Deadline fire-rescue master plan survey extended

 

Response to this survey is vital to planning for emergency response. Please participate!

Goochland County Fire-Rescue Master Plan Community Survey Extended to May 14th

Goochland County Fire-Rescue wants to hear from you, Goochland.  The Fire-Rescue Master Plan Community Survey has been extended to May 14, 2023.

 

Fire-Rescue is developing a Master Plan to plan for the future and has launched a community survey to gather feedback from area citizens, businesses, and other stakeholders.  They are here for the community and want your feedback.  Individuals can provide honest opinions through the brief anonymous online survey.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey at the QR Code or survey link below by May 14, 2023.  Paper surveys are available at the Goochland Branch Library, located at 3075 River Road West, for anyone that does not use a computer.  Thank you to those that have already responded to the survey.

Survey --> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GoochlandCountyFireRescue

 

School stuff

 

Goochland County’s school division is a well-kept secret in the Richmond metro area. Awards, commendations, and achievements of the division, its students, and staff are too many to list here. Visit the school division’s website https://www.goochlandschools.org/ to find out more.

Broadway came to Goochland last week. The magnificent production of Newsies, staged by the GHS drama department was a tour de force of acting, singing, dancing, including tap, organization, and pure joy for those involved and the audience. Under the direction of Neil Burch, who has been the GHS drama teacher for more than a decade, Newsies was the latest in a long string of productions that get better each year.

The organization, commitment to excellence hard work by everyone involved, including more than 100 cast members, crew, parents, staff, and volunteers brought the story of how New York City newsboys fought media moguls and won, to life.

Superb acting, including accurate New York accents, feigning an injured leg, mastery of complicated choreography, and deft scene changes.

Superintendent search

Earlier this year, Jeremy Raley, who had been Goochland Superintendent of Schools since 2016, accepted a position as Chief of Staff for the Virginia Department of Education. During his tenure, Raley dealt with the pandemic and shepherd construction of a new Goochland Elementary School, currently under construction, from concept to groundbreaking. WE thank him for his service and wish him well in his new position.

The school board is now tasked with finding a worthy successor to Raley. Dr. Andy Armstrong was appointed to serve as interim superintendent. On April 11, the school board voted to retain BWP Associates (https://www.bwpassociates.com/), the search firm that brought Raley to Goochland, to find our next school division head.

A press release from the school division notes the following:

As part of the process, BWP will conduct a number of meetings with key leaders in the schools and the community to hone the leadership profile for the search. The Board also encourages input from parents and community members. An online survey regarding the superintendent search is also now available online here. The survey will be open through May 6, 2023.

Please take time to complete this survey, the right person in the top job in our school division is vital to its success.

No one told me

 

The latest episode in the ongoing local saga titled “No one told me” unfolded during the April 18 meeting of the Goochland Board of Supervisors.

Despite a wealth of information easily accessible on the internet, newcomers rarely look beyond the carefully crafted narrative of builders, realtors, and developers whose only goal is to sell homes.  

Spending an hour or so reading the county comprehensive land use plan, which shows the location of planned development, could avoid heartburn for all involved. People who have lived in the county for a minute and did no research before they moved here, arrogantly claim to know better how to run Goochland than those in charge.

At issue on April 18 was a rezoning application for five acres on the east side of Hockett Road north of its intersection with Tuckahoe Creek Parkway, part of the county’s designated growth area. The parcel was given to the county by West Creek as part of a 2012 proffer amendment. The county sought to rezone the property from West Creek’s M-1 zoning, which permits fire-rescue stations by right, to B-1 to remove business park proffer restrictions. Supervisors voted 4-1 to approve the rezoning application with District 3 Supervisor John Lumpkins in dissent.

The property surrounding the site, approximately 414 acres, much of which fronts Hockett Road, also part of West Creek, will be developed regardless of what happens with the fire-rescue station. It is beyond naïve to expect that property here will remain open land.

The parcel in question was selected in 2019 by the county for a fire-rescue station, only the second owned by the county. Centerville Company 3 and Manakin Company 1, which are owned by the Goochland Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association, Inc., were built long before I64 and Rt. 288 existed.

