Tuesday 22222

 

On the palindromic Tuesday of 2/22/22, the Goochland Board of Supervisors met to hear the proposed budget for FY 2023, which begins on July 1, presented by Interim County Administrator the Hon. Manuel Alvarez, Jr. The budget process, he explained, starts in earnest around October, but evolves throughout the year. Alvarez commended all who participated in the process, including county departments, Constitutional Officers, and other agencies, for their hard work and collaboration on the budget.

Wise and prudent use of tax dollars is the most important duty of the board of supervisors. Balancing agency funding requests with available money is always a delicate task.

The proposed budget is based on the current real estate tax rate, 53 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. This will generate 11.1 percent more revenue than last year due to higher-than-expected property assessments and new construction. Real estate tax revenue, the primary income source for the county, is forecast to increase by just over $8 million from FY 22. The ad valorem tax rate levied on property in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District will remain at 32 cents per $100 of valuation.

The proposed budget includes a decrease of ten cents to $3.85 per $100 of assessed valuation for personal property tax, again due to an unprecedented rise in used car values. An increase in real estate tax relief for "certain elderly and disabled persons" from $900 to $1,000 was also factored in budget calculations.

Because the increase in revenue exceeds one percent from the previous year, state law requires the county to notify citizens that the 53-cent rate represents a 10.4 percent tax increase. The "roll back" rate, which would generate the same amount of revenue as last year, is 48 cents.

Land use taxation for property in agricultural use amounts to $713 million. If you want rural you need agriculture. Our farmers need all the help they can get to stay in business. As Monacan Soil and Water District Director Jonathan Lyle often quips in defense of land use taxation "cows don't go to school or dial 911".  Property owners must certify that their land is eligible for this. Land use per acre tax rates are set by the state.

According to the notice of proposed real property tax increase: "Based on the proposed real property tax rate and changes in other revenues, the general fund budget of the County of Goochland will exceed last year's by 13.2 percent and the total budget of the county will be 12.5 percent less than last year's budget, primarily due to the decrease in the Capital Improvement Plan."

The decrease in the capital improvement plan is the result of issuance of $50 million of general obligation bonds earlier this year.

The annual budget document contains a wealth of interesting information about Goochland County above and beyond numbers, with many illustrative charts and graphs. Please, especially if you are new to the county, take some time to peruse the proposed budget. (Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2009to view the document) For the past few years, our budget are so well done that they have been recognized for excellence by the Government Finance Officers Association.

The supervisors set a public hearing on the FY23 budget for April 5, 2022, at 6 p.m. to be followed by adoption of the budget on April 19 at 2 p.m.

Adhering to the board's commitment to fund core services of law enforcement, fire-rescue, and education, the budget includes robust increases for those functions.

Goochland prides itself on adhering to conservative fiscal policies. Alvarez said that last year, the county expected growth in the four percent range, in line with previous years. That number will be used looking forward to FY 24 because, he contended, current increases are unsustainable.

The county budget presented in February 2020 was based on normal growth but was slashed before adoption in anticipation of the unknown impact of Covid lockdowns. As county finances proved not to be as bad as feared, the budget was tweaked. Thanks to careful fiscal management, Goochland did not lay anyone off during the pandemic. A three percent merit increase for county employees was used in the proposed budget but could change before final adoption as the county is engaged in a compensation benchmark study so that Goochland can attract and retain high quality employees.

Schools will receive an additional $1 million, which represents a four percent increase. Superintendent of Schools Jeremy Raley will present the school budget to the supervisors on March 1 at 2 p.m.

Debt service will increase by 40.06 percent over last year to $5,318,697. This is well within the county policy that holds debt service to no more than 12 percent of general fund expenditures. The proposed amount is less than eight percent.

Included in the proposed budget are:  14 full time public safety positions, this includes law enforcement and fire-rescue; three part-time public safety positions; two full time public utilities positions; and four full time non-public safety positions.

Departments and agencies make presentations to the board during budget season to explain what they do and justify their funding requests. Public safety—the Sheriff's Office, Fire-Rescue, and Animal Protection—were up first on the 22^nd.

These may be viewed by going to the county website, https://www.goochlandva.us/  and clicking on the archived tab of "watch county meetings" for the February 22 session. Each provides detailed insights into the different facets of public safety operations.

