
Proposed solutions included the creation of clean, gated/fenced, easily accessible, centrally located community convenience centers throughout the county.
That action would help reduce total hauling time and mileage, explained Levine.
He also told committee members that he has seen the clean centers become a positive factor in the community, with citizens able to dispose of a variety of trash items at one site.
In a second scenario, existing boxes would be consolidated with a total of 104 collection locations. Box locations would be evaluated. Again, a goal would be to reduce haul time and mileage.
The Solid Waste Study projected county needs through 2020. Levine noted that the current South Boston landfill takes 15,000 tons per year and the county landfill 30,000 tons per year.
Estimated future needs were approximately 1.22 tons/capita/year for a total 49,900 tons/year.
With solid waste disposal costs skyrocketing, supervisors are seeking cost-effective means to collect and dispose of trash.
In other business, the legislative committee agreed to recommend to supervisors a proposed code amendment for muzzle-loading rifles.
The amendment would permit muzzle-loaders the first 15 days of the state's regular season, provided the muzzle-loader is used from a stand elevated a minimum of 10 feet above ground level. Hunters using muzzle-loaders currently hunt two weeks prior to the regular season. The proposed change would double their hunt time.

The YMCA and the Virginia National Guard of South Boston will co-sponsor this year's "After Prom Party" for Halifax County High School seniors and juniors.
The party will be held on Saturday, April 29, at The World of Sports, from midnight to 4 a.m.
A diverse group of county organizations and citizens met recently at the YMCA to begin organizing the party.
Karen Fisher, community volunteer, provided information at the meeting concerning student preferences for the function.
Committees were also formed at the meeting in order to secure a location, raise funds, collect prizes, gather refreshments, organize security and plan entertainment.
This event, once sponsored by the South Boston Junior Women's Club, was in jeopardy until concerned Halifax County citizens brought the situation to the attention of the YMCA.
With volunteer help, an organization was formed that includes the YMCA, The World of Sports, and the Virginia Army National Guard.
Citizens can call the YMCA to donate their time and experience. Financial contributions are, of course, welcome.
"I am very pleased with the initial reaction and support of the community," said Bill Harris, YMCA director.
"I'm sure that our combined efforts will not only provide a safe and secure function, but also create a memorable experience for the high school students.
"This is what the YMCA is all about, building strong kids, strong families and a strong community. It's right up our alley, and we are very proud to be a part of the effort."
Some of the initial sponsors for the After Prom Party include the following: Halifax Regional Hospital, the South Boston Junior Women's Club, the South Boston Lions Club, One Valley Bank, Lewis Metals and Bridgeview Exxon.
Working on the prom party committees is a chance for Halifax County citizens, organizations and businesses to help the event to a successful conclusion.
People interested in working for the After Prom Party can call the YMCA at 572-8909 for information on donations and/or volunteering.

Local conservationist F.W. "Biggy" Hunt was awarded the Ducks Unlimited Wetland Conservation Achievement Award for 2000, in Chicago on Sunday.
Hunt's award is the only individual conservation award presented by Duck's Unlimited to a U.S. citizen each year.
William L. Woodfin Jr., director of Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, nominated Hunt.
"Hunt works tirelessly to promote wetland restoration in Virginia," wrote Woodfin in his letter of nomination.
"Hunt has provided landowner contacts to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and Ducks Unlimited.
"These contacts and Mr. Hunt's cooperation have resulted in wetland restorations totaling over 3,000 acres of wetland habitat."
As Duck's Unlimited's MARSH (Matching Aid to Restore States' Habitats) chairman for Virginia, Hunt provides valuable input on wetland issues across the Commonwealth.
Hunt serves on the management committee for Clover Power Station wetland restoration in Halifax County and also helps Virginia Power, VDGIF and Staunton River Battlefield State Park determine the best management for over 200 acres of wetland habitat.
Over the past four years Hunt has helped VDGIF locate and restore several projects in south central Virginia, including a 50- acre project in which he is a partner.
This particular project consists of lowland adjacent to Staunton River. The property was previously ditched to allow drainage for pasture and eventually timber production.
Hunt facilitated the placement of two low-level dikes and installation of two inline water-control structures to allow water-level manipulation.
The property is now managed for moist soil vegetation with the higher elevations being replanted to native hardwood trees.
This habitat is already home to shorebirds, wading birds, waterfowl, deer and numerous other wildlife species.
In addition to his other conservation efforts, Hunt annually hosts a Duck's Unlimited Greenwing event attended by over 50 children.
This event is used to teach children the value of wetlands and the great outdoors. It is sponsored by local businesses and receives much local press favorable to wetlands and waterfowl.

