CHRISTIANSBURG -- Montgomery County property owners can expect to pay 71 cents for every $100 of assessed property next year.

The board of supervisors voted 4-3 Monday night to raise the real estate tax rate by 8 cents and postponed approving the budget until April 28.

Even though a formal public hearing on both topics was March 27, supervisors still heard from concerned residents during Monday's public address period.

Two Montgomery County teachers and three school board members asked the board to invest in education.

"Put money aside to help our children," said Erin Bull, vice president of the Montgomery County Education Association.

Meanwhile, six residents pleaded with the board to spend frugally and keep tax rates low.

"It's the worst time for it [a tax rate increase]," said Shawsville resident Steve Fijalkowski, citing rising gas prices and the slump in the housing market.

But supervisors argued that limited state funding coupled with the need to complete long-overdue projects makes a tax increase necessary.

"Everybody's sitting here glorifying how wonderful the state is because they can cut back," Supervisor John Muffo said. "Well, they cut back because they pass the buck. ... So this is where the buck ends, folks."

Muffo likened the county's planned expenses, which include a new courthouse, jail and schools, to a leaking roof.

"We've got to put the new roof on, and this is the year it's got to get put on," he said. "The judge could have given us a court order several years ago to build the courthouse. ... He's been very patient with us and could have given us a court order, but his patience is going to run out one of these days, and we have to have a new courthouse."

Muffo and Supervisors Annette Perkins and Mary Biggs voted against the 8-cent increase, saying they would have liked it to have been a penny more. Among other things, an extra penny would have allowed for a 6.2 percent average increase in teacher and county employee raises, rather than 5.5 percent.

But Supervisor Gary Creed said the 5.5 percent average increase should be enough.

"That's twice the average of what everybody else in our county and the state are getting," he said.

During the public comment time, school board member Wendell Jones asked board members to remember the importance of education and that for some children, school is the only place they get warm and have a good meal.

Later in the meeting, Creed referenced that statement, saying, "Believe that, that is true. But can you imagine what kind of burden you're going to put on them when you start telling the mother and the father that they're going to have to spend more money for taxes?"

Now that a real estate tax rate has been set, supervisors will mull several reduction plans created by Assistant County Administrator Carol Edmonds. They may decide to choose one of the plans or incorporate aspects of several at their April 28 meeting, county spokeswoman Ruth Richey said. In other business,

n The board approved the Virginia Department of Transportation's six-year secondary road improvement plan

n The board approved supporting the Western Virginia Regional Jail Authority's request to establish Virginia Retirement System benefits for employees.