A legacy

 

When Derek Stamey came to Goochland County in the fall of 2009, the Great Recession was beginning to take hold. Dramatic declines in local government revenues, caused by plummeting real estate assessments, made “do more with less” the order of the day. Today is his last day as an employee of Goochland County. Though he will continue to live here, Stamey leaves for a similar position in Hanover County. The Board of Supervisors recognized his service at its March 9 meeting.

Derek Stamey

Stamey’s position of Director of Parks and Recreation soon added responsibility for cutting grass and clearing snow from all county as school property as services were consolidated to streamline operations and reduce costs. By the spring of 2011, facilities management was added to his title to reflect countywide maintenance duties undertaken by his department.

He was named Deputy County Administrator for Operation in 2016 and served as interim county administrator between June and September of last year keeping Goochland government on track during the pandemic and a hurricane.

Stamey oversaw the rebirth of Central High School from a derelict building into an attractive community resource that includes expanded office space for the Extension Office and Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District, renovated gym and outdoor recreation areas. Ball fields to replace those at the corner of Sandy Hook and Fairground Roads are under construction.

Eagle Theater at the Central High School complex.

A place to teach blacksmithing at the agricultural center.

When Stamey came to Goochland, the county had a few parks with basic amenities. New locations added include Leake’s Mill Park with regionally renowned mountain bike trails; Matthews Park; and Tucker Park at Maidens Landing with a dog park, canoe launch, trails, and riverfront connector under construction. These facilities joined Hidden Rock Park with its trails, dog parks, and ball field that hosts tournaments; Courthouse Green; and other facilities to provide Goochlanders a gracious plenty of recreational opportunities. Stamey worked with private sector groups and secured grant funding to bring these to fruition and build strong community coalitions.

Walkway to connect both sides of Tucker Park under construction.

Stamey’s accomplishments earned him several awards including seven from the Virginia Recreation and Parks Society; the 2019 Marsha Mashaw Outstanding Assistant Award for Deputy County Administrator of the Year; and the 2019 award from the VCU Douglas L. Wilder School of Government excellence in community enhancement; and two Governor’s environmental excellence awards.

When congratulated on these recognitions, Stamey always gave credit to his team for accomplishments.

In addition to the parks and rec improvements, Stamey presided over construction of the animal shelter and courthouse security annex; as well as extensive renovations of existing buildings for the general registrar; the business center; the history center; and recently completed offices of the Treasurer and Commissioner of the Revenue and many other improvements.

The new quarters for the registrar competed for the 2020 election.

Stamey expressed gratitude, admiration, and appreciation for his staff who pivoted during the pandemic to provide extra cleaning for all public buildings; install drop boxes, safety shields; social distancing markers; and pitched in to help sign up people for vaccinations. He credited teamwork and dedication of his staff for every accomplishment.

Just completed renovations to offices of the Treasurer and Commissioner of the Revenue

Somehow Stamey found time to volunteer with Goochland Pet Lovers; GES PTA; Central High School Committee; Friends of Goochland Parks; and the Goochland Youth Athletic Association.

The supervisors’ resolution commended Stamey for his ability to engage, expertise, initiate and willingness to take on large challenges as a testament to his ability to lead and inspire.

Thank you for all you have done for Goochland Derek. God speed in all of your future endeavors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the horizon

 

Covid has taught us that life changes on a dime. Planning for the future has always been both art and science, but as the pace of change accelerates, it’s a leap of faith. Educational institutions need to prepare students for jobs that do not yet exist.

Every day we hear about good jobs that go begging because there are not enough workers with the right skills to fill them and young people drowning in student debt incurred to fund degrees for which there is no demand. Something is seriously out of whack. Conversations about the cost versus the value of a college education are far too rare.

Interest in mastery of practical skills that are in great demand in the labor market is growing. College students banned from in person learning during the pandemic have been exploring other options.

For the past few years, Goochland schools have held business roundtables where employers and educators discuss how to prepare our kids for good jobs to enable them to have fulfilling and prosperous lives without a four-year college degree.

