Big ticket items

 

Goochland is working with the Chickahominy Health District on a vaccine roll out. The shots are in very short supply and are allocated to localities by the state. Even though we’re all tired of hearing it, your patience is requested during this trying time.

Life goes on under Covid restrictions. On Tuesday, January 26, the Goochland Board of Supervisors and School Board held a joint workshop to look at the capital improvement plan (CIP) for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on July 1. The session was held in the gym at the Central High School Cultural and Educational Complex configured to accommodate social distancing of the group. Kudos to Deputy County Administrator for Operations Derek Stamey and his staff for the set up.

A few years ago, in response to dreadful cash proffer legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly, Goochland crafted a 25-year capital improvement plan. This included all capital—items whose cost exceeds $50 thousand dollars with a useful life of several years—expenditures anticipated for a quarter century. This plan included everything from new and replacement fire-rescue apparatus to routine upgrades for software and HVAC equipment.

The CIP is revisited during every annual budget cycle and amended as real time conditions warrant. For instance, when the school division saw a need to increase the capacity for the new Goochland Elementary School, the long-term CIP was changed to reflect that increased cost.

As a new circuit courthouse—ours has been in use for almost 200 years—was also included in the same time frame, FY2022, CIP adjustments were made. A courthouse security annex, funded by budget surplus, was completed in 2019 as to keep the current facility in use for a few more years. The county purchased a parcel of land adjoining the courthouse green last in anticipation of the new courthouse although a specific location has not yet been identified.

Looking ahead 25 years required best guess estimates of cost increases for materials and construction as well as the interest rate environment.

County Administrator Kenneth Young presented a list of near-term capital projects. These include major items like the new GES (FY 22) and renovations to the middle school; replacement courthouse (FY24); West Creek fire-rescue station (FY26); and land purchases for future facilities through FY31 for a total of $157 million. Also included were amounts for radio system upgrades and vehicle replacements for the sheriff’s office and school renovations.

Young presented a debt service scenario—a suggestion, nothing written in stone—that included incurring $70 million in debt in FY23 to fund the new GES and courthouse; and $26 million in FY28 to fund the fire-rescue station and GHS renovations. This would require adding $500k to debt service reserve in FY21 and 22 and upping debt service four percent each year. The question is which projects included in the $157 million list will be either removed from the list or pushed to the back of the funding queue.

A partial list of CIP projects

Under the first scenario, the earliest additional new debt could be added would be FY 40. Young pointed out that if Tuckahoe Creek Service District debt is retired, which he said could happen as early as FY23, revenue sharing funds would become available to the county. The initial TCSD financing—if you want a detailed explanation corner District 5 Supervisor Ken Peterson—included a provision that 55 percent of real estate tax revenue generated by the increase in assessed valuation of land in the TCSD after calendar year 2002 would be dedicated to TCSD debt service. When those bonds are paid off—perhaps as early as FY23, thanks to last year’s refinancing of a portion of the debt—that 55 percent will be included in real estate tax revenue, providing additional funds without a tax increase. It would also eliminate the 32-cent ad valorem tax levied on all TCSD property.  Given the amount of growth in the TCSD in recent years, this could be a considerable sum without increasing the tax rate. 

Note the "slide" was in error, the earliest date for retirement of the TCSD debt should have read 2032. Sorry for any confusion.

The county has a debt policy, “the ratio of debt service expenditures to total general fund expenditures should not exceed 12%. Net debt as a percentage of market value of taxable property should not exceed 2.5%.” Debt service is defined as the amount of money required to make payments on the principal and interest on outstanding loans or bonds. Based on that policy $152 million in debt to fund all near term CIP items is not affordable, contended Young.

School superintendent Dr. Jeremy Raley observed that the county has “vast” capital needs and that the school division is but a part of the overall conundrum. He presented a chart illustrating capacity and actual enrollment at each county school.

Current school capacity and utilization.

Brick and mortar schools play an important part in the developmental needs of students, Raley said. “Our elementary schools, more than 60 years old, were built for a different time,” he said.  “Schools now need more flex space for learning and outdoor experience.” Alluding to historically low interest rates, Raley said that “money is cheaper than has been for some time.”

In the recent past, the county has funded smaller capital projects with annual budget surpluses. Going forward, if more debt is incurred, those surpluses may shrink. Young pointed out that the West Creek Fire-Rescue station, for instance, would add 15 new county employees, which would increase operating expenses and reduce the opportunity for budget surpluses.