Residents of Kinloch Villas, an upscale residential enclave on the west side of Hockett Road, don’t want a fire-rescue station in their backyard. Fair enough. Several of its residents consulted with staff and put together a presentation opposing the station.

They claimed to be unaware that a fire-rescue station was planned across the road from their new homes and objected to its location. The noted that Hockett Road, one of the few north south collector roads in eastern Goochland, is narrow, winding, and already has too much traffic. This will not change. Emergency vehicles currently use this road on a regular basis and will continue to do so regardless of a potential new station there. Had the West Creek Emergency Center remained open and expanded into a full-service hospital as originally intended, sirens would have filled the air, and ambulances would have travelled Hockett Road.

Lack of transparency in the site selection process, which would probably not have troubled Villas residents had the location been anywhere else, was also used to condemn the proposed location.

Some Villas residents reported that they had experienced quick response times and were pleased with their experience with Goochland Fire-Rescue. These remarks were cited to support the contention that there is ample fire-rescue coverage in eastern Goochland.

Using Georgetown, Texas, whose residential growth rate is higher than that of Goochland, a speaker accused the supervisors of wasting taxpayer dollars for even considering this facility. Curiously, he did not object to the $15 million increase in the cost of the new elementary school, or its location.

Georgetown, Texas, north of Austin, is about 59 square miles in area compared to Goochland’s approximately 290 square miles. Georgetown is laid out in a grid pattern, which provides many alternate routes should a road be blocked. Goochland is long, narrow, and roughly hatchet-shaped, with relatively few roads. The distance from Randolph Square in the far southeastern part of the county to Shannon Hill, at the far north west, is at least 35 miles with very few road options for the trip. Complicated wrecks on I64, which are becoming more common, often divert traffic to Broad Street Road for hours, making moving around the county even more challenging.

Georgetown, Texas grid layout (Google Earth image)

Goochland County main roads

Unlike Virginia, where you are either in a city or county, in Texas, cities are inside counties. The city of Georgetown seems to have only three rescue squads in its seven fire houses. Williamson County, which encompasses Georgetown, has 18 “frontline ambulance units” and ten back ups. There is a hospital with a level 1 trauma center and free-standing emergency room right in Georgetown.

Only 17.7 percent of Georgetown’s population is over 65. In Goochland, that number is 23.4 percent and growing daily.

A Villas resident snarked that predicted county growth would not fill a decent sized lecture hall at UVa. He was unaware that in the next year or so, at least 1,000 people over the age of 55—the demographic most likely to need EMS—will move within a few miles of the Villas. This does not include Avery Point. Indeed, new residents in Goochland, and those already here, skew older.

Duration of EMS calls—the bulk of fire-rescue “business”—varies widely. Ideally, an ambulance arrives at a patient’s location soon after a 911 call is placed. The patient is stabilized, loaded into the ambulance, and transported to an area hospital or even the Short Pump Emergency Center, which is closer. After dropping off the patient, the ambulance returns to its quarters ready for the next call. This does not always happen. During the Covid emergency, for instance, a lengthy decontamination process was performed after each call, removing that unit from service.

Goochland ambulances transport patients to medical facilities throughout Central Virginia, including VCU in Richmond, UVa in Charlottesville, and the Barfoot Veterans’ Hospital in south Richmond, so the time that an ambulance is out of the county and unavailable to answer calls varies widely. Goochland currently has nine ambulances, two each are assigned to Centerville and Manakin, another is on order. There may not always be enough personnel on duty to staff all units.

Suggestions were made that existing Companies 1 and 3 be enhanced to handle increased call volume. Ferguson explained that when those stations were built, Goochland was all volunteer organization, whose members typically responded to calls from their homes.

Now, we have 24/7 career providers, whose working conditions are subject to OSHA regulations. This requires more space per employee, and upgrades in station air handling to remove diesel exhaust, a carcinogen. The sites of company 3 and 1 are too small for meaningful expansion, though renovations to improve their usefulness in the short term are under way.