Goochland High School has a Career and Technical Education (CTE) department, under the direction of Bruce Watson, that prepares our graduates to go on to the military and the world of work if they chose not to continue formal education.  Through apprenticeships and on the job training in addition to coursework taught in very special classrooms, graduates have learned skills and earned certifications that led to good paying jobs right out of high school.

The CTE curriculum includes a wide range of offerings including advanced agricultural concepts; building trades; computer aided drafting; culinary arts; diesel mechanics; and military science in the Marine Junior ROTC program. (For the complete list of CTE and other GHS course offerings go to https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KQaU8iTfRrzqKIG-KMOMcXOQjdX1Qwl3/view)

During the latest business roundtable held virtually on March 11, Watson announced a new offering, The Academy for Sustainable Energy. Governor Northam’s recently announced goal for Virginia to be fully powered by renewable energy by 2050 creates challenges and opportunities in this field.

Wind turbine technicians will be needed for renewable energy.

Watson explained that student interest in sustainable energy as well as opportunities for partnerships with local community partners and colleges lead to creation of this CTE career cluster. He said that one third of Virginia’s current energy workforce is expected to retire by 2025, creating a need for skilled workers. Jobs in solar energy alone, said Watson, are expected to increase dramatically in the next few years. Virginia wages for solar thermal installers and technicians, for instance, are higher than the national average. The average annual salary for a wind turbine service technician is $76,250.

Virginia ranks tenth for the number of clean energy jobs. A survey of Goochland students indicated that there is sufficient interest in an instruction “energy cluster” to create the option. This is expected to include a certificate/degree program to move students who complete the requirements to move directly into the workforce upon high school graduation without pursuing a four-year degree.

Energy courses will be woven into a curriculum that includes traditional subjects like history, English, and “soft skills” of resume writing, interviewing, conflict resolution, and social skills. These areas of instruction are geared to producing well-rounded individuals prepared to take their place in the workforce.

Dr. Paula Pando, President of Reynolds Community College—it dropped the J. Sargent a few years ago—also addressed the roundtable. (http://www.reynolds.edu/) Reynolds CC is a valued partner in Goochland education. A dual enrollment program allows GHS students to earn an Associate’s degree before their high school diploma (Reynolds’ commencement is a few weeks before local graduation) so they can enter qualifying four-year colleges as academic juniors, reducing the cost of higher education.

Community colleges provide opportunities to obtain necessary post high school credentials in many fields. Students who successfully complete these programs realize the personal satisfaction of a lucrative career by developing individual talents to support businesses that form the foundation for healthy communities.

Enrolment at Virginia’s community colleges declined during the pandemic lockdowns, as did the number of students completing the programs. A system-wide look at why student fail to complete programs, and what changes are needed to foster greater student success is underway, said Pando.

The focus of programs at the community college level is middle skill jobs, which Pando contended, will be 45 percent of job openings in the immediate future. Course offerings at Reynolds include a wide array of skills in the fields of healthcare, human services, information technology, and skilled trades.

A challenge faced by Reynolds and the Goochland CTE program, is a dearth of qualified instructor to teach the next generation of workers.  Skilled workers nearing retirement, who are well-equipped to share their knowledge and experience could be the answer. However, overcoming regulatory hurdles to get these people into the classroom could be an obstacle. For instance, should completion of college level education courses be required to teach welding?

Pando said that Reynolds and other community colleges are taking a hard look at what they need to offer to fill their role in education. Hard questions are being asked, which, hopefully, will lead to productive answers.

Reynolds’ Goochland Campus in the heart of Courthouse Village is a beautiful but underused facility. Pando believes that it can become a region-wide educational resource, playing a larger part in the community college system. How that will happen has not been identified. Pando hopes to lead community conversations on this topic. Stay tuned.

Reynolds' Goochland Campus is an underutilized asset.

