The year 2019 begins

Goochland supervisors began 2019 by electing a new board chair and vice chair at their January 3 meeting. Manuel Alvarez, Jr., District 2 and Susan Lascolette, District 1, were chosen respectively to fill those spots. As is also the custom of this board, it adopted a code of ethics and standards of behavior. There were a few changes to include the actual procedure used to deal with a complaint brought against Alvarez last fall.

Susan Lascolette and Manuel Alvarez, Jr. will lead Goochland County in 2019

County Attorney Tara McGee explained that the suggested changes clarify procedures to deal with complaints about members of the governing board. Going forward, complaints against sitting supervisors must come from Goochland citizens. “You serve the citizens,” McGee told the supervisors, “and it to them that you owe the highest state of behavior.”

The county attorney will review all complaints to determine if they violate policies. If so, the allegations will move to the Board of Supervisors for review; if not the county attorney can end the issue.

County Administrator John Budesky said that budget season for FY2020, which begins on July 1, is in full swing. He will present his recommended budget to the supervisors on Tuesday, February 19 at 3 p.m. The final FY 2020 budget will be adopted and tax rates for calendar 2019 will be set by the supervisors on Tuesday, April 16. In the interim, there will be a number of departmental presentations, budget workshops, and district town hall meetings to share information and gather feedback about spending for the next fiscal year. Budesky said that the more citizens are engaged the more spending policies reflect the will of the citizens.

Once again, the county has garnered accolades for fiscal reporting. The latest is the Distinguished Budget Award for the 2019 budget from the Government Finance Officers Association. Although this has become a regular occurrence, the importance of excellence and transparency in fiscal matters should not be taken lightly. This is a reflection of good stewardship of public funds, the most important task of government at any level. Those steps above Goochland should take note. (Next time you’re in the admin building, take a look at the awards the county has received. They are in display cases near the board meeting room.)

A public hearing is set for February 5 for a proposed ordinance to authorize the school division to install and operate a video monitoring system on school buses. This will capture images of vehicles passing buses when the stop arm is lowered and authorize imposition of a $250 civil fine. The purpose is not to raise revenue, but to provide a deterrent to this dangerous behavior. The need for this ordinance is troubling. Why are some people in such a hurry that they disregard the safety of children?

The supervisors did accede to the recommendation of the general registrar and electoral board to revise the boundary of voting precinct sin District 4 to better accommodate existing voters and prepare for new residents expected to arrive between now and May 15, 2021, when precincts will be adjusted to reflect the results of the 2020 census. Ryan Mulligan, Goochland Director of Elections, said that new voter registration cards will be mailed to all affected by the change well in advance of this year’s elections.

Voters in District 4 may have a new polling place following precinct boundary adjustments.

Authority was granted to Budesky to execute an interjurisdictional pretreatment agreement between Goochland County and the City of Richmond concerning wastewater. Sewage generated in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District goes to Richmond for treatment. See the board packet for details.

An ordinance amendment requiring conditional use permits for public assembly in excess of 1501 people in industrial zoned M-1 and served by public water and sewer—West Creek and the Rockville Commerce Center on Ashland Road—to address the impact that large crowds might have on the community was passed unanimously.

The impetus for this ordinance change was interest expressed in moving the Innsbrook After Hours concert series to a site in West Creek near the Strikers soccer facility. Larry Creeger, a principal in Event Makers, which sponsors the concerts, said that he looks forward to bringing central Virginia’s largest concert venue to Goochland in 2020. See
https://richmondbizsense.com/2019/01/04/innsbrook-hours-ponders-move-west-creek/ for an excellent report in Richmond Bizsense.

Creeger said that he understands that his organization must go through the CUP process, which requires a community meeting and public hearings before the planning commission and supervisors, in order to complete the move.

There are a number of rezoning actions that may soon begin “the process,” which starts with community meetings. These are announced well in advance on the homepage of the county website http://goochlandva.us/. Bookmark this page and check often to keep informed.

The supervisors approved a new handbook for county employees to provide a uniform system of personnel administration. The latest update helps to ensure consistency in procedures, incorporate best practices, and clarify ambiguous language in previous versions.

New this year is a provision to allow up to eight hours of paid leave for employees to engage in volunteer activities with eligible non-profit organizations in Goochland County. There was some discussion about this. Lascolette opposed the concept of paying people not to do their jobs. Others wondered if four hours might be preferable. Ken Peterson, District t5 contended that as the work of many local non-profits “relieve the load” on county services, there is a return on investment. The board voted unanimously to approve the eight our leave, subject to approval by department head. This will be looked at next year to see how well it worked.

The meeting agenda did not include an update on valuation from County Assessor Mary Ann Davis. Property assessment notices for 2019 will be mailed on January 15. Landowners may apply for review from January 15 to February 15. Go to http://goochlandva.us/318/Real-Estate-Assessments for details.