Taking it on the road

The last of Goochland County spring town hall meetings, for Districts 4 and 5, was held on Wednesday March 27. Sessions for District 1 and District 2 and 3 were held earlier in the month. The county “slides” for all meetings are available at http://goochlandva.us/921/Annual-Reports-Presentatons-County-Data. Scroll down to town hall presentations.

District 4 supervisor Bob Minnick presented a Goochland Challenge Coin to Wayne Dementi for his work with Goochland Pet Lovers. This non-profit (https://www.goochlandpetlovers.com/) works with the county in a public/private partnership to enhance the new pet shelter with adoption and veterinary care areas.

“It’s been quite a journey,” Dementi said of his involvement with Pet Lovers. “It’s been delightful working with John (Budesky), (Deputy County Administrator) Derek Stamey, and (Director of Animal Protection) Tim Clough. This is really about the Goochland Citizens, who responded to the challenge (of raising $1.5 million for the animal shelter.) We are so blessed to live in Goochland. That kind of generosity is a rare thing.”

Designs for gateway signs were available for consideration. Attendees were asked to express a preference for the county seal or logo and several display options including ground or post mounted. There will be more opportunities to weigh in on the signage before decisions are made. The sign will be deployed at county line “gateways” on Broad Street Road, Route 6, and other major thoroughfares.

Should the county logo (l) or county seal (r) be used for gateway signs?

  

As has become customary, the county budget for the 2020 county fiscal year, which begins on July 1 was the focus of the sessions. Budget details, discussed by County Administrator John Budesky include retention of the 53 cents per $100 of valuation tax RATE, which actually represents a tax increase.

As the revenue generated by the 53-cent tax rate, based on the 2019 assessed valuation, increased more than one percent over the 2018 amount, it must be advertised as a tax increase. This means that the 53-cent tax rate for calendar year 2019 will be an effective tax increase of six percent. When property values rise, tax bills increase even if the rate remains the same.

Budesky explained that the assessment process is separate from the political process and that the supervisors have no say in property valuations.

The public hearing on the FY 2020 budget, the 2019 tax rates, and other fees, will be held on Tuesday, April 2 at 7 p.m. in the county administration building. This is literally, a time when the Board of Supervisors” hears the public” speak about these subjects. The final vote will occur on April 16.

Commercial growth, said Budesky, has been robust. To encourage small business activity, revenue thresholds for business license have been increased.  A five cent per $100 of valuation reduction for personal property tax and elimination of the dreaded “sticker fee” are part of the proposed budget as is tax relief for the elderly and disabled veterans.

He touched briefly on the capital improvement plan (CIP), which is a road map to fund items such as buildings, and equipment with a long operational life that cannot be paid for in a single budget cycle. A new elementary school to be built on property near the high school/middle school complex and fire-rescue station were mentioned, but not a court building. Budesky reiterated that no sites for any other future facilities have yet been identified and rumors to the contrary have no basis in fact.

In response to a query about the dangerous mess at Rts. 250/288, the site of yet another fatal crash, Budesky said that improvements there have been approved and funded by VDOT but will not be in place much before 2021. “That cannot be done soon enough for the county,” he said.

Budesky also stated that the county does not have to approve additional new homes and their cash proffers for revenue. Cash proffers may be used only for capital costs that result from increased need for facilities.

District 5 Supervisor Ken Peterson touted county’s sound financial condition as evidenced by its excellent bond ratings from both Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s. These will help Goochland borrow money to fund items in the CIP at the lowest possible rates.

Beth Hardy, who represents District 4 on our school board, explained that when the current board took office in 2012, it wanted Goochland County Public Schools to be “a beacon for education in the Commonwealth. We’ve done that,” she said. “The great partnership with the board of supervisors has been a tremendous point of pride and I am grateful for our proactive engaged citizens.”

Superintendent of Schools, DR. Jeremy Raley said that the school division has been a good steward of the tax dollars invested in education, which has paid the dividend of putting Goochland schools in elite company.”

Not content to sit on its laurels, Raley said, the school division regularly examines all of its expenditure and makes strategic abandonments to better use funds for the school division’s core business—instruction.

When asked if teachers leave Goochland for higher pay elsewhere, Raley contended that Goochland pay scales are competitive. “We’re Alabama. People want to be part of the awesomeness of Goochland schools. We’ve created a supportive environment that lets teachers take chance to do what is best for their students.” Hardy added that participates in exit interviews and found that people tend to leave because they are moving out of the area, or for personal and family situations, not money.

 Raley played the delightful video about a day at Goochland High School (see GOMM Aligning Goals) and announced that one of the students featured has a heavy equipment operator job lined up with a nice salary after graduation, another student earned a full ride to UVa, just to mention a few success stories.

He shared a long list of accolades and achievements of our students, faculty,and other members of Team Goochland. Go to http://goochlandschools.org/ and click around to see what’s going on in your school division.