February Board highlights

Goochland County’s supervisors were busy on February 4. The audit committee, which included a preview of the FY 2020 second quarter results from Director of Finance Barbara Horlacher, met at 1 p.m. She reported that halfway through the fiscal year, revenues are ahead of expenditures by a healthy margin. Sales tax receipts are ahead of expectations, so keep shopping locally.

Before the new 2 p.m. afternoon session start time, The Hon. Dale W. Agnew, Clerk of the Goochland Circuit Court, administered the oath of office to John Michael “Mike” Watkins, the county’s new Deputy Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services Chief. Watkins, the son of former state senator John Watkins of Powhatan, succeeds D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr., who became Chief of the Department last summer. Watkins, who comes to Goochland from Hanover County EMS, brings broad experience in life safety services, both volunteer and career. He also has a sterling resume replete with educational and professional achievement. Watkins will continue the upward trajectory of excellence that characterizes Goochland’s Fire-Rescue team. Welcome Chief Mike!

The Hon. Dale Agnew (r) swears in John Micheal Watkins

During their afternoon session, the supervisors approved a resolution congratulating Charlotte Carpenter, whose retirement from the Circuit Court Clerk’s office was effective February 1. 

Charlotte Carpenter

Carpenter, who began as a part-time employee in 1987, became a Deputy Clerk in 1991. During her tenure, she helped “… customers with land recordings, marriage licenses, judgments, financing statements, concealed weapon permits, name changes, civil suits and filings. She also provided invaluable service in the office record room helping customers with locating deeds, plats of survey, and other records related to real property” with professionalism and respect.  Happy retirement Mrs. Carpenter!

Chair Comments

Board Chair Susan Lascolette, District 1, welcomed Watkins to Goochland. She observed that decisions to be made following public hearings scheduled for that night are very important and will affect Goochland for years to come.

Town Hall Meetings

The spring round of town hall meetings, focusing on the county budget for FY 2021, will be held as follows: District 1 March 11 at the Fife, Company 4 Fire-Rescue station; Districts 2 and 3 March 16 at Central High School; and District 4 and 5 March 26 at Virginia Farm Bureau Headquarters. All begin at 7 p.m. Please try to attend one of these sessions.

County Administrator Comments

Goochland County Administrator John Budesky said that “things are moving quickly” in the General Assembly and the county is spending more time than usual following legislative activity and working closely with our delegation on several issues of importance to the county and citizens.

He invited all to an afternoon meeting on February 18 meeting when he will present his recommended budget. This document will be available on line after the presentation.   Budesky encouraged citizens to learn about the county budget—a clear reflection of county policy— by participating in meetings and workshops before the final adoption in April and provide feedback on the county’s financial decisions. Dates and times are posted on the county website.

Broadband

Broadband hotspots went live at all fire-rescue stations on Friday, February 7.  “It’s one step. There’s a lot more work we’re doing on broadband,” Budesky said.  This includes crafting a request for proposals (RFP) to attract private internet providers to the county.  Organizations and businesses interested in becoming hotspot locations should contact the county. See http://www.goochlandva.us/1101/Goochland-Area-WiFi-Hotspots for additional information.

Trash clean-up

Roadside trash degrades the beauty of Goochland, Budesky said. VDOT Alone cannot clean up the mess. A county wide litter clean up will take place on February 22 from 8 to noon.  Volunteers are asked to gather at the county administration building, Central High School Educational Complex, and Byrd Elementary to clean the roadsides. Go to the county website http://www.goochlandva.us/ for details. This will be an ongoing beautification initiative. The county will supply trash bags and deploy volunteers only in places deemed safe.  Budesky said he looks forward to working with residents to solve the “trash challenge”. Littering is never acceptable.

VDOT

Preconstruction meetings for improvements to the Rt. 288/Broad Street Road interchange are underway. Ground breaking should occur in the next “couple of weeks” weather permitting.

Studies to determine the best placement for a pedestrian crossing at the River Road West/Sandy Hook Road intersection in Courthouse Village are also in process.  Developers of the Reed Marsh subdivision, opposite the county administration building, are coordinating their road improvements with VDOT.

Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services

Chief Ferguson thanked the administrative staff, who spent most of 2019 “a man down” following the retirement of Past Chief William MacKay, for their hard work. In addition to its normal workload, the administrative staff collaborate closely with the Sheriff’s Office to implement emergency medical dispatch (EMD) last year. This service enables dispatchers to provide telephone assistance, including CPR and other types of medical instructions, before EMS personnel arrive on scene.

