It's February

 

Goochland supervisors had a busy meeting day on February 4, that will generate several posts.

During an afternoon closed session, the board announced that it had unanimously voted to accept the resignation of County Administrator Vic Carpenter, effective February 20, 2025 and appointed the Hon. Manuel Alvarez, Jr., former District 2 Supervisor, as interim county administrator effective February 24, 2025 during the search for a permanent county administrator. GOMM wishes Mr. Carpenter well in his next chapter.

Fire-Rescue

Goochland Fire-Rescue took advantage of sunny, warm temperatures to display its new ladder truck, the latest addition to the county’s emergency response fleet. It replaces the “old” 605, a 1993 Peirce Lance that served the county well for more than 30 years.

New Courthouse Company 5 ladder truck

As a ladder truck, in addition to the 107-foot Peirce Ascendant Ladder, the apparatus is equipped with assorted ladders of different heights and configurations to help firefighters access and suppress blazes. The new 605 has a 2,000 gallon per minute pump and can carry 500 gallons of water, which is important as most of Goochland is not served by fire hydrants, so every drop of water used to fight fires must be transported to the fire ground.

605 is equipped with a wide array of ladders used in firefighting.

Ordered in April 2022 at a price of $1,450,616 and delivered last December, the same purchase today would cost over $2 million and have a three-to-four-year delivery time. The truck is currently being outfitted and used for training before it goes into active service by March 1.

D. E. “Eddie” Ferguson, Jr., Chief of Fire-Rescue and Emergency Management, explained that 605 is a “straight stick” ladder truck that is a well-suited option for older, lower buildings in areas with narrow roads. It complements the aerial platform truck at Manakin Company 1, which is ideal for areas with multistory buildings like apartments.

The bi-monthly fire-rescue report is included in the February 4 board packet available on the county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ beginning at page 51. It contains important information on the safe use of generators, fireplaces, wood stoves, and kerosene heaters. Please review this, the “best” fire is one that never starts.

Assessments

Goochland County Assessor Mary Ann Davis presented her annual report. Valuations for calendar year 2025 were mailed on January 15. Property owners have until February 15 to appeal their assessments. Instructions for this process are at the bottom of the assessment notice.

The total value of land in Goochland for 2025, $9.6 billion, is 11.4 percent higher than that of 2024, exceeding the forecast assumption of eight to ten percent growth. Davis contended that the increase was driven by higher construction costs and fewer homes for sale, creating a seller’s market. Looking ahead, she projected a valuation increase of four to five percent for 2026.

Goochland seems to be going backward in its quest for a 70/30 ratio of residential to commercial property to ease the tax burden on homeowners. In 2024, the ratio was 81.35 to 18.65, for 2025 it is 82.2 to 17.8. Of the increase in new construction values, 88 percent was residential, the remainder commercial. The January 2025 land use—value deferred—amount of $832 million equates to $4.4 million in deferred revenue.

Davis explained that January 1 fair market property values are determined using actual sales data, which is reviewed for accuracy by field research and statistical sample testing. She delved into technical processes and said that the final numbers are generally between 90 and 110 percent of market values, which is acceptable under state law. (To review her explanation, please go to the video of the meeting, available on the county website, goochlandva.us under the “watch county meetings”  tab BoS meeting February 4, at about the 28  minute mark) Davis said that state code says that property should be valued at 100 percent of fair market value, but Goochland tends to value just under that.

Valuations are done by neighborhood, not lumping the entire county together. While eastern Goochland has seen dramatic valuation increases, the upper end of the county is also experiencing growth, which could accelerate as broadband becomes more available.

Jonathan Christy, District 1, asked Davis, for the record, to explain the role of the Board in the assessment process, perhaps to quash bizarre notions that the supervisors decide the value of parcels of land in their respective districts.

The Assessor’s Office, said Davis, is tasked with valuing property in Goochland in accordance with state law, “so that everyone is valued correctly.” Those values are used to determine, based on the tax rate, which is set by the supervisors, the amount of money available for the county budget. “In fact, I don’t see you but once a year,” she told the board.

Carpenter explained that the assessor is a county employee, the supervisors have no ability to influence that office or what it does. By law, the assessor’s office and supervisors are separated. The supervisors appoint the Board of Equalization, which is part of the valuation appeals process, but it too is an independent body. The Board of Supervisors is unable to influence assessments, "and that is the way it should be,” said Carpenter.

Davis said that the Virginia Board of Taxation checks Goochland’s information and performs its own analysis to ensure that our valuation falls within accepted parameters.

The first look at the proposed county budget for FY26, which begins on July 1, will happen on February 18. The final budget will be adopted and tax rates set for calendar year 2025 in April.