By MARY ANN LICKTEIG
Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Leslie Whiteley is a 40-year-old smoker with lung cancer who has been told by her doctors that she will probably die this year. She has also won a stinging verdict against  Big Tobacco.
In a 9-3 decision Monday, a Superior Court jury ordered Philip  Morris and R.J. Reynolds to pay $10 million each to Whiteley and her husband.
It is believed to be the first case the tobacco industry has lost to someone who began smoking after tobacco companies began labeling cigarette packs with a government-required warning in the 1960s. In 1966, the labels said smoking ''may be'' hazardous, and in 1969, the warning was strengthened to say it ''is'' hazardous to your health.
Whiteley said she started smoking in 1972 at age 13. She smoked Philip Morris' Marlboros and Reynolds' Camels until 1998, when she quit shortly before doctors diagnosed small-cell lung cancer.
Her co-counsel Robert Brown said cigarette package warnings don't go far enough. They should say that 450,000 people die from smoking-related illnesses each year and that one of every two long-term heavy smokers will die that way, he said.
''There's a big level of difference between 'They're not good for you' and 'You've got a 50 percent chance of dying from one of several very serious diseases,''' Brown said.
The same jury awarded the couple $1.7 million in compensatory  damages last week after finding the companies deceived the public about the dangers of smoking.
Spokesmen for both companies said they expected the verdict to be overturned.
''I think the result itself is just contrary to common sense, and I think that a lot of people - including (those) not necessarily on our side - will see that as well,'' said Michael York, a lawyer who represents Philip Morris but was not involved in the Whiteley case.
The industry tends to lose cases where internal documents are  presented to the jury, said Richard Daynard, a law professor at  Northeastern University and chairman of the Tobacco Products Liability Project, which encourages lawsuits against cigarette makers.
The San Francisco jury had access to 950 documents, most of them internal company papers.
''Where juries have seen the documents and seen what companies  were thinking and doing, versus what they were saying, the jury says, 'OK, Ms. Whiteley should have been a stronger person, but she's paying dearly for her weaknesses, and the tobacco companies are laughing all the way to the bank,''' Daynard said last week.
Around the country, juries have awarded damages to individual smokers only five other times, and three of those verdicts were overturned on appeal. Companies are appealing the other two, and have yet to pay any damages.
''We continue to believe that the public, including smokers, have long been aware that smoking has significant and inherent risks,'' said R.J. Reynolds spokesman Seth Moskowitz. ''And people who choose to smoke in the face of these known risks should not be financially rewarded.''
The Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that the warning labels offered tobacco companies some protection from damage suits but did not provide a complete shield. The court said a suit could be based on evidence that companies defrauded the public or state regulators by concealing the dangers of smoking. California law barred suits by individual smokers until 1997.
One juror, Leonard Bove, said after Monday's verdict that he rejected the warning labels as a defense because the companies accepted labels only to appease the government.
''The intent was not to warn the end user of a health risk,'' said Bove, a waste-water treatment plant operator. ''The label was there only because the government made them put it there.''

With the increase in the number of farmers selling part or all of their quota through direct and contract sales, the Halifax County Farm Service Agency is reminding farmers to file an accurate warehouse designation for the number of pounds expected to be sold through the warehouse auction system.
As a condition for obtaining price support, farmers must designate the warehouse and the number of pounds that will be marketed at each warehouse, said Kevin Bohon, county FSA executive director.
Those pounds sold through direct or contract sale must be deducted from the producer's pounds that will be sold through the auction system, he said.
"This applies even if a farmer has already designated their warehouse and did not deduct the pounds that will be sold direct, or non-auction," he said.
Farmers planning on selling a portion of their quota through a non-auction system must file a revised warehouse designation by April 15, Bohon said.
Failure to file an accurate designation may result in the loss of price support, he continued.
Bohon said that although farmers need to make the change in their designation, the FSA is not going to check to make sure the changes have been made.
Farmers who have contracted to sell their tobacco, and for some reason find they cannot sell their tobacco through the contract, will find that the leaf is not eligible for price support on the warehouse floor and there may be delays in the sale.
Halifax County's 2000 quota is 9,626,274 pounds, said Bohon.
For more information contact the FSA office at 476-6558.

