The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors went on record for the county's citizens Tuesday opposing the proposed sale of 121 acres of U.S. Forest Service property in the Catawba section of the county.

A meeting Monday at the Catawba Community Center drew about 70 people, all apparently opposed to that plan.

The Bush administration has proposed the sale of more than 300,000 acres of forest nationally and pooling the revenue to help fund some of the nation's poorest school districts.

Roanoke County Administrator Elmer Hodge told supervisors Tuesday county schools were unlikely to meet the poverty levels that will be set to benefit from funds raised by the sale, should it take place.

All four supervisors in attendance at Tuesday's meeting -- Windsor Hills representative Joe McNamara was out of town -- voted for the resolution opposing the sale.

"If we were talking about land that could be returned to some useful purpose, that would be one thing," said Hollins District Supervisor Richard Flora of the Catawba site, "but this is rattlesnake country. It's all ridge tops and steep slopes. ... This is the kind of land the forest service should own."

The resolution said "this proposal would reverse decades of hard work to protect through public stewardship and management the vulnerable ridgelines and mountainsides, and would eliminate public open space and recreational uses."

The resolution also asserts that "if this property were sold and developed it would have the following harmful effects upon the County: harm to the viewsheds from the Catawba community and the Appalachian Trail, and potential for soil erosion, soil loss, water runoff, flooding and loss of forested lands."

The resolution will be forwarded to U.S. Reps. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, who chairs the powerful House Agriculture Committee that oversees the Forest Service, and Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, and Virginia Sens. John Warner and George Allen.

The supervisors also held public hearings on the county's real estate, personal property, and machine and tools tax rates, which the board will set at its March 28 meeting.

Two citizens spoke at the hearings.

Retiree Leon Martin described living on a fixed income and asked supervisors to "maybe work with what we have, or a little less than what is being asked for, and keep taxes at a lower rate."

Resident Max Beyer asked the board to lower the $1.12 per $100 valuation rate on real estate taxes, although he didn't suggest a specific amount.

He said the county receives "automatic revenue increases every year, and especially this year, with property values going up and a favorable business climate. I think you need to share that windfall with taxpayers of county."

While supervisors gave no indication how they will vote on tax rates in two weeks, Catawba District representative Butch Church asked budget director Brent Robertson for examples of savings taxpayers would receive with a 1-cent reduction in the real estate tax rate.

Robertson said the owner of a home valued at $100,000 would save $10 per year, at $150,000 would save $15 a year, and at $200,000 would save $20 a year.

The board also heard a series of presentations from health and human service agencies seeking inclusion in the county's upcoming budget.

Cultural, tourism and other agencies will present their requests at a special meeting at 6 p.m. March 21.