This year’s county budget process included discussion about recruitment and retention of fire-rescue personnel and resulted in salary increases. Goochland competes with neighboring counties for employees. In addition to salary candidates evaluate working conditions.

A suggestion to sell the Company 3 site, which the county does not own, and use the proceeds to build a new station, has some merit. Nearby parcels have been on the market for so long that their for-sale signs are fading so this would not be a quick fix.

Following a 2021 bond referendum that specifically mentioned construction of a West Creek fire-rescue station, which was approved by 85 percent of county voters, Goochland issued general obligation bonds in early 2022 for this purpose. What happens to the bond proceeds if that money is not used to build a West Creek station? Goochland is paying interest on the bonds. Would the county face arbitrage penalties if the bond proceeds are not used for the purpose intended?

As Fire-Rescue Chief D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson explained, his agency deals with all hazards. A major wreck on either, or possibly both, I64 and Rt. 288, could tie up several ambulance crews for extended periods.

Ferguson said that at current staffing levels, Companies 1 and 3 can handle one, maybe two calls at a time for the 10,000 people who live in Districts 4 and 5 and thousands more come here to work, as well as thousands more passing through on I64 and Rt.288.

Expected growth, commercial, more than residential, could easily generate enough emergency calls to totally occupy Company 3 in the Broad Street Road corridor and Company 1 in the Rt. 6 corridor, especially when the southern prime economic development area (SPEDA) builds out in the next few years. This would leave those in the middle, including all of Kinloch, Broad Run, and other nearby residents, with fewer resources to respond to their calls.

The objection about the rezoning application that seemed to have most resonated with Lumpkins, was the adequacy of the site—is five acres too small for eventual expansion? He suggested that the county investigate the purchase of more land from West Creek—the five acres is part of a larger parcel—to perhaps move the facility back from Hockett Road.

Approval of the rezoning application paves the way for detailed engineering of the site to proceed. A final plan of development will come back to the supervisors for approval, after which they will need to appropriate funds for construction.

The county cannot compel homebuyers to thoroughly investigate their new surroundings, but newcomers should not be rewarded for their ignorance.

 

 

Money matters

 

The Goochland Board of Supervisors approved a county budget for FY’24, which begins on July 1, and set tax rates for calendar year 2023 at a meeting on April 18.

Most rates and fees adopted were unchanged from those advertised earlier in the year. The exception is the reduction of the personal property tax rates for personal vehicles—cars and trucks—from $3.75 per $100 of valuation to $2.99, about a 25 percent decrease. Rates for boats, RVs, and airplanes, remain $3.75.The vote was 3-2 in favor, with John Lumpkins District 3, and Charlie Vaughters, District 4, in dissent.

Since County Administrator Vic Carpenter presented his recommended FY 24 budge tin February, the supervisors explored ways to provide some personal property tax relief to citizens grappling with the impact of overall inflation exacerbated by exploding used car values. Until the April 18 vote, Goochland PPT rate was the highest in the central Virginia region.

Earlier this year, an across the board $5,000 reduction in vehicle values was explored but proved to be far too complicated to implement. A rate reduction was offered as an alternative way to give tax relief to Goochlanders. The PPTRA relief was increased to 32 percent of the first $20,000 for vehicles valued over that amount, or the entire amount of vehicles valued up to $20k. “All vehicles that do not meet the definition of “qualifying” (business use vehicles, farm use vehicles, motor homes, etc.) will not be eligible for any form of tax relief under this program.”

Lumpkins said that while he supported PPT relief, he would have preferred to use county funds to piggyback on state PPTRA percentages. This would reduce the tax liability on the first $20k of vehicle value by the adopted 32 percent. The remainder would be taxed at the full personal property rate.  Lumpkins said that he didn’t feel the same sense of urgency on this matter from his constituents “clamoring” for PPT relief as some of his fellow supervisors reported. He contended that the approximately 25 percent drop in the PPT rate is too large and could have a negative impact if vehicle values decline next year requiring a tax increase to generate the same amount of revenue.

Vaughters also voiced concerns about the dramatic reduction in PPT revenue, which, he contended, are better used to keep salaries for governmental employees competitive with our neighbors.