There are many pieces to the CIP puzzle. Prioritizing these projects within the framework of affordability will be a delicate task.

Broadband expansion was not included in the CIP even though all participants at the meeting indicated it is of utmost importance to support virtual learning for our students, people working from home, and business opportunities throughout Goochland.

Raley reported that 600 Kajeet hotspots were distributed by the school division to students with no broadband access, and there some places where they do not work.

District 4 Supervisor Don Sharpe said that expanding broadband access to the entire county—there are unserved areas in all parts of Goochland—is critical to those who work from home or operate a business here.  Sharpe said he would support a tax increase —perhaps with a sunset clause to go away after build- out—to install last mile broadband infrastructure. He contended that Goochland has not been successful in winning grants, which are highly competitive, for this. “You can’t do it (expand broadband) without fiber in the ground,” said Sharpe. Goochland, he said, must do this sooner rather than later.

School Board Chair Karen Horn, District 3, suggested that some of the CARES act funds could be used for broadband expansion.  Young said that CARES act money is being used for ongoing expenses that will not go away when the Covid funding does and urged caution about allocating those funds.

During citizen comment former Goochland Treasurer Pamela Johnson urged the elected officials to be fiscally responsible and remember that they have a duty to be very careful when they spend tax dollars. She recalled how the TCSD debt placed the county perilously close to bankruptcy ten years ago.

In 2013, Johnson recalled, the county changed the frequency of personal property tax from once to twice a year. This resulted in a one time “windfall” of $2.6 million, which was supposed to pay for construction of the new Hadensville Company 6 Fire-Rescue station, the first built by the county. The actual cost, due to environmental regulations and cost overruns, was more than $5 million.

Johnson contended that the economy is still fragile and that many people across Goochland are struggling financially. While county treasurer, she set up thousands of payment plans for property owners in every part of Goochland to help them pay their real estate taxes. “There is no magic money tree behind the administration building to pay for everything,” Johnson declared.

She cited the struggles of Fluvanna County, which borrowed heavily to build a very expensive high school a few years back and raised taxes to finance the debt. Johnson exhorted the group to hope for the best but plan for the worst.

Young will present his recommended budget for FY22 on Tuesday, February 16 at 2 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Vaccine update

 

According to Caitlin Hodge of the Chickahominy Health District (CHD), which includes Goochland County, the robust response to the news that the Covid vaccine will soon be available overwhelmed its voice and email systems. They are working on a fix and will reply as soon as possible.

The CHD and Goochland County are collaborating on plans to roll out the vaccination locally but are not ready to announce details. It is hoped that there will be something ready by the end of January.

“The situation is very fluid; a lot depends on the availability of vaccine,” said Paul Drumwright, administrative services manager for the county.

Hodge reported that CHD is also working closely with the county to establish a Goochland centric hotline, staffed by knowledgeable people, to provide information and answer questions about the vaccine soon, perhaps as early as late next week.

“We are excited that so many people want to be vaccinated,” Hodge said. But the devil in in the details. “The Covid vaccine is new. Administering it is different from things we’ve been dealing with for a long time, and it takes time to get up to speed with the new process.”

While the CHD is anxious to inoculate many people as soon as possible, “it must be done in a safe manner to ensure a high level of trust in the vaccine,” Hodge said. Currently, priority is being given to the 1a category. They hope to move to 1b next week. See https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19-vaccine/  Governor Ralph Northam recently added teachers and those 65 and over to the 1b list.

Special training is needed to administer the vaccine.  Currently, CHD does not have enough people on staff to give shots, conduct testing, and perform contact tracing for Covid cases. CHD is working to build partnerships with public and provide entities to expand opportunities to get the vaccine. This could include deploying the national guard and area health professionals, including paramedics to provide widespread inoculation as soon as possible, in a safe manner. “We don’t want people to think we have prioritized speed over safety,” she said.

Goochland, said Hodge, is a wonderful partner and is working to staff the Covid information hotline and hold vaccination clinics locally. “People have lots of questions and they need to be able to get good information from a trusted source.”

Notice of a vaccination clinic in Henrico that circulated on the internet last night filled all appointments in a matter of hours. Hodge expects more of these large clinics to be announced in coming weeks.

GOMM will pass along information about vaccine clinics as it is received. Things are changing rapidly. Stay tuned.