Ferguson reported that a patient’s wife told him that EMD saved her husband’s life while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. He commended the Sheriff’s Office Dispatchers for the high-quality service they provide.

Response times, said Ferguson, continue to trend down since October 1 when all six-county fire-rescue stations have been staffed 24/7.

Neil Spoonhower, District 2, said that the Santa Runs, where the jolly elf rides fire trucks through neighborhoods, were wonderful. Ferguson said that those activities provide a way to interact with the community on a non-emergency basis.

Website redesign

Director of Information Technology Randy Buzzard demonstrated the “refresh” of the county website. The update is provided at no charge every four years by CivicPlus, the site’s host vendor. The improved site has more photos of the county and larger navigation buttons. Click on the “how do I?” button to register for Code Red emergency notifications; to receive board packets by email and learn how to access county services. Visit  http://www.goochlandva.us/ and noodle around. Note the larger calendar near the bottom of the page that lists upcoming events. Community meetings, especially those regarding land use changes are posted here. Check back often. There is no excuse to be uninformed.

Assessments

Goochland County Assessor Mary Ann Davis reported that the total assessed valuation of land based on the January 1, 2020 market value is $5.65 billion, a five percent increase over last year. The actual number came in higher than the four percent projected in November due to rising construction costs and lack of inventory. “This is a seller’s market,” Davis said.

Totals include $66 million in new construction, which is eight percent commercial and 92 percent residential. Land use assessments are $613 million. The fair market assessed valuation of the Tuckahoe Creek Service District is $1.3 billion.  The tax base is currently 19.24 percent commercial, 80.76 percent residential. The goal, said Budesky, is 70/30 but it takes a great deal of investment to move that needle even one percent.

Notices were mailed on January 15. Land owners have until February 18 to make an appeal. See the Assessor’s tab on the website for instructions.

To see how the assessment of your property has changed over the years, go to the county website, click on the GIS button, check the box to accept conditions, select E911 addresses and put in your street address. Click search. When the map appears, click the little hand on the parcel number, click on property details, and select previous assessment.

Economic Development

Todd Kilduff Deputy County Administrator presented the 2019 report on economic development.

Since the department was restructured about a year ago, Economic Development Coordinators Sara Worley, who works with existing businesses, and Casey Verburg, who concentrates on attracting new investment, have been very busy putting Goochland on the state economic development radar

Sometime this spring, the county business center, space shared by the Economic Development Department and the Goochland Chamber of Commerce will open in county owned space opposite the courthouse, providing one stop shopping for enterprises looking to expand or relocate to Goochland.

Legislative Update

Administrative Services Manager Paul Drumwright reported on activity to date at the Virginia General Assembly. State legislators are wading through a total of 3,160 bills introduced in the 2020 session, up from 3128 last year. “Crossover” is February 11, which should reduce the number of bills. 

Goochland’s priority requests are broadband expansion; restoration of funding for county staff Virginia Cooperative Extension positions; and reimbursement for the compensation and expenses of the electoral board and general registrar.

Del McGuire submitted a budget amendment to restore the balance of federal, state, and local funds statewide. Extension is part of keeping Goochland rural.

Support for adding more money to the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) to help providers and localities expand broadband to areas with little or no access, this is a grant program, which requires localities to put up an equal sum.  There were $48 million requests, only $19 million were awarded.

The governor’s proposed budget contains $35 million per year for the next two fiscal years for the entire state. A bill was introduced to raise that to $70 million per year, another to add another $20 million in FY2022.

Other broadband related bills address regulatory impediments including utility easements, which could give “legal cover” to lease out “middle mile” space.

There are more than eight bills to restore the electoral and registrar funding statewide.

Funding mechanisms for transportation that could benefit the county on different levels are in the works. Legislation creating a central Virginia transportation authority is being tracked but the county has taken no position on this. This could create another tax. It is unclear how much of that revenue would return to Goochland for local road improvements. Budesky said that Goochland needs about $550 million of road improvements. “The need for road improvements statewide far exceed available revenue.”

Collective bargaining bills could affect certain groups in the county. Human resources and the county attorney have provided feedback to our General Assembly delegation.  Lascolette said that legislation regarding collective bargaining and right-to-work could have a negative impact on the business climate and should be watched careful.

Drumwright, who spends considerable time at the General Assembly, contended that many of the bills “need a little more time in the oven.”