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THIS IS GOOCHLAND, NOT SHORT PUMP!

Over lunch at their January 20 retreat, Goochland supervisors, (Jonathan Christy District 1; Neil Spoonhower, District 2; Board Vice Chair Tom Winfree, District 3; Board Chair Charlie Vaughters, District 4; and Jonathan Lyle, District 5), chatted with staff members and digested the information presented in the morning.

Grant Neely and Rachel Yost of SIR https://www.sirhq.com/, facilitated the session. (The daylong event was recorded and archived on the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/https://for your viewing pleasure. Kudos to the county IT department for making this possible.)

Focus of the afternoon was a wide-ranging discussion about goals for growth both residential and commercial, how to reach and pay for them, and what outside forces could hobble local government actions.

Goochland is in a good place right now. The new supervisors face the challenge of building upon the hard work of their predecessors.

The local population increase, reported Neely, has averaged between one and two percent over the last decade even though it may seem higher. While there seemed to be a consensus among board members to temper residential growth in a mindful way, no specific mechanisms to achieve that goal appeared.  

The county’s 2035 comprehensive land use plan, https://www.goochlandva.us/250/2035-Comprehensive-Plan last updated about nine years ago has a goal of keeping Goochland 85percent rural and 15 percent developed. Defining exactly what that means from a land use perspective is still vague.

The goal of a tax revenue ratio of 70 percent residential/30 percent business moved further out of reach as burgeoning home sales and prices during and after Covid, moved that ratio to 81/18.

Vaughters contended that Goochland does not have “the right mix” to fund service needs generated by current economic development. He wondered if Goochland is attracting the kind of business revenue to flip the mix in the near term and suggested that economic development efforts vigorously pursue healthy, well capitalized companies.

 

Christy said that growth generated by large data centers coming to Lousia will spill over into western Goochland. He contended that data centers attract data centers because of the skill sets of their employees, and that could be a positive for Goochland.

Money matters, deciding what expenditures are needed and how to pay for them, were explored. In 2018, the county compiled a 25-year capital improvement plan (CIP) that listed all expected expenditures whose cost could not be absorbed in a single year’s budget. This was done in response to action by the General Assembly to counteract perceived abuses of cash proffer policies in some jurisdictions.

The supervisors wanted more data about county operations. Lyle wanted to know if county government staffing is too lean and lacking in cross training to avoid choke points that could occur if only one employee handles a specific task. What are baseline and acceptable levels of government service, especially in public safety? Are there ways that the county can effectively compete for the best employees against neighbors like Henrico with deep pockets?

Efforts to bolster tourism in Goochland are just starting. An app, touting ways to enjoy the county, has been created. Lyle wondered why there is virtually no mention of the county’s equestrian heritage—he said there are more horses than children in Goochland—including the important shows at the Deep Run Hunt Club on Manakin Road. Sports tourism, said Lyle, generates significant revenue in the region.

The term community was batted around a bit during the day’s conversation. That concept may be in the eye of the beholder. Goochland Day was cited as a community building event that brings citizens together, but maybe only those who live near Courthouse Village and west. Residents of the east end may send their children to private schools outside Goochland and have little interest in the county.

Citizen engagement, keeping residents “in the loop” about what’s going on is vital for community support and understanding. Currently, it seems like controversial zoning applications drive citizen interaction at well-attended public hearings.

Vaughters noted that, because of its location, the county is in danger of being swallowed by westward growth from Henrico. It’s important that Goochland retain its identity. How to do that, not so simple as the site of the retreat, the Residence Inn, identifies itself as being in Short Pump. Preserving the rural nature of Goochland with appropriate growth will be tricky. As Spoonhower pointed out Goochland does the right thing even if it is the hard thing.

The retreat introduced the supervisors to issues they will face during their term of office. Their next big task is approval of the county budget for FY2025, which begins on July 1. County Administrator Vic Carpenter will present his recommended budget to the board on February 20. The budget is a reflection of county policy. Please pay attention and follow this important process.