The reduction in the PPT rate, which will “cost” approximately $3 million. It was justified because preliminary revenue estimates for FY23 indicate an approximate $8 million surplus.  At the April 4 audit committee meeting, the rate reduction was part of a discussion about allocation of that surplus. Options included using the money for capital projects or returning it to the taxpayers. (Go to the county website goochlandva.us “watch county meetings” and select April 4 audit committee to listen to the entire discussion.)

Vaughters cited deputies leaving Goochland for a few thousand-dollar bump in annual salary. He said that he hates to lose people for less than $100 a paycheck and contended that money generated by PPT is better spent on salaries.

Ken Peterson, District 5, pointed out that inflation currently plaguing everyone everyone is a regressive tax that puts a heavier burden on those at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale. He contended that lowering the PPT rate for cars and trucks would provide some across the board tax relief.

In the past couple of years as used car values exploded—about 36 percent year over year—county tax revenues generated by the PPT followed suit, contributing to the end of fiscal year surplus.

Peterson contended that, as the revenue generated by the PPT tends to be volatile, using it to fund relatively stable routine expenses is not a good idea.

The county distributed the following press release on the budget:

Goochland, VA – On Tuesday, April 18, 2023, the Goochland County Board of Supervisors adopted the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Budget, which begins on July 1, 2023.  The adopted FY 2024 total County Budget of $141.4 million advances county priorities, maintains the real estate tax rate at $0.53 per $100 assessed value for Calendar Year 2023, decreases the Personal Property Tax Rate for personal vehicles by $0.76 to $2.99 per $100 assessed value, and includes tax relief initiatives.

 

The FY 2024 total County Budget is a $17.0 million or 13.7% increase from the Fiscal Year 2023 budget.  The FY 2024 $89.1 million County General Fund budget represents an $14.8 million or 19.8% increase from the FY2023 budget.

The FY 2024 Budget includes two tax relief measures to help take care of citizens in our community.  It decreases the personal property tax rate from $3.75 to $2.99 per $100 assessed value for citizens whose vehicles are eligible for personal property tax relief (PPTR).  It also increases the personal property tax relief (PPTR) rate applied to the first $20,000 of each personal vehicle to 32%.

 

Priorities for the FY2024 Budget include enhancing the high-quality core services provided by Education and Public Safety.  Total County planned investments in Education for Fiscal Year 2024 increased $1.8 million, or 6.9% over the prior year (not including Capital Improvements).  The budget for Public Safety, a key focus area for the budget, grew by $4.1 million or 21.3% over the current fiscal year. 

 

The Fiscal Year 2024 budget includes additional investments in employees. This budget provides a 7% pay increase for all employees. In addition, all Sheriff deputies and Fire-Rescue employees will receive an additional 4% pay increase, and all Emergency Communications employees will receive an additional 6% increase.  These additional pay increases will help Goochland County retain its trained employees in this exceptionally competitive market.

 

The FY 2024 Budget also marks the sixth year of utilizing a twenty-five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to meet the capital needs of the County and Schools. The FY 2024 – FY 2048 CIP contains $612.5 million for forecasted projects including needed investments in education and public safety such as new elementary schools, a new courthouse, and new fire stations.  The first year of the CIP for FY 2024 is $26.1 million and includes investments in the new Goochland Elementary School and a new West Creek fire station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping it rural

 

          A standing room only crowd filled Bethel United Methodist Church on Monday evening, April 10 for a community meeting about a conditional use application filed by Richmond Farmland LLC for 145.18 acres on the west side of Cardwell Road between Sheppard town and Taylor Roads.

Opponents fill Bethel Church

 The property is under a conservation easement, held by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation https://www.vof.org/ that was placed on the land by the late Faye Kilpatrick in 2009. She was passionate about preserving Goochland’s rural and equestrian heritage.

A conservation easement is a mechanism whereby a property owner voluntarily agrees to conditions that restrict development in perpetuity, not until a future owner finds them inconvenient. Such easements allow certain specified land uses to protect natural resources and open space from development forever.

