Celebrating good government

On July 2, the Goochland Board of Supervisors recognized former county treasurer Pamela Johnson—she officially retired as of June 30—for her outstanding service to the county.

Johnson was appointed interim treasurer in early 2011 following the arrest of then county treasurer Brenda Grubbs, who was ultimately convicted of embezzling public funds. Johnson rolled up her sleeves and set about cleaning up the office, to which she was duly elected in 2011 and 2015. Her most important and challenging task, however, was rebuilding trust in the office with the citizens.

In addition to getting the books straight, Johnson saw to it that her entire staff received training and certification as Master Governmental Deputy Treasurers from the University of Virginia.

Past County Treasurer Pam Johnson accepts plaque from Board Chair Manuel Alvarez, Jr.

The latest collection rate for local real estate taxes was 99.37 percent and 98.96 percent for personal property tax. Johnson gave all the credit for the high compliance rate to the taxpayers. When Johnson took office, the compliance rate was in the 93 percent range.

Johnson worked to get delinquent taxes paid, setting up payment plans for land owners in arrears, and working through legal requirements to sell abandoned properties to restore them to the tax rolls. For the past five years, thanks to Johnson’s dedication to providing the highest quality citizen service, the Goochland County Treasurer’s Office has been accredited by the Treasurers’ Association of Virginia. (Visit http://www.vatreas.com/Certifications.aspx to see what this entails.)

During her tenure in office, Johnson implemented the twice-yearly collection of personal property taxes, and established internal controls and other procedures to safeguard public funds. She also presented an annual class on local government and taxes to students at Goochland High School.

“This is the most personally rewarding job I’ve ever had, it was the greatest achievement of my life, and an honor,” Johnson said following a standing ovation in the Board Room. “That’s because I worked with the best and for the best people in the Commonwealth of Virginia. I had a great staff who will continue to service with honesty, integrity, and fairness to everyone.”

Johnson announced earlier in the year that she would retire effective June 30 to spare the county the expense of an extra audit at the end of the calendar year, when her term of office ended, as required by state law.  Pamela Duncan, her chief deputy, now serves as interim treasurer until results of the November election are certified.

We may never know the full extent of the mess that Johnson cleaned up, but all citizens owe her a debt of gratitude for making the treasurer’s office transparent and accountable.

Once again, Goochland County received a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers’ Association. This is the highest form of recognition for governmental accounting and financial reporting.

County Administrator John Budesky said that the award is truly a team effort, citing participation and collaboration of the entire county staff; office of the Treasurer and Commissioner of the Revenue; schools finance department; Department of Social Services; and the Department of Financial services. Take a look at the county’s certified annual financial reports available on the county website http://www.goochlandva.us/ under annual audit on the finance tab. These are well worth a read. 

Compare the CAFR of FY2010 with the latest one to see just how far Goochland has come under the present leadership.

Deputy County Administrator Derek Stamey received the Marcia Mashaw Outstanding Assistant Award by the Virginia Local Government Management Association (VLGMA). Stamey was nominated by County Administrator John Budesky for several accomplishments, including his leadership role in renovating and restoring the Central High School Cultural and Educational Complex.

The Virginia Local Government Management Association (VLGMA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization composed primarily of city, town, and county managers and key members of their management teams. Membership in the organization is offered on an individual basis. The primary goal of the association is to strengthen the quality of local government through professional management. The association seeks to promote professional management in a variety of ways including training, networking, and resource sharing.

Derek Stamey Deputy County Administrator for Operations

Stamey said he was humbled by the award and attributed the accomplishments of his department to teamwork. “It takes a team and Goochland County has an incredible Board of Supervisors and administrative team. When everyone works so hard together with engaged citizens great things happen.”

It is no accident that “little ole Goochland” earns all these accolades. We are blessed to have a corps of hard-working dedicated county employees and engaged citizens supported by our elected officials to make wonderful things happen here.