Going local

Goochland Town Hall meeting season is just about over. The District 2 and 3 session will be held at the  Goochland  Company 5 fire-rescue station on October 30, starting at 7 p.m.

GOMM attended the Districts 4 and 5 meeting, held on October 16 at the Hermitage Country Club.

Following brief introductory remarks by Supervisors Ken Peterson, District 5, and Bob Minnick, District 4, County Administrator John Budesky gave a brief summary of the county’s annual report.

“Goochland is a special place,” Peterson said. The generosity of the community has funded a new headquarters facility for Goochland Free Clinic and Family Services and supported Goochland Pet Lovers in its endeavors to fund a comprehensive adoption center as part of the new animal shelter, now under construction. He  touted the county’s AAA bond rating, better than that of the state or federal government.

“When we have a problem, we come together to find solutions,” Peterson said. “Because Goochland has the best citizens in the Commonwealth, we on the Board of Supervisors have an obligation to bring them the best government at the lowest tax rate.”

Budesky said that he is honored to work with  talented staff in pursuit of the same goal—delivery of excellent government services to the citizens. “If you don’t have trust in government, we can’t do our job effectively,” he said.

In an effort to ensure that citizens are informed about the doings in  county government, it has taken to social media, including Facebook and Twitter to get information out. This includes notices about upcoming meetings; holiday closures, including convenience centers; upcoming VDOT roadwork; and weather advisories. Follow the county on Facebook at Goochland County, VA and on Twitter @GoochlandGovtVA. The county website is www.goochlandva.us.

As many attendees live in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District, (TCSD), Budesky said that the county has added detailed information about it on the county website under the public utilities tab to  “demystify” its origins and operation.

 The ad valorem tax, which is levied on land in the TCSD to pay debt service on bonds issued to build its infrastructure, said Budesky, is expected to stay at its current 32 cents per $100 dollars of assessed valuation in addition to the countywide base real estate tax rate of 53 cents per $100 for the foreseeable future. The issue is revisited each year during budget deliberations.

Another topic on the minds of those living in the east end of the county is growth and development pressures.  

All property owners, said Budesky, have the right to petition the county to rezone their land for a different use. That doesn’t mean that the request will be granted, but the county must allow that request to go through the rezoning process, which includes community meetings and public hearings before the planning commission and board of supervisors. The media, he said, has a tendency to report on rezoning applications when they begin their way through the process as though they are “done deals” before they are approved, which is not necessarily the case.

To address mounting development pressures, the county, said Budesky, has retained consultants to craft a comprehensive capital impact model addressing all of the county’s capital needs, including roads. As residential communities have lifespans in excess of fifty years, their impact on county infrastructure must be evaluated over the long term. This model, expected to be complete around February 2018, will enable Goochland to understand the cost of growth so that it can better judge the merits of rezoning land.

“We see development as a major concern to you,” said Budesky. “Developers want clear rules to operate by, so it is critical to have this information to analyze the totality of the impact (of development)”.

There are approximately 2,400 housing units “on the books”  that are zoned but unbuilt, including the reconfigured Reader’s Branch subdivision, which will be heard at the November 2 planning commission meeting, said Budesky.

Budesky said that the county’s fall festival is coming up on Saturday, October 28 and the Christmas tree lighting will take place in December.

A citizen asked if Goochland is actively pursuing the second Amazon headquarters facility.  Budesky said that Goochland probably does not check all of Amazon’s boxes, but that the county always  tries to put is best foot forward and works with landowners to secure  beneficial economic development.

County owned property on Hockett Road has not yet been designated for any particular use, but is a “placeholder,” Budesky contended. Possible uses include a school, park, or convenience center.

Another citizen asked if the county is pursuing additional  internet choices. Budesky said that the supervisors declined to get into the internet provider business, but want to create an environment that attracts providers. The dearth of additional providers in the east end is the result of Verizon’s decisions not to expand FIOS and go in the direction of wireless, not any action taken by the county.  Residents in western Goochland, he said, would be happy to have any internet options.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jeremy Raley told the assemblage about the great return on the investment of their tax dollars created in Goochland Schools. “We are preparing the next generation of leaders and maximizing the potential of every learner,” he said.

Raley listed the impressive achievements of Goochland Schools. Visit http://goochlandschools.org/2017/10/16/2017-annual-report/  for an in depth look .

Our schools, said Raley, are being proactive by looking down the road 25 years in terms of enrollment and facility needs.  “There is no crystal ball,” he said. “So we had our consultants prepare  two growth models, one moderate, the other more aggressive.” Both enrollment models see the Goochland public school population remaining around 3,000. Currently, there are about 1,000 school aged children in the county who are either home schooled or attend private educational institutions.

Raley said that by the start of the 2027-28 school year, the goal is to have 1,400 elementary school seats. Schools will be renovated or replaced in phases and there will be an analysis of attendance boundaries at the beginning of each phase.

A 25,000 square foot career and technical addition to the high school is contemplated in along with other changes.  “Decisions need to be made,” said Raley. There will be a lot to discuss when the school board and supervisors hold a joint meeting on November 28. “Our goal is to provide an exceptional education experience for our awesome kids.”

There were some questions about public utilities. Apparently the smelly water problem plaguing the Parke at Saddle Creek has not been solved after upgrades to the TCSD water system.

Residents of the Hickory Haven subdivision, who have been patiently paying TCSD ad valorem tax for 15 years wanted to know when they will be able to hook on to the sewer lines. Budesky said that the Readers Branch proposal would bring  sewer line to the edge of Hickory  Haven. If that rezoning application is not approved, other connection strategies will need to be explored.

These meetings facilitate the citizen engagement that is vital to good government.