Three planning commissioners, Tom Rockecharlie, District 5, Kurt Pituck, District 4, and Carter Duke, District 3, as well as District 3 Supervisor John Lumpkins, were also in attendance.

          Community meetings are the first step in Goochland County’s land use change process. The purpose of these sessions, which are run by the entity seeking the change known as “the applicant”, is to explain the proposal and gather feedback from adjoining property owners, neighbors, and interested parties.

          These meetings typically begin with a brief introduction by a member of the county’s community development staff, after which the applicant or its representative, often an attorney specializing in land use matters, explains the proposed land use. This is followed by questions and comments from attendees. In a perfect world, this feedback would be used to tweak the application to make it more acceptable.

          Zanas Talley, counsel for the applicant, began his presentation about the CUP application—addition of a place of public assembly and wedding venue that could host up to 250 people—with an allegedly recent photo of the existing barn. Attendees said that improvements to the barn, which would be used to host events, started some time ago.

Zanas Talley point to existing barn on conceptual plan

          Three slides into the prestation, Tally lost control of the meeting and spent the next 90 minutes fielding questions and batting away comments that did not agree with his narrative, that the proposal will enhance the rural nature of the subject parcel. There was strenuous objection to his contention that an amendment to the VOF easement has been approved.

          In addition to renovating the approximately 7,800 square foot barn, a 9,575 square foot concrete pad (non-permeable, which could cause runoff) will be available for outdoor celebrations including wedding ceremonies. Other parts of the property would be used for livestock, vegetable production, and a vineyard/winery. Parking for more than 100 cars is indicated on the conceptual plan.

The hay barn

The applicant proposes to build a 9,500 square foot two-story single-family dwelling as the primary residence of at least one of the owners (Tally was a little vague as to exactly who would live there). The home would also be used as a “hosted short-term rental” in conjunction with the wedding venue, which is included in the CUP application.

 The VOF easement specifically limits any primary and secondary dwelling units to an aggregate of no more than 8,000 square feet. It also clearly prohibits large-scale commercial activities, or any commercial activity not related to agricultural use. Tally did not explain how an event venue is related to agriculture.

The conceptual plan clearly labels the 25 feet—less than the length of a school bus—between the barn and property line, as a vegetative buffer, presumably to screen neighboring parcels from activity at the barn.

Talley contended that the proposed wedding venue would fill a “middle market” void in Goochland, between high end and modestly priced event options. A few minutes online would have disabused him of this notion. Goochland already has wedding venues for every budget. Even though Tally insisted that his client did market research on the need for this event space, he presented no evidence.     

          Tally repeatedly contended that the proposed venue is an amenity badly needed by the area community. The “community” filling the church seemed unaware of this need and robustly rejected the notion that hosting up to 250 people on land that has been in agricultural use for generations would enhance its rural nature.

A citizen remarked that, in addition to the 250 guests, caterers, and others involved in staging these events would add traffic and disruption to a bucolic area. Hours of operation would be from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and extend to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Tally said that the venue would use contractors and have no employees. Does this mean that the venue would be rented out lock stock and barrel without any oversight from the applicant to ensure that CUP conditions are met?

          Although Tally said that the venue would not be marketed to any specific ethnic group, attendees seemed to believe that it would host multi-day, elaborate Indian weddings.

          A member of the Kilpatrick family explained that the existing barn, used for passive hay storage only, was sited near the property line to preserve the view shed while not impinging on the privacy of neighboring land owners. She contended that commercial use of the barn violates county setback regulations for non-agricultural operations.

          It would seem as though a hay barn, built to keep hay dry, would not be sound-proofed. Hay bales tend to be pretty quiet. Talley showed what seemed like a stock photo of a barn wedding, with doors at both ends of the structure wide open. How would open doors contain sound?

How do open barn doors contain sound?

Tally said that the barn would be renovated to enclose all wedding activities, except ceremonies on the concrete pad. He said that outdoor weddings could include “wedding music”. Did he mean the traditional Wagner and Mendelssohn, perhaps played by a string quartet? He did not elaborate.