These business roundtables are another way that Goochland Schools works toward its goal of helping every student achieve maximum potential.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post Covid land use battles

 

An initial community meeting to discuss a proposed subdivision on the west side of Hockett Road south of Songbird Lane was held at the Pickle Barrel restaurant on March 16. The meeting was well attended by engaged citizens; Supervisors Don Sharpe District 4; Neil Spoonhower District 2; Planning Commissioners John Meyers, District 1, Curt Pituck, District 4; Director of Community development Jo Ann Hunter; and representatives of the developer including legal counsel Jennifer Mullen of Roth Jackson Gibbons Condlin, PLC.

Kudos to organizers of the meeting for making it accessible via Zoom for those unable or unwilling to attend in person. The information was presented by the developer. If the application proceeds through the rezoning process, county staff will analyze the proposal and present a summary of its findings for the planning commission and supervisors. At least two public hearings will take place before any vote by the supervisors. Additional community meetings could be held before the proposal moves forward in the process. This is not a “done deal”.

Proposed Songbird community. Hockett Road is to the right.

Every property owner has the right to petition government for zoning and/or changes in permitted land uses. No matter how much money the property owner spends on preparing proposals, there is no guarantee that the request will be granted. The Board of Supervisors has the final say on these applications. While the Planning Commission makes recommendations on these applications, the board does not necessarily heed them.

According to Goochland County Attorney Tara McGee, each rezoning is treated as unique by the law and does not create a precedent for future land use change applications.

Community meetings are the opening moves of a land use change chess game that involves developers, county regulations, and citizens. Approved projects are often very different from their initial proposals. Many factors are taken into account during the process, not least of which is the county’s comprehensive land use plan (https://www.goochlandva.us/250/2035-Comprehensive-Plan) a guide crafted to foster orderly development.

The Songbird Lane preapplication proposes to build 137 single family detached homes on approximately 64 acres on the west side of Hockett Road. There would be two access points, one from Songbird Lane, the other from Hockett Road, in the approximate center of the development.

According to Mullen, lot sizes would be no smaller than 70 by 130 feet. Homes sizes would range from 2,500 to 4,000 square feet and price points are expected to range from four to six hundred thousand. Homes will feature first floor master suites. This pricing may be low as currently surging lumber prices drive new construction costs higher.

Mullen speculated that buyers of the homes would tend to be families whose children are out of school or younger people who have not yet started families. Using the county’s projections, the proposed community would produce 27 school aged children. When this number was challenged by an attendee, Spoonhower said that actual numbers of school aged children resulting from new development is a bit lower than projections.

People interested in sending their children to Goochland schools might prefer homes further west. Randolph Elementary School is about ten miles from the subject property, the high school/middle school complex at least a 16-mile trip.

The proposal requests that the zoning be changed from its current A-2 agricultural, which would allow no more than ten homes, to residential planned unit development (RPUD), which permits up to 2.5 units per acre and allows town homes. It was unclear if the applicant will proffer (promise) to build only single family detached homes. The Comp Plan indicates that this area is low density residential. Mullen contended that it is in a designated growth area. West Creek, prime economic development location, is on the opposite side of Hockett Road. The area currently has farms and homes on large parcels of land.

To accommodate small lots the proposal assumes that the land in question would be added to the Tuckahoe Creek Service District.

Created in 2002 to provide water and sewer service to the eastern part of the county the TCSD was intended to support economic development. The TCSD includes part, but not all, of the West Creek business park, and is generally bounded on the west by the east side of Hockett Road, the south Rt. 6, and the Hanover County line to the north. A 32 cent per $100 of assessed valuation is levied on all land in the TCSD whether it has access to utility service or not in addition to the county-wide real estate tax. Much of the TCSD remains undeveloped. The ad valorem tax and connection fees are used to service debt incurred by the county to build the utility system.

The proposal includes open space and buffers between the homes and Hockett Road and surrounding parcels. Existing trees, many of which are pines, constitute part of the buffer. Sidewalks and street trees will be installed in front of homes as will walking trails in the open space.

Traffic concerns were expressed by many attendees. Eric Strohacker, a traffic consultant retained by the developer to study the impact of the proposal on Hockett Road traffic, said that the Songbird community would generate 1,390 vehicles trips per day. This number, said Strohacker, was arrived at using databases for similar communities.