 

 

The big stick

 

Many of us are ready to roll up our sleeves and get vaccinated against Covid 19. Details about who, when, and where are trickling out and subject to change as conditions merit.

Virginia, according to the state department of health, is using a phased approach to get those important shots into arms around the Commonwealth.

The first phase, 1a, targets healthcare personnel and residents of long-term care facilities. This is a good place to start. Vaccinating those most susceptible to the virus and their caregivers should reduce the number of deaths and hospitalizations.

Next up in phase 1b are frontline essential workers including teachers and child care providers; police; fire-rescue; hazmat; people over 75; residents of correctional facilities; migrant labor camps; and homeless shelters.

In phase 1c, other essential workers; people over 65; and those over age 16 with underlying conditions.

See https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19-vaccine/ for details.

Virginia is currently in phases 1 and b. Presumably, it will move to phase 1c when additional vaccine doses are received. Goochland, however, is in phase 1 a.

 According to the vaccine summary on the VDH website, https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-in-virginia/ 476 Goochlanders have received at least one dose of vaccine.

According to Paul Drumwright, Administrative Services Manager for Goochland County, residents of long-term care facilities are being vaccinated via a federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens. Health care and EMS providers are being inoculated at their place of work or at the Chickahominy Health District vaccination site at Randolph Macon College in Ashland.

Drumwright said that, as the health district moves into later phases of the vaccination process, it will begin to hold vaccination events locally. Goochland County is identifying potential sites for this activity.

To find out when you will be eligible to obtain a vaccination, go to https://vdh.jebbit.com/amkwk6m1?L=Owned+Web&JC=Vaccine and sign up.

May Covid be in our collective rear view mirror soon.

 

Into the new year

 

After months of endless lockdown and quarantine we’ve finally stumbled into 2021. Trouble is, it looks a lot like last year. Life goes on, albeit masked, socially distant, and virtual.

The Goochland County Board of Supervisors held its first meeting of the year on January 5.  The session was open to the public, and live streamed with remote access available for citizen comment and remarks during evening public hearings. (The county information technology department has done a great job making meetings accessible online during the pandemic.) Since the supervisors’ December meeting, brighter lighting has been installed in the board room. Additional screens have been placed on the walls so the audience can better see presentations, and the microphone system has been upgraded so everyone can hear all comments.

Interactive data kiosk outside board meeting room.

Interactive informational touch screens have replaced the desk outside the boardroom.

As has been its custom since 2012, board members rotate serving as chair. Supervisors unanimously elected John Lumpkins, Jr., District 3, Chair, and Ken Peterson, District 5, vice chair. The afternoon session was short.

John Lumpkins, Jr. (l) Ken Peterson (r)

Lumpkins said he is honored to be elected chair and thanked the board for their confidence and the trust placed in him. “The good news is that Goochland is tending to business and we are looking forward to a good year. There’s a lot of good things going on.” He commended county staff and schools who did yeoman’s work to navigate through a challenging year.

In 2000, the Goochland Board of Supervisors adopted a code of ethics and standards of conduct, which have been readopted and amended each year. These documents outline principles and values that elected and appointed officials must embrace to be worthy of public trust. This year, the supervisors amended these documents to include a stronger statement prohibiting discrimination in any form, to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and the rights of all are protected.

Paragraph 5 of the Code of Ethics was strengthened by adding these words “Adopt policies and programs that support the rights and recognize the needs of all Goochland County citizens and avoid adopting policies or engaging in activities that discriminate against Goochland County citizens because of race, sex, age, religion, creed, country of origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We do not tolerate discrimination based on race, sex, age, religion, creed, country of origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”

The notice requirement for five days’ public notice was waived to permit addressing this issue. Susan Lascolette, District 1, said she does not normally support suspending rules but as these changes benefit the public she voted in favor.

The supervisors also adopted codes of behavior and standards of ethics for appointees to board and commissions.

The rules of procedure were amended to codify the practice of allowing people to cede their allotted minutes to another speaker during citizen comment and public hearings for a maximum of ten minutes. Additional clarity was added to rules governing electronic meetings, which, until Covid, were a rarity.

See the January 5 board packet on the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ beginning on page 8 to read these documents in their entirety.