          According to remarks made by area residents, Richmond Farmland LLC began work, much of which violates easement conditions, more than a year ago without permits or making any effort to let the neighbors know what was going on. Trees, some on neighboring property, were taken down; improper land disturbance fouled an existing pond. A fire to dispose of resulting debris was started in clear violation of the statewide seasonal burn ban.

A nearby property owner said that if he had done any of those things without a permit, he would have been heavily sanctioned by the county and wanted to know why little or nothing has been done to the applicant. “You all should be ashamed of yourselves,” the neighbor said.

          The conceptual plan indicates that grapevines would be planted along much of the parcel’s Cardwell Road frontage for the vineyard. The CUP application references a vineyard/winery in proposed uses. Some citizens contended that this would lead to establishment of a winery with industrial structures and a tasting room. These uses would be justified as accessory to agricultural production.

          The line on the CUP application to estimate traffic generated by the wedding venue is blank. Concerns about the proximity of the site to Randolph Elementary School were raised.

          Talley claimed that the applicant was unaware that permission was needed to start work, even though the easement, which is part of the deed, states that VOF permission for many of the actions taken, must be obtained before any work is started. Does that mean that the applicant did not bother to read the easement, or just ignored it? Goochland County issued a stop work order on February 23, 2023. Curiously, the CUP application does not seem to be dated.

           

          Larry Page, who owns property on the opposite side of Cardwell Road, expressed outrage at the proposal. He contended that the proposed wedding venue is not a rural or agricultural use. Page and other nearby landowners said that they would think long and hard about putting easements on their property if VOF approves the easement amendment.

          The applicant, who Talley contended has experience in business, either failed to perform adequate due diligence about the easement restrictions on using the land for a wedding venue or chose to ignore it. The applicant’s blatant disregard for neighboring property owners, as evidenced by reports of removing trees, destroying fences, and other incursions, provides no comfort that operations going forward will be different.

          The CUP application could by on the June planning commission agenda. This is far from over. Stay tuned for updates.

 

 

         

         

         

April in the Board Room

 

Goochland’s Board of Supervisors began its April 4 meeting by recognizing county organizations that support and improve the lives of citizens challenged by circumstances beyond their control.

Hunger Awareness

The supervisors adopted a resolution recognizing April as Hunger Awareness Month. According to estimates, approximately 2,000 Goochlanders experienced food insecurity in 2022. That number is believed to have increased in 2023 due to the impact of inflation. Food insecurity is defined as “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.” Given the distance to a grocery store, parts of western Goochland have been declared a food desert. This means that low-income citizens are dependent wholly or in part on public and private food sources to meet their nutritional needs.

The resolution encourages Goochlanders, as they are able, to take part in upcoming county wide food drives that support local food pantries.

Representatives of GoochlandCares (goochlandcares.org), which operates perhaps the largest food pantry in the county, thanked the supervisors for their support. Doug Childs, Food Pantry Director, said that pending changes to Covid era SNAP benefits will result in a 43 precent decrease, and have a huge negative impact locally. Last year, said Childs, about 200 families were food pantry patrons. That number has risen to 260, and he expects the number to increase.

Crime Victims’ Rights Week

A proclamation declaring April 23-29, 2023, annual crime victims’ rights week was adopted by the supervisors. The Goochland County Victim/Witness Program is dedicated to strengthening victims and survivors in the aftermath of crime, building resilience in our communities and our victim responders, and working for justice for all victims and survivors.

The proclamation explains that the term “victim” has legal standing and protections that go along with it.

Goochland Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Caudill, the county’s prosecutor, said that Goochland County is very fortunate to have true professionals like Ann Jessee and Tara Proffitt, Director and Assistant Director respectively, of the Goochland Victim/Witness Program, who stand up for victims who often cannot stand up for themselves. “They have the courage to take cases to court and stand behind victims with the compassion that makes this program work,” said Caudill.

Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Ashley Thompson is the juvenile specialist in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court who works closely with Jessee and Proffitt to support victims and witnesses in difficult times.

CASA

Board Chair Neil Spoonhower, District 2, said that he had the honor of addressing the latest class of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) who were sworn in by The Honorable Deborah S. Tinsley, Chief Judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court earlier on April 4.  