Folks who live in the Hockett Road corridor said that the traffic is horrible during rush hour, especially at the south end as home bound commuters seek short cuts to turn east on Rt. 6. Strohacker, who has worked with other communities in the area contended that congestion at Rt. 6 will be relieved by a traffic signal. The Hockett/Broad Street Road intersection in the Centerville Village is already “failing” said Hunter. She reported that a realignment to connect Hockett and Ashland Roads has been approved and funded and is expected to be built in approximately five years.

Goochland roads are built and maintained by VDOT—the state agency whose motto is “Oops!”—and it decides when traffic signals are needed. According to Strohacker, VDOT uses a 24-hour traffic count to determine when a traffic signal is warranted. He did suggest that the county request that VDOT do a traffic study of Hockett Road between Broad Street Road and Tuckahoe Creek Parkway to determine if a lower speed limit is appropriate.

The Songbird project will pay maximum permitted cash proffers of $9,810 per home. Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/DocumentCenter/View/4330/Goochland-Capital-Impacts-Study?bidId= for the study used to compute this amount. The county was divided into east, central, and west zones to determine appropriate amounts.

This money is used to fund capital projects for education, public safety, transportation, and parks. In 2017, Goochland County crafted a 25-year capital improvement plan to identify and put a price tag on big ticket items needed during that period. The total was more than $146 million. Even with the built-in cost escalators, the price of some of those items, like the new Goochland Elementary School, have already increased dramatically.  The $1,343,970 in proffer dollars that would be generated by 137 homes on Songbird Lane is a mere drop in the proffer bucket. The new West Creek fire-rescue station planned for a parcel on the east side of Hockett Road just north of Tuckahoe Creek Parkway to be built in five years or so, is the next capital project in the eastern zone.

Residential development consumes more than one dollar in governmental services for each dollar it generates in taxes. New homes bring no monetary benefit to the county.

Perhaps the most important question asked at this meeting is what benefit this 137-home proposal brings to Goochland County.

There will be additional, hopefully constructive, discussions about this issue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Debt

 

 

It’s been a year since the black swan of Covid pooped on the world. Drastic cuts were made to the FY2021 Goochland County budget in anticipation of significant revenue pandemic generated shortfalls that never materialized. Since then, the Board of Supervisors has been cautiously adding things back as actual income permits.

Looking ahead to hopefully more normal times, the FY 2022 budget, currently under review pending approval in April, is based on this year’s very healthy increase in property assessments bolstered by a lot of new construction. As reflected in the FY22 proposed budget, the supervisors plan to invest heavily in education and public safety.  Salary enhancements, raises, additional positions, and new equipment that were not funded last year, are proposed for FY’22.

There will be a virtual town hall meeting on March 23 at 6 p.m. at which time the supervisors, school board, and staff will discuss the budget for FY 2022, which begins on July 1. (Go to goochlandva.us/Calendar.aspx?EID=4786&month=3&year=2021&day=23&calType=0 for participation details.)

The elephant in the room when the budget is discussed, however, is the capital improvement plan. This is a strategy to fund big ticket items that have a useful life of more than five years. In response to dreadful proffer legislation passed a few years ago by the Virginia General Assembly, Goochland crafted a 25-year CIP to identify needed capital projects and their best guess costs until 2046. The long-term CIP is revisited every year during the budget process, which includes adoption of the current year’s piece of the plan. Depending on conditions, some items are moved up, others delayed. The operating budget is funded by annual tax revenues, capital projects, due to their cost and life span, are often funded by debt.

During a March 9 workshop, county leaders discussed the CIP and how to fund it. (Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/943/Video-of-Past-BOS-Meetings and click on March 9 to hear the entire presentation and discussion.)

Goochland has a lot of capital needs. The most expensive are replacements for Goochland Elementary School and the Circuit Court House. Discussions about a new GES have been ongoing for most of the 21^st century.

