On to 2026

 

Jonathan Christy (l) and Neil Spoonhower

The Goochland Board of Supervisors rang in 2026 with its annual organizational meeting on January 6. Jonathan Christy, District 1 and Neil Spoonhower, District 2, were unanimously selected to be chair and vice chair respectively.

The supervisors then unanimously approved resolutions adopting updated codes of ethics and standards of conduct for both board members and county appointees. They also unanimously approved Supervisors’ rule of procedure and the 2026 board meeting schedule. (See January 6 board packet for details)

Tom Winfree, District 3, board chair for 2025, reflected on the past year. He said there is a lot to be thankful for. One of the most significant developments was hiring Dr. Jeremy Raley as county administrator. “The board of supervisors deliberated this at length, took our time, thankfully so, and I think you will all agree that we made a good choice.”

Winfree said that Raley’s strengthening staff and bringing onboard professional personnel resources proved beneficial to county operations and overall staff morale. He cited the announcement that Eli Lilly will build a $5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in West Creek to be transformational for the county. He regretted that there was “some unpleasantness, which he contended is part of the job but that everyone is entitled to their own feelings. “We’ve made some tough decisions that laid a pathway for more economic development, which will be beneficial for Goochland County as we mature and become more of a regional presence. Stay tuned.”

Raley summed up the first six months as Goochland’s CEO with a closeout of his entry plan (go to https://www.goochlandva.us/m/newsflash/home/detail/1349 for the document.) He hit the ground running by holding 190 listening sessions with people and groups around the county to learn about strengths, challenges, and concerns to better serve our citizens.

Residents, said Raley, cited the strength and focus of public safety, the Sheriff’s Office, Fire-Rescue, and Animal Protection, the quality of our schools and the importance of preserving our county’s identity. Employees celebrate each other for their teamwork, accountability, and commitment to serving our residents well.

To that end, employees of the quarter were recognized. Since taking office, Raley regularly celebrates the excellent work of county staff at all levels acknowledging their vital role in the success of local government.

They are: Leader of the Quarter Don Leftwich, Solid Waste and Recycling Manager; Employee of the Quarter Shannon Grayson, Chief Deputy Registrar; Team of the Quarter Treasurer’s Office; Rookie of the Quarter Tiffany Hitaffer, Assistant County Attorney; Customer Service Star of the Quarter Abigail Cordova, Animal Shelter Attendant.

Goochland  Treasurer's Department

Raley also shares factoids about county agencies. He lauded the recent adoption of making whole blood available to county EMS providers in the field, which is a game changer for survival of trauma victims. Goochland Fire-Rescue said Raley is one of 20 EMS agencies in Virginia to have this protocol and one of 280 nationwide.

He also complimented Deputy County Administrator Sara Worley for working hard to review and streamline the permit approval process in the Community Development Department to reduce the backlog from 109 to 15.

Raley said he hopes to establish a community engagement committee, which will act as a two-way channel with residents and create a “public facing dashboard” to share critical information.

Agency presentations:

Goochland 250 Commission

The Hon.Manuel Alverez, Jr., former District 2 supervisor and interim county administrator, and current chair of the Goochland 250 Commission said that the Commission is working on plans to celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. This will include reading the Declaration of Independence and the names of Goochlanders who fought in the Revolution. The second annual Run to Revolution 5k was held last October at Elk Hill. The 2026 run will be held in a different location, closer to Courthouse Village to increase participation.

Commission member Robin Lind, who is also the Board Chair of the Goochland Historical Society, announced the “Witness Tree Challenge” to be launched in concert with the Goochland Historical Society, the 250 Commission, county schools, and the Goochland Education Foundation. Open to all students, including home schoolers and those in private schools located in Goochland, the goal is to find living trees that have been alive since 1776, which have stood silent witness to history.

The submission deadline is March 1. A celebration event will be held on Arbor Day, April 24 at which time a tree will be planted in the hopes that it will witness the next 250 years of history in Goochland. Details will be released soon.

Animal Protection Report

Job Greene, Animal Protection Director, (notice in Goochland we call it animal protection, not animal control) gave a brief overview of his department. The animal shelter is a public safety, law enforcement, and community service partner. Its work protects people, animals, and county resources, often simultaneously. Its main components are field service, shelter operations, and veterinary care.

Field service responded to 2,537 calls for service and increase of 6 percent over the previous year. This included 951 calls for stray and nuisance animals, 112 cases of potential rabies exposure, and 316 calls for wildlife service.

Animal protection is available 24/7/365 for emergency calls. It is a mandatory report for child welfare and elderly neglect.

Last year, the department processed 788 adoptions, up 39 percent from the previous year. There were 1060 impounded animals, an increase of 21 percent. The euthanasia rate dropped by 25 percent.

Greene said that his department wants to set the standard for animal care in Virginia. “Our reputations gotten out that we’re doing the best we can for every animal that comes through the door. We’ve been awarded the No Kill Excellence award for the last three years from the Best Friends Animal Society.”

An important part of the Shelter, said Greene, are the volunteers who do thousands of hours of work a year. “We couldn’t do it without them. We have 94 and they’re amazing.”

He also commended Goochland Pet Lovers, the private non-profit that partners with his department to enable them to say yes to animal care situations that other shelters turn away.

The shelter has a full veterinary clinic that enables offering “turnkey” adoptable pets.

Greene also praised support of the community where people donate items and money to support the shelter almost every day. Go to https://www.goochlandva.us/299/Animal-Protection to learn more.

The shelter, Goochland Pet Lovers, and adoption center grew out of the vison of the late Rebecca T. Dickson. Her formal portrait hangs in the lobby of the shelter.

Goochland Cares

Andrea Ahonen, CEO of Goochland Cares, the private non-profit (https://goochlandcares.org/), which provides a wide variety of crucial services to the economically disadvantaged in the county discussed how the county’s financial support for the past 20 years has helped offset its costs.

Among them is the critical home repair program, which helps keep people in their homes. In the last year, the county provided $130k, which represents 27 percent of the program’s cost. Ahonen reported that 98 homes with 159 projects including plumbing, HVAC, ramps, roofs, and electrical were repaired. Of those 38 percent were urgent repairs, and there are 31 carry over projects from 2025. She attributed the need for this service to the fact that 62 percent of the critical home repair clients are over age 65. The situation is exacerbated by inflation. Ahonen contended that one of every five homes in Goochland has one or more substandard housing conditions like lack of plumbing or kitchen facilities, a high number of residents per room, and housing costs that exceed 50 percent of income.

She said that that residents most vulnerable to being forced to leave substandard homes are single female African American seniors. The cost of emergency housing averages $2,500 per person per month, while the average total cost of a home repair is $2,600.

Ahonen asked for a 20 percent increase in funding for Goochland Cares to support this and its other programs.

In FY2026, which began July 1, 2025, the county contribution to Goochland Cares was $292,250 in support of all of its programs.

Alvarez, who serves on the Goochland Cares board advocated for the funding increase, citing the way that Goochland Cares supports less fortunate citizens in a cost-effective manner. He said the home repair program, which helps older people stay in homes where they’ve lived for most of their lives, is very important. Alvarez pointed out that money spent by Goochland Cares stays in the county.

These presentations illustrate the complexity of the county budget. To view these presentations in their entirety go to the  county website https://www.goochlandva.us/ click on watch county meetings and select BoS for January 6.