A former CASA himself, Spoonhower explained that CASAs are the eyes and ears of the court who speak for children who, through no fault of their own, are the victims of abuse and neglect. CASAs conduct investigations on behalf of the court and report back to the judge. The children are their clients. He thanked “These amazing individuals who are willing to step up and serve in this capacity to advocate and give a voice to those who have no voice.” Go to https://goochlandcasa.org/ for more information.

Fixing things

Shop local

During citizen comment at the March Board meeting, owners and supporters of River Road Cottage and Six Pence Home Décor, shops in Courthouse Village, raised concerns about vendors at their stores being required to obtain business licenses by the Commissioner of Revenue. When local artisans, whose sales generate moderate revenues, applied for these licenses, they were told that they needed a peddler’s license, with a fee of $50 for the first quarter.

The business owners contended that vendors are not peddlers but rather consignees, a category not addressed in Goochland County ordinances.

Fast forward to April 4. During the public hearing on fees, County Attorney Tara McGee said that the Commissioner of the Revenue became aware that craftspeople were renting space to sell their wares in retail stores to sell their products.

This, said McGee, was a somewhat unusual situation because stores typically own the goods that they sell. After a good deal of research by her office and discussions with the businesses affected and the Commissioner of the Revenue, who wanted a mechanism to lower business license fees, McGee said that, going forward, all vendors—people who sell things—in Goochland County must obtain a business license. Fees for these licenses, however, will not be charged until annual sales exceed a $10,000 threshold. Sales taxes will be paid by the stores at the point of sale. Changing this fee policy will have negligible impact on county finances.

 

McGee said that a “guideline document” has been created that captures this information in an easy-to-understand format to guide staff and others asking about the policy. If all sales are reported and sales tax collected, whether by the store, or individual vendor, state sales tax requirements will be satisfied.

The “itinerant merchant” category, said McGee, applies mainly to food trucks that operate in Goochland and elsewhere.

The proposed fee schedule, which the supervisors are expected to adopt at their April 18 meeting, will reflect the change.

Be sure to visit River Road Cottage and Six Pence Home Décor, both on River Road West in Courthouse Village for their charming array of locally sourced merchandise. Spend your money close to home.

 

 

 

 

 

Spending public money

 

Goochland Tax 2023 rates will be set on April 18

Taxing and spending for the public good is the most important task of the Goochland Board of Supervisors. The annual budget process, which began last fall, will culminate with the adoption of the county budget for fiscal year 2024 and setting tax rates for calendar year 2023 on April 18.

When County Administrator Vic Carpenter presented recommended budget in February, the economic outlook was a bit cloudy. (Go to the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ and then to the financial services ta  under “your government” to see access the full document.) It was crafted with a conservative approach to revenue projections and expenditure growth.  Challenges include a need to expand spending on public safety, the impact of inflation across the board, and constantly rising health insurance costs for employees.

As the year progressed, things began to look, in the terms of Carla Cave, Director of Financial Services, “rosier” as the picture of expenditures and revenue came into sharper focus.

During the April 4 meeting of the county audit committee, Carpenter reported that that county expects to realize a surplus at the end of FY23 of about $8 million. Discussion about what to do with that surplus ensued. Options offered were to apply it to the capital improvement plan, return it to taxpayers, or a little of both.

The audit committee is an advisory body that brings recommendations to the full board for action.

Audit Committee Chair District 5 Supervisor Ken Peterson, said that “prosperity is coming Goochland’s way and we should be prepared for it both in terms of infrastructure and revenues.”  He started a discussion about what to do with “ an extra dollar or two” in expected revenues for the current fiscal year. He advocated consideration of “what the citizens would want us to do with that residual, because it’s their money, their county, their tax dollars.”

The hybrid approach—some funds going to CIP others  to tax relief—was discussed in detail.

Higher personal property tax bills, the result of exploding used car values, are not popular as people struggle with inflationary pressures. Carpenter said that the average value of used cars has increased by 36 percent in the last four years.  Goochland’s current personal property tax rate, $3.75 per $100 of valuation, is the highest in the region even though our real estate tax rate of 53 cents per $100 is the lowest.