The courthouse, in use for almost 200 years, is long overdue for a replacement. A security annex, added in 2019, solved some of the issues with the historic structure. Recent incidents of civil unrest in the Courthouse complex, underscore the need for a modern facility to conduct safe and efficient criminal justice operations.

A new GES figured prominently in the 25-year CIP. As conditions on the ground changed, school officials decided that a larger—650 student capacity—GES was needed. The increased cost moved the new courthouse back a few years. The larger GES will require redistricting bringing some students that now attend Byrd and Randolph to the new school, which is expected to open in 2024.

A West Creek fire-rescue station; renovations to the “new” high school; and Bulldog Way improvements connected to the new GES could be funded by the county taking on $96 million in debt. Those items are the tip of the iceberg. The near-term county laundry list of needed capital items includes information technology upgrades, vehicle replacements for the county, sheriff, fire-rescue, renovations, upkeep, and maintenance of county facilities, and repairs to the fire-rescue training center on Maidens Road.

Longer term needed expenditures, more than ten years out in the CIP, include replacements for Randolph and Byrd Elementary schools; a district 2 fire-rescue station; and replacements for other fire-rescue stations.

Goochland County, which hopes to add a third AAA bond rating to the two it has already secured—making it the smallest jurisdiction population-wise in the nation to do so—should be able to secure attractive borrowing terms. With interest rates at record lows, why not hold a bond referendum and borrow all the money needed to pay for these things sooner rather than later?

There’s the rub. After avoiding a debt disaster with the Tuckahoe Creek Service District financing, the supervisors adopted a debt policy target capping debt service at a ratio of debt service to general fund expenditures of ten percent, not to exceed twelve percent. The policy also states that new debt, including leases and general obligations, should not exceed 2.5 percent of the market value of taxable property.

Director of Finance Barbara Horlacher reported that, at two percent a twenty-year loan costs approximately $600k per $10 million of debt. She recommended borrowing no more that $100 million to keep annual debt service at or below $6 million. This could be “smoothed” out depending on the timing of debt issuance and payment structure. Borrowing for a longer term, say 25 years, would lower annual payments. There was little support among the supervisors for incurring the maximum amount of debt permitted under the policy.

“We need to have some wiggle room,” observed District 5 Supervisor Ken Peterson. He advocated for flexibility and perhaps sequencing debt incurrence as the trend in assessed valuations becomes clearer. This year’s total county valuation saw a healthy increase, due in large part to new construction. Long term property owners in Goochland also may have noticed higher valuations, but many have not returned to the high-water mark reached in 2009 before the Great Recession.

Horlacher said that the county has several borrowing options. However, if the supervisors decide to pursue issuance of general obligation bonds, which would require a bond referendum on the November ballot, the decision to do so must be made in the next few weeks.

Incurring long term debt, the rough equivalent of taking out a mortgage, is a serious undertaking. The supervisors have important decisions to make about how your tax dollars will be used.

 

 

 

 

Difficult task

 

(A reader took GOMM to task for not yet reporting on Dr. Raley’s presentation of the school budget to the supervisors on March 2. His full presentation is available at https://www.goochlandva.us/943/Video-of-Past-BOS-Meetings beginning about the 43-minute mark.  Please listen to Raley’s remarks and discussion with the supervisors. The total FY 22 school budget is about 7.2 percent higher than last year with salary costs comprising the bulk of the increase. Go to http://goochlandschools.org/school-board/budget-and-finance/ to review all of the school budget documents. The quality of these reports is excellent and have earned awards from peers in past years.

Goochland Schools have been open for in person learning since October while offering virtual education.

In addition to a three percent across the board salary increase for all school division employees who exhibit proficiency and exemplary performance ratings. The budget includes adjusted salary scales to enable Goochland Schools to compete for the best employees.  Health insurance for part time employees, bus drivers and food service staff was added this year to recognize the fine contribution these individuals have made during the challenges of the pandemic.

State and federal funds have not yet been finalized. Indications are that there will be no increases in pension or health care costs.  Raley said that actual state funding will be determined as of daily attendance on March 31. He was confident that Goochland’s estimates will prove on target.)