When you talk about local women's bowling you're talking about Barbara Talbott.
In fact, you can't mention one without the other.
Talbott, one of the best local women's bowlers, will be inducted into the Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame on April 8.
Also slated for induction into the Sports Hall of Fame that night are baseball standout Stanley Davis and Hugh Moore, a noted figure in local youth sports for more than 40 years and a key figure in the formation of the Sports Hall of Fame.
This year's banquet will be held Saturday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m. at C.H. Friend Elementary School.
Plenty of tickets are still available for the fete which is open to the general public.
Tickets are priced at $15 per person and may be obtained from Allen's Drug. Halifax Pharmacy, Electric Service Company, Gravitt & Gravitt, P.C., and the Gazette Virginian.
Tickets may also be obtained from Addison Marable, Carlyle Wimbish any member of the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors.
Talbott's involvement in local bowling started when she joined the Southern Belles league in 1964.
She has attended the state bowling tournament each year except for 1965 when she gave birth to her last child.
Talbott has consistently carried one of the top averages among local women bowlers with her average ranging from around 170 and slightly above to as high as 187.
The Cluster Springs resident has competed in the Virginia State Womens Seniors Bowling Tournament since she became eligible to do so.
And, she won the event in 1989 and represented the state in the national tournament at Witchita, Kan.
This year, Talbott again excelled in the state tournament. She is one of three women bowlers in the state who have qualified to compete in the national tournament which will be held May 28 in Reno, Nev.
Talbott remains active in the local bowling scene, bowling in three different leagues and substituting for virtually anyone that needs her.
While Talbott is noted for her expertise on the lanes, she has also been an instrumental figure in the administration and operation of local womens bowling leagues.
Talbott has held the office of president and vice president at various times in various leagues, has served as co-chairman of the City Tournament on numerous occasions, and still continues to serve as president of the local womens bowling association as she has for more than five years.
While Talbott is most recognized for her involvement in the local womens bolwing scene, she also played a key role in local womens softballas a player and coach for a number of years.
After having played in informal games for years, Talbott began playing organized softball with the inception of the former Ruritan League.
She was regularly named to the league's all-star team and the teams she coached regularly finished high in either the regular season, playoffs, or both.
When the Ruritan League folded, Talbott put together a traveling tournament team and continued to play and coach.
Talbott coached the Cluster Springs teenage girls softball team from around 1970 until around 1980 while continuing to play on her own team.
She continued to play softball for a number of years and played in the Church League until she retired at age 60 on doctors' orders.
Talbott was also a basketball fan and, in 1974, coached the girls basketball team at the former Halifax County Academy.
In addition, she taught students softball and bowling during their mini-semester at the Halifax County Academy.
Born in Halifax County in 1932, Talbott was the third of eight children.
She was raised on a tobacco farm and attended schools in Halifax County, graduating from Cluster Springs High School in 1952.
Talbott played four years of basketball and softball under the late Miss Janie Blackwell and was a starter during her last three years.
During that span, Talbott was a fast-pitch pitcher for the softball team and was the team's cleanup batter.
Thus far, 37 individuals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Marie Lowery Melton, age 90, of 1091 Olive Branch Road, Roxboro, N.C., died March 26, 2000, at Northwood Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.
Mrs. Melton was born in Halifax County the daughter of Walker Green and Mary Ida Ford Lowery and was married to John Merritt Melton. She was a charter member of High View Baptist Church and a member of Olive Branch Baptist Church.
Survivors include three daughters, Ruth M. Dean and Nancy M. Wilkerson, both of Roxboro, and Esther M. Gillis of High Point, N.C.; one sister, Mabel L. Puryear of Roxboro; five grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Melton were held at 3 p.m. March 28 at Olive Branch Baptist Church by the Rev. Victor Blackwell. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Olive Branch Baptist Church, 7588 Dirgie Mine Road, Roxboro, 27573, or Alzheimer's Research Center, 2200 W. Main St., Suite A-230, Durham, N.C. 27705.

Lois Ellen Walton Dunn, age 89, of Buffalo Junction, died March 26, 2000, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
A native of Pittsylvania County, Mrs. Dunn graduated from Averett College and was married to Harvey Edmund Dunn. She was a member of Clarksville Baptist Church, where she taught the young adult Sunday School class, the Joy class and was an active choir member and a Women's Missionary Union member. She taught for brief period in the public schools for Pittsylvania County. Later she worked for Clarksville Times as the Womens Editor.
Survivors include two sons and daughters-in-law, Darryl and Vivian Dunn of Buffalo Junction and David and Deborah Dunn of Richmond; and one sister, Genevieve Walton Sizemore.
Services for Mrs. Dunn will be held today, March 29 at 3 p.m. at Clarksville Baptist Church with the Revs. H.V. Conner and John Bohannon officiating. Entombment will follow at Oakhurst Eternity Mausoleum.

Roscoe Rueben Walton Sr., age 64, formerly of Hunter's Lane, South Boston, died March 27, 2000, at The Woodview.
Mr. Walton was born in Halifax County on September 28, 1935, the son of Howard Edward Walton and Catherine Walton Paniel. He was a member of Ebenezer CME Church and was a retired employe of the Town of South Boston.
Survivors include one daughter, April MaCadden of Roanoke; six sons, Roscoe R. Walton Jr. of Key West, Fla., Darryl Walton of Jacksonville, Fla., Jerry Walton, Stephen Walton and Keith D. Walton, all of South Boston and Marvin B. Walton of New York, N.Y.; five grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; three sisters, Rosa Barber of Arlington, Amelia Hamilton of South Boston and Lucy Wade of Washington, D.C.; two brothers, Norman Walton of Alexandria and Wayne Paniel of South Boston.
Funeral services will be held March 30 at 11 a.m. at Ebenezer CME Church with the Rev. John Ghee officiating. Burial will follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the home of Jerry Walton, 419 Beverly Court, South Boston and at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Levi Hamilton, 2203 North Main Street, South Boston.