Last month, to address rising personal property tax bills, the supervisors kicked around the notion of taking $5,000 off the value of every vehicle to provide some tax relief. After lengthy discussions with the Treasurer and Commissioner of the Revenue, it was decided, said Carpenter, that option was not feasible.

Instead, Carpenter presented the option of lowering the personal property tax rate, for cars and trucks, to $2.99 per $100, a decrease of 76 cents. This rate change would consume approximately $3 million of the expected surplus at the end of the fiscal year, leaving $5 million for other uses.

On Tuesday evening, April 4, the public hearing on the proposed budget, tax rates, and fees for fiscal 2024 was held.  It was sparsely attended. The few people who spoke, objected to the county’s high “car tax” which they contended was difficult for citizens to “swallow”.

Curiously, retention of the 53 cents per $100 of valuation for real estate was not challenged, even though it represents a hefty tax increase. “People understand why the real estate tax is going up,” one speaker said. Personal property tax is another matter.

During the audit committee meeting Commissioner of the Revenue Jennifer Brown explained that her office determines values of vehicles using J. D. Power clean trade-in ratings, which is selected by the Association of Commissioners of Revenue. J. D. Power, said Brown, monitors actual vehicle sales by dealers.

The ongoing competition for the best employees was also discussed. Charlie Vaughters, District 4 supervisor, contended that the county should use extra revenue to keep compensation as competitive with our neighbors as possible. School Board member Karen Horn echoed the sentiment. “Without the talent inside, our schools are just bricks and mortar.”

Others pointed out that hiring new employees is very hard and the salary studies done just last year are already out of date and advocated for putting resources toward recruiting and retaining the best employees to avoid the expense of turnover.

The final decision on tax rates will be made at the April 18 Board of Supervisors’ meeting. Use of the FY2023 surplus will likely be determined after the books are closed and actual year end numbers are in hand.

Note the supervisors may approve rates lower than those advertised, but cannot raise them when they set tax rates for calendar year 2023.

Goochland has a lot on its fiscal plate. In addition to the new Goochland Elementary School, which is rising from the ground off of Bulldog Way, another fire-rescue station and courthouse replacement will soon follow. As the county grows, employees to provide services to new residents and businesses must be funded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beloved local events are back. Mark your calendars!

Celebrate spring!

The GHS band is one of many units in the Goochland Day Parade

• April 22- Keep Goochland Beautiful Day—for everyone concerned about trash along our roads, this is an opportunity to do something about it. Free truck nets will be given away at county convenience centers from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Clean up volunteers can obtain supplies from three areas: Central High Cultural and Educational Complex (2748 Dogtown Road);County Administration Building (1800 Sandy Hook Road);Centerville Company 3 Fire-Rescue Station (52 Broad Street Road). Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=956 for details.
• April 29- Spring Garden Fest- Sponsored by the Goochland Powhatan Master Gardeners will be held at Reynolds Community College, 1851 Dickinson Road, Goochland. The day, which is a celebration of all things gardening, begins at 8 a.m., includes a plant and rummage sale. Go to https://www.gpmga.org/spring-garden-fest-information-form for details.
•  May 3- Kates Day—Elizabeth Kates, the first warden of the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Courthouse Village—believed that incarceration should help offenders learn job skills to enable them to become productive citizens when they rejoin society. The Kates Foundation was created in her honor to support education for offenders. Kates Day features a sale of wonderful plants grown by offenders in the horticulture program; baked goods; and handcrafted items. If you’ve ever wanted to see what the inside of the VCCW looks like, this is your chance. The organization’s annual meeting, which is part of the event, includes dinner and entertainment. All proceeds fund scholarships, literacy, and vocational opportunities. Go to https://www.theelizabethkatesfoundation.org/events.html for details. Note: special attendance rules apply.
•   May 20- Goochland Day begins at 10 a.m. with a parade that starts in front of Six Pence Home Décor 2913 River Road West. The festival will be held at the Goochland Sports Complex (behind the county administration building from 11 to 4. Go to https://www.goochlandday.com/ for details.