At a March 8 meeting, the Goochland School Board heard from candidates who applied to fill the interim District 2 vacancy created by the sudden passing of William Quarles, Jr. last month at its March 8 meeting. The session may be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bd8MybN6d4&t=6771s. The candidate remarks begin at about the 1:34 mark.

Note that this meeting was almost four hours long. Public meetings are but the tip of the iceberg of the amount of time school board members dedicate to serving the community.

The candidates: Billie Jo Leabough; Thomas Johnson; Ronnie Kitt; and Angela Allen. They each made heartfelt comments about our school division and community and their willingness to work hard for the betterment of all students. Please listen to their statements. They are to be commended for their willingness to take on this vital community service.

On March 16, the School Board will announce its selection for the interim vacancy. This person chosen will represent District 2 on the school board from the time they are sworn in until the results of the November 2 general election are certified. The District 2 School Board member elected in November will serve out the remainder of Mr. Quarles’ term, until December 31, 2023.

 

Speaking up

 

Population wise, Goochland is a small county with fewer than twenty-five thousand souls. Our supervisors value citizen input and set aside time at each of their meetings for comment about anything not on the agenda.

Their March 2 meeting was no exception. Alas, in spite of the noise about last year’s presidential election, Goochlanders pay little attention to local government unless—as a wise man once pointed out—their ox is being gored. Indeed, public hearings on contentious land use matters have filled the board room and stretched sessions into the wee small hours of the next day. More often than not, however, the “public” at supervisors’ meetings consists of Jonathan Lyle and GOMM.

Lyle, a Director of the Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District, often opines during citizen comment and public hearings. An engaged citizen, Lyle fearlessly weighs in on a wide range of topics and always advocates for support of Goochland’s agricultural community. “Cow’s don’t send children to school or call 911,” he often contends. Citizen comment is limited to three minutes. Its end is signaled by a red light at the lectern. Sometimes, caught up in enthusiasm for his topic, Lyle runs over and is reminded of the time limit.

At the March 2 meeting, Deputy County Administrator for Operation Derek Stamey, who sadly is leaving Goochland at the end of the month for a position in Hanover County, presented Lyle with a custom Virginia farming license plate inscribed with “3 min”.

Derek Stamey (l) and Jonathan Lyle

“I know how much we all value community engagement. Mr. Lyle is perhaps the most engaged citizen,” Stamey said. “Now, every time you use your three minutes, you can think of me,” he told Lyle. The Commissioner of the Revenue helped to create the plate.

Lyle was gob smacked by the very appropriate gesture. He regularly laments the lack of interest in local government. Come to a board meeting, or watch the livestream, or past recorded meetings, available on the county website http://www.goochlandva.us/

During citizen comment before the evening meeting, Cindy Charlton Matejka, a lifelong Goochlander, spoke against an insidious threat to the beauty of our county—roadside litter. She implored the supervisors to do something about the problem, which she contended, is getting worse. Matejka recently created a Facebook page Clean Up the Gooch that is replete with distressing images of roadside rubbish.

In her remarks to the supervisors, Matejka first thanked Susan Lascolette, District 1, for her help during last fall’s flooding of Riddles Bridge Road and sharing updates about power outages during the recent ice storms. She then lambasted the supervisors, and VDOT for their failure to keep the county clean, comparing trashy Goochland to a third world country.

Matejka said that the garbage discourages businesses from locating here. She wondered why there are not more community clean-up days and suggested enlisting civic organizations to deal with the problem. She presented several photos of trash, something we all see every time we drive on local roads.

Matejka is not alone in lamenting the increase in roadside garbage. Sadly, this is not a new phenomenon but is growing worse. During the early days of Covid lockdown last spring, many citizens used their free time to collect trash near their homes and continue to do so. But the garbage keeps coming.

The county has an Anti-Litter and Recycling Council that sponsors free shredding, tire amnesty days, and periodic roadside trash collection. A few years ago, it launched a county wide clean up initiative, with limited success.