 

County Administrator Kenneth A. Young welcomed the board to the new year. He said that he expects to be spending a lot of quality time working on the budget for FY 2022, which begins on July 1. In February he will introduce a recommended balanced budget. As largest expenditure in the county budget is public education, Young is working closely with Director of Finance Barbara Horlacher and Dr. Jeremy Raley, superintendent of schools, to monitor changes in state funding that will have an impact on the school budget. He said that the major challenges for the next budget are capital improvement plan and funding public safety.

Young announced that the lighting at the Oilville Road park and ride is operational. He commended Derek Stamey, Deputy County Administrator for Operations, for shepherding this project, and the recent installation of the Welcome to Goochland sign on Rt.6, through complicated processes with partner agencies, including VDOT.

Lighting at the park and ride on Oilville Road is operational.

Citizen comment

Jeremy Raley, speaking as a citizen, thanked he board for its consideration of bonuses for county staff and school employees.

Jonathan Lyle Director of the Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District invited board members to spend time with members of the Goochland Farm Bureau to learn more about local agriculture, which is what keeps Goochland rural. Lyle expressed optimism that the state would increase its monetary support for soil and water programs. He thanked board members for their service and their willingness to look out for Goochland County.

Due to Covid restrictions, no representative of VDOT was present at the meeting. The report is on page 59 of the board packet.

The board approved the consent agenda, which included authorizing Young to execute a purchase order with “Musco Sports Lighting, LLC in an amount not to exceed $267,600 for the removal of existing ballfield lighting and installation of replacement lighting at the Central High Cultural and Educational Complex.” This is the latest upgrade to the many community amenities at this facility. This is part of the relocation of the existing ball field at the intersection of Fairground and Sandy Hook Roads, necessitated by construction of a round-about scheduled for 2022.

A request for VDOT to add an extension of Wilkes Ridge Parkway, located south of Broad Street Road, roughly opposite Wawa, leading to the Avery Point continuing care community, into state maintenance was approved.

The board approved amendments to the charter of the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission, PlanRVA. It is “the one (and only) organization where representatives from each of the region's nine localities can come together to analyze, plan, consult and collaborate on issues and opportunities that impact every citizen and every community.” It is governed by a 33-member board of commissioners allocated by population. Goochland, with three commissioners, tends to get out voted by jurisdictions like Henrico, which has seven and eight for Chesterfield. This is why the bridge over Tuckahoe Creek connecting Ridgefield Parkway with Tuckahoe Creek Parkway will never happen. At least we have a very small seat at a big table. Go to https://planrva.org/ for more information.

 Public hearings

During the evening session, the supervisors held public hearings and approved bonuses for all employees of the county, school, and constitutional officers and their employees. Full time employees will receive $1,500, permanent part- time employees $750, costing $387,540 for the county and $661,240 for schools. The supervisors will not receive a bonus. This is a way of thanking the people who kept things running through the pandemic, in some cases changing assignments and finding creative ways to perform tasks safely. Planned salary increases included in the initial FY 2021 budget were removed to deal with expected revenue shortfalls caused by Covid lockdowns.

Kudos to all county and school employees. The folks who clean and sanitize public buildings, keep the convenience centers operating, and prepare and distribute food to kids across the county are too often overlooked for doing their less than glamorous jobs with grace and enthusiasm.

Lyle thanked the board for considering bonuses. He said as a citizen he feels well served by county government and is pleased at how issues are promptly addressed and happily resolved, which he contended is the result of having a good team. “I live in Goochland because I want to, not because I have to,” he said in support of the bonuses.

Peterson commended county and school staff for displaying immense courage during the unknowns of the pandemic. He thanked them for all of their efforts.

Neil Spoonhower District 2 said he has been incredibly impressed by the way that staff and school employees have gone out of their way to serve the citizens. He thanked the citizens for paying their taxes to make the bonuses possible.

The board also amended the FY 21 budget by approximately $1,331,551, which is approximately 1.5 percent of the $94,289,023 budget. Virginia law requires a locality to hold a public hearing on budget amendments greater than one percent of the total budget. Actual receipts from taxes and other revenue streams have proven to be more robust than anticipated when the FY 21 budget was adopted in April. Each month Horlacher makes recommendations to reinstate expenditures that were removed in the spring.

She reported that real estate and personal property taxes were collected at a rate 95.05 last year, this year 94.06. Horlacher expects the county will meet and exceed expected budget revenues. Other budget supplements were approved and appropriated for the schools and clerk of the court.