 

Goochland Sheriff Steven Creasey outlined the myriad of tasks his agency performs, including prisoner transport, 911 dispatch, service of legal papers, court security, and general law enforcement, all manpower intensive. Covid—at one point 15 employees were out with the virus—became an "all hands-on deck" situation. Creasey and Chief Deputy Major Mike East, who both began their law enforcement careers as 911 dispatchers, contemplated "dusting off their headsets" to ensure that dispatch remained in operation.

Creasey's personnel requests, all of which are in the proposed budget, include six full time deputy positions, one full time dispatcher for the E911 center, one part time deputy and one part-time administrative assistant.  He also requested vehicle replacements.

To cover all of Goochland's 281.42 square miles, 33.4 miles from the Henrico line at River Road to Shannon Hill, there is currently a mandatory minimum of four deputies assigned to patrol 24/7. Creasey has implemented a long-range staffing plan to add deputy positions for each of the next five years eventually increasing the mandatory minimum to seven, which could translate to 10 on duty deputies, depending on training vacations, and sick leave.

Creasey said that a pressing challenge for staffing is mental health related incidents. When these calls involve either emergency custody, or temporary detention orders, at least one deputy must remain with the person in question until a bed in an appropriate facility can be secured. Sometimes, said Creasey, these incidents can extend for several days pulling deputies off the road. He said that General Assembly needs to address the issue.

Training is a vital for a high-quality law enforcement agency. "We train because our citizens expect and deserve the best," said Creasey.

Corporal Liberty and Deputy Kendall Dolan

He gave a brief overview of the many programs the GCSO uses to engage the community. "We do these to bring people together so the first interaction they have with us is a positive one," said Creasey. Among upcoming programs is a teen driving course using golf carts and "intoxication goggles" to illustrate the danger of impaired and risky driving in a safe, controlled environment.

Saving the best for last, the Sheriff introduced Corporal Liberty, who is still in the training academy with her handler Deputy Kendall Dolan. Liberty is a bloodhound who will find missing people be they impaired folks who may have wandered away, or bad guys.

Ken Peterson District 5 commended the Sheriff for his efforts to turn the "we, they" point of view into "us".

 

Fire-Rescue Chief D. E. "Eddie" Ferguson, Jr. echoed many of the concerns expressed by the Sheriff. Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services is also a manpower intensive function. Unlike law enforcement, fire-rescue, tasked with saving lives and protecting property, has significant capital costs for stations, equipment, and apparatus.

Keeping pace with county growth and increased calls for service, especially during Covid and the devastating January storm, has been a challenge. The proposed budget includes five new full-time fire/EMS positions as well as a full-time fire marshal.

When the West Creek Fire-Rescue station opens in a few years, 21 new career providers will be needed in addition to equipment including engines and ambulances, all big ticket items. A second ladder truck to replace Ladder 5, which has served the county well for almost 30 years, is included in this year's capital improvement plan. Ferguson said delivery time for new fire apparatus is about two years.

The Chief said that the available pool of pretrained fire-rescue recruits has dwindled, making it necessary for Goochland to hire willing people of good moral and ethical values and train them.  A recruiting initiative is under way to attract volunteer providers to supplement the career personnel.

Animal Protection Director Job Greene explained that his department has two sections, field service, and the animal shelter. As with every other agency, calls for service have increased over the past year and will, said Green, continue to do so as the county grows.

The shelter has been able to place a bit north of 95 percent of the animals that come through its doors. While the vast majority are dogs and cats, the shelter has found new homes for a snake and a lizard. Animals transferred out are typically those with diseases like leukemia.

A corps of outstanding volunteers makes the work of the shelter possible, said Green. "By the middle of February, our volunteers had logged more than 390 hours for the month." He credited the partnership with Goochland Pet Lovers, which provides spay/neuter clinics, and medications, for keeping operating costs down.

Animal protection has five full time officers, who enforce all state and county animal welfare laws and provide for the safety and welfare of residents as it pertains to the control of domestic animals.

Green's budget request included a shelter coordinator attendant position to do administrative tasks as well as administering medications. Site work for a two-stall corral at the shelter was also requested. The Deep Run Hunt Club donated some finds for this, which were used to bring power and water to the site. The shelter has had a Holstein bull, miniature horse, and regular horse. It currently has a Billy goat.

Looking forward Greene hopes to partner with additional civic and business groups. A rescue dog Olympics is schedules for May 21 at Lickinghole Brewery.

The budget adopted in April may be adjusted after the supervisors have reviewed agency presentations.