Collecting roadside trash, which sometimes seems to reappear as soon as it is removed, is only part of the problem. Until the behavior of those who toss trash out of their vehicles with no regard to the consequences, and haulers who fail to secure their loads is difficult is changed, our roadsides will be disfigured by trash. Last spring the county distributed truck nets to secure loads of trash on the way to the convenience centers.

Perhaps tracing the rubbish back to its owners could help. If people knew littering was not an anonymous transgression, and they would be called to account for their actions, they might be more careful. As the world becomes more self-centered, that is probably a pipe dream.

Capturing images of littering slobs and putting them on social media could be a deterrent. Or filling the trucks of those who toss their trash out the window while going down the road with other people’s refuse might get the message across.

We need to make it clear that littering is never acceptable, and must stop. Thanks to Matejka for speaking out. Let’s all do what we can to clean up the Gooch!

 

 

One and done

This morning Mr. GOMM and I trekked to Ashland for a Covid 19 vaccination clinic run by the Chickahominy Health District and Hanover County in a former Food Lion. We received the Johnson& Johnson one dose vaccine, so we’re done.

Having registered with CHD in January as interested in being vaccinated, we were invited via email on Thursday evening to the March 6 clinic and made appointments at the same time.

Attendees were told to park in rows according to appointment times and wait in their cars to observe social distancing. When our time was called, wen entered one door of the large building and were asked the usual screening questions before entering. Once inside we queued to be assigned to tables with forms to fill out. When the paperwork was done, we were assigned to vaccination stations where the paperwork was reviewed, and the vaccine administered. After the shot, you were given a piece of tape with a time on it. You were then directed to a seat to wait for 15 minutes after the shot to ensure there were no side effects from the vaccine. Then you were free to go.

Vaccine doses are prepared for injection.

Clinics are staffed by community volunteers; members of the Chickahominy Health District Medical Reserve Corps; and EMS providers. Tom Shepley, Director of the Pamunkey Regional Library, directed people to the correct parking area.

Goochland County has been an active participant in the regional vaccination efforts helping to staff the Richmond Raceway and HCA’s West Creek Emergency Center with county employees and members of Goochland County Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services. In addition, county employees have been staffing the Chickahominy Health District/Hanover County COVID-19 Call Center.

People waiting 15 minutes after injection to ensure there were no side effects.

The clinic was well organized and run. As vaccine supplies increase, CHD hopes to ramp up its vaccination delivery.  The Virginia Department of Health website (https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-in-virginia/), reported on March 6 that 8,428 does of vaccine have been administered and that 2,975 Goochlanders are fully vaccinated. The numbers will continue to climb.

Heartfelt thanks to all who are working to get shots in the arms of those who want to be vaccinated.

Last Thursday, March 4, CHD held its first weekly Covid vaccination clinic in Goochland. They will be a weekly event going forward. YOU MUST HAVE AN APPOINTMENT to be vaccinated. To obtain an appointment, you must be preregistered at vaccinate.virginia.gov.

Goochland has a hotline for resident 65+ at (804)556-5828 to answer questions about vaccination and complete registration for those with no access to technology. Leave a message and a volunteer will return the call.

 

 

 

First look at FY 2022 Goochland County Budget

 

Goochland County Administrator Kenneth A. Young presented his recommended budget for fiscal year 2022, which begins on July 1, to the Board of Supervisors on February 16.

What a difference a year makes. The county budget adopted last April in the early days of the Covid lock down was “bare bones” in expectation of a drastic fall off in revenues. The actual results of FY 2020, which ended on June 30, 2020, however, were not as dire as anticipated.  In ensuing months. Director of Finance Barbara Horlacher updated the supervisors on the real time financial condition of the county.

Items removed from the adopted budget were cautiously added back as revenues allowed. Tax collections from the first half of 2020 came in better than expected. Federal CARES Act money helped to offset extraordinary expenditures made to deal the pandemic. These included funds for the school division to provide hotspots to students with no broadband access; upgrades to HVAC systems; upgrades to EMS ventilators; overtime for fire-rescue and law enforcement agencies; extra sanitizing of county facilities and installing dop boxes and physical barriers.