CARES Act transfers, whose spending deadline for using money has been extended to December 31,2021, were also approved. Horlacher said that revenues exceed budget expectations. She will update the board on the first two quarters on FY 2021 in February.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The year of the asterisk

 

 

The asterisk of 2020

Here we are in 2021, finally. Optimism for a bright and shiny new year filled with promise is tempered by the tribulations of last year, which should go down in history as the year of the asterisk, often used in record books to mark anomalies.

The asterisk for 2020, however, will be a fuzzy gray sphere with studded with deadly red flowerlike spikes. Covid 19 morphed into a global pandemic and quintessential black swan event that disrupted every facet of our lives.

Fear and skepticism played tug of war as we sheltered in place venturing out only for approved reasons. The mask debate—are they crucial, or useless—rages on. In January, a woman was detained by police in Richmond for covering her face in public. Now law enforcement officers are masked.

After the lockdown in March—two weeks to flatten the curve—everything changed.

People hunkered down. Canned goods, cleaning supplies, and toilet paper disappeared from store shelves. Schools closed without notice leaving working parents scrambling for child care and teachers creating distance learning options. Ten months later, this is still a work in progress.

Of all the terrors of the pandemic, perhaps the most subtle is the fraying of community caused by cancellation of things that bring people together. Churches discouraged from in person worship moved online. In warm weather, some held outdoor services where people could gather yet keep their distance.

Our vocabularies grew as terms like social distancing, pivot, unmute, self-quarantine, and wash your hands became part of daily discourse.

We were told, in March, the lockdowns would only be for a few weeks, yet here we are ten months later with no real end in sight. As case count rises—for epidemiological purposes, each positive test is considered a case—a curious combination of cabin fever and agoraphobia has arisen. We desperately want to leave our homes but worry about going out and getting sick.  Will the vaccines finally let us get our lives back? Seems like good news is two steps forward, four steps back.

Yet here we are. Goochland seems to be holding its own against Covid. The latest numbers from the Virginia Department of Health (https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-in-virginia/) indicate that, since March when testing began, 621 cases have been identified in the county. That includes an increase of about 170 in the past month. The good news is that, since March, 34 people have been hospitalized—the last on November 25. Seven Covid-related deaths have been attributed to Goochland, the last was reported on July 28. The VDH does not report on, or even define, Covid recoveries.

Restrictions on our daily lives, we are told, are based on science and data. The science seems to change with the phase of the moon, and the data is vague.

In spite of all the uncertainty and just plain weirdness, we carry on.

The first GOMM of 2020 expected the year to be a routine continuation of 2019. The hospital, hotel, and animal shelter opened. Modifications to the Broad Street Road/Rt. 288 interchange were finally finished. The census was conducted, as was the presidential election. All were done observing Covid precautions.

Quarantines that had residents working from home and students learning remotely put even more pressure on the county to expand broadband access to all residents as soon as possible. Regulatory restrictions at the state and federal level that hobble this expansion must be eliminated.

Our LEOs and fire-rescue providers have worked tirelessly and carefully observing sanitizing, distance, and wearing masks to serve the citizens throughout the pandemic.  County staff kept local government operational. The DMV Select operated by the Commissioner of Revenue remained open serving customers from near and far.

The Goochland School Division continued to nourish the minds and bodies of students. Meal distribution barely missed a beat when schools closed. The “Sunshine Bus” lived up to its name bringing food and books to students.

Events that form the threads of the tapestry of community were cancelled or “reimagined”. The last Field Day of the Past fell victim to Covid, depriving us of a chance to bid farewell to this iconic event. The rebirth of Goochland Day was postponed for a year. There were no fireworks, observances of Veterans’ or Memorial Day, Deep Run Horse Show, Rassewek Spring Jubilee, sports, or Batteaux Festival.

Not everything was cancelled. The sheriff’s Office held “Candy, Costumes, and Cops,” a drive through Halloween event the day after Parks and Rec staged a drive through combination fall festival and Halloween party. The Christmas Tree lighting was virtual after a drive through wave at Santa at Hidden Rock Park, which was decked out with seasonal lights.

Our 2020 Christmas Mother Joy Kline and her elves found new ways to brighten the holidays for those in need.

Creativity was on display at the high school drama department staged a virtual and socially distanced version of “It’s a Wonderful Life” to give a local connection to the lockdown.

Our world was turned upside down last year, and we realized what is important in life.

May your 2021 be filled with good health, love, and laughter. Happy New Year!