The good news is that tax RATES for calendar year 2021 will be no higher than 53 cents per $100 of assessed valuation for real estate; 32 cents per $100 ad valorem tax for the Tuckahoe Creek Service District; and $3.95 per $100 for personal property tax. However, increased property assessments will mean larger tax bills for most of us.

Because the amount of revenue generated by these rates when applied to increased values exceeds one percent of that from the previous year, the state law requires Goochland County to advertise a tax increase.

This is the first budget for Young, who took over the county reins last September in the midst of the pandemic. Annual budget documents contain a wealth of information about the county beyond its fiscal condition. Please take some time to review this information, all 236 pages, available at https://www.goochlandva.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1925. This year’s document, like several of its predecessors, which earned awards for excellence, is a well-crafted policy statement.

In introductory remarks, Young said that the proposed budget was developed using diverse needs, wants, and challenges expressed during hours of listening to residents, departments, and organizations. The guiding principles of the county strategic plan were used to set priorities. These include maintaining competitive employee compensation; reduce dependency on surplus funds from prior years; and set utility rates at a level to make the system self-sustaining.

Increases of three percent for county water and four percent for sewer are proposed.

Over all, Young said that Goochland “is in a very good place as a county.”

Strong interest in the county resulted in $378.2 million of new capital investment in the past five years. During the pandemic, the Sheltering Arms Institute and Residence Inn opened their doors in the Notch at West Creek. Growth in housing was strong in the last year. Goochland’s 2020 average home sale price was $505,000 with a more than 18 percent increase in the number of building permits issued.

A hot real estate market pushed property values 6.9 percent higher in 2020. As recently as November, the increase in annual valuations was expected to be five percent, and when Covid first hit, no increases in property valuations over 2019 were anticipated. General funds revenues for FY 2022 are projected to be $65.2 million, a 12.9 percent increase from the previous year.

Highlights include significant funding increases for education; law enforcement and judicial administration; and fire-rescue. Three percent salary increases for all employees, who have done an outstanding job dealing with the challenges of the pandemic to deliver high levels of government services, are also included.

Capital improvement expenditures include a new Goochland Elementary School and public safety equipment and facilities.

Seven additional deputies, one full time and one part-time dispatcher; six full-time career fire-rescue providers, a battalion chief to provide middle management oversight, and a part-time assistant fire marshal to bolster public safety operations.

County departments and agencies have and will present annual reports to the supervisors.

In its continuing commitment to broadband expansion, $10 million has been earmarked for this purpose for the next five years.

During departmental presentations, Director of Human Resources Jessica Rice, Sheriff Steven Creasey, and Fire-Rescue Chief D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr.  spoke of the short supply of high-quality candidates to fill county jobs. They also reported that a “bidding war” for the best employees is underway as Henrico and Chesterfield Counties have increased their compensation packages to attract the best people.

Young pointed out that even with the increase, it will be difficult to meet growing demand for local government services, driven by new residents, which will require additional employees, equipment, and facilities. As Goochland bears most of the cost of providing education—receiving 20 percent from the Commonwealth—adequately funding our excellent schools will be a challenge.

While Goochland’s per capita income is reported as $107,506, Young and the supervisors are mindful that many Goochlanders struggle to make ends meet.

School Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Raley will present the school budget on March2. A  joint capital improvement workshop between the school board and supervisors will take place on Tuesday March 9 at 2 p.m. The session will be livestreamed. Visit the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ for details.

On March 23, a virtual town hall meeting on the budget will be held at 6 p.m. via Zoom and live stream. A public hearing on the proposed FY2022 budget, real estate and TCSD ad valorem tax rates will be held on April 6 at 6 p.m. Adoption of the budget will take place at 4 p.m. on April 20.

There is a lot of information to be “unpacked” in this budget. It may be tweaked before adoption in April. Please read the proposed budget and share concerns and comments with your supervisor or Young.