Honor our veterans
When the world was younger, it paused at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month to pay homage to those who died in the “war to end all war.”
As the bloody century ground on, that war became the first of many as millions more died in subsequent conflicts pitting evil against good.
At the end of the day, after the lofty words of politicians and stirring oratory of generals faded into history, the veterans of those wars walk among us. We often forget they are there.
Now, November 11 is set aside to pay tribute to all veterans. For too many people, it’s just another day off, a day with no mail delivery.
Perhaps the shrinking number of veterans the past few decades explains why things seem to be on a downward spiral in our society.
It’s way too easy to forget about the sacrifice that every veteran and their families made for our country. We owe them a debt and need to treat them with honor. The deplorable treatment received by returning Vietnam vets must never be repeated.
Many veterans came home with physical injuries, others returned with wounded souls that may never heal. Some seemed unscathed not realizing that they harbored a time bomb that would end their lives far too soon.
Agent Orange, the herbicide that defoliated the Vietnamese countryside denying the Viet Cong a place to hide, turned out to be a curse upon American troops.
Sailors who patrolled the Mekong River in their youth find themselves stricken with terrible terminal diseases in late middle age robbing them of the precious years to see grand children grow up. We don’t know what threats those currently in uniform will face decades down the road.
Veterans came home changed by their military service. They matured, gained confidence by being a part of something larger than themselves. They learned the value of being able to depend on their buddies and understood the obligation of being depended upon.
When veterans return to civilian life, those new attitudes shape the way that they conduct themselves and in turn better our nation.
They value good character and live lives worthy of emulation.
And they pitch in to make their corner of the world a little better.
Grasping the intuitive wisdom of a philosophy that mandates “officers east last,” many a self-involved young junior officer honed leadership skills that carried over into civilian life after military service.
We all know about the heroes who won the medals and the wars. It’s far too easy to forget about the scores of support personnel who made the heroism possible.
World War II was fought by boys who left farms, offices, factories and unemployment lines to defend their country. Some with physical difficulties that could have earned them a 4F draft deferment, connived their way into uniform.
The tasks they performed, keeping the morale up on troop ships crossing the submarine infested Atlantic Ocean, for instance, took them into harm’s way. They would have been just as dead as the heroes of Dieppe, but gotten little notice.
More recently, Goochland’s own Aaron Boyd, who was a Navy cook on an aircraft carrier following the 9/11 attacks, did his bit by making sure that pilots found fresh chocolate chip cookies waiting for them when they returned to the ship.
Bobby McCormick, who has served several tours of duty in Iraq, is the new young face of the American veteran. He left his beautiful family to fight for his country.
Our veterans represent the best of America. They put their lives on the line to defend freedom and our way of life. There are no words to adequately thank them, but do it anyway.
American Legion Post 215 will hold a Veterans’ Day observance at 11 a.m. on the Courthouse green weather permitting. In case of rain, the event will be held at the high school.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Chickens come home to roost
Walking the razor’s edge at budget time
The November supervisors’ meeting saw the first skirmishes in the budget battle for the 2011 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2010.
County administrator Rebecca T. Dickson, during the evening portion of the meeting, presented and explained the county’s current and expected fiscal position. She was careful to point out that the numbers are preliminary, but they did give everyone a good idea of the magnitude of the financial shortfall the county faces due to declining real estate values.
Dickson said that she expects revenues for 2010 to fall about 12 percent, drop another five percent in 2011 and remain flat the following year.
Goochland, like most jurisdictions, is trying to find its way through the minefield of challenges caused by the economic meltdown. Unfortunately, in past years, our board has used a whistling past the graveyard method to deal with problems, so we may be caught more flatfooted than most.
The failure of the county to attract meaningful economic development puts the burden of the shortfall squarely on the backs of land owners with property tax still the significant source of county revenue.
Predictably, the board room was filled to standing-room- only capacity mostly with parents and teachers passionately concerned about the prospect of significant reduction in teacher ranks. The school budget consumes about 55 percent of the county budget.
Teachers are a vital resource to a school system. Think about the teachers that changed your life. They helped you tap your own resources to find the path to success in life. How would your life have been different if they had not been there?
The county school system has about 400 employees, 200 of them teachers. It’s hard to understand why the teacher corps is not at the very bottom of the list of proposed cuts. One reason is that a threat to fire teachers strikes a powerful emotional cord in parents that motivates them to action.
Unfortunately, this tactic has been used, successfully, so often in the past that it’s lost its authenticity.
Goochland schools have morphed in the past seven or so years from an embarrassment to one of the best districts in the region. This is accomplishment is the result of hard work by the school system, teachers, parents and students.
Good schools are an expensive proposition.
Several speakers cited the curious factoid that Goochland has one of the highest per capita incomes in the country. Everyone wants to hit up all those rich people, all 30 or so, to fund whatever they’re passionate about.
Those figures are based on an average. Teachers should know that when you have a relatively small population —Goochland’s is around 21,000 including the 2,000 or so inmates at our prisons — and you divide that number into the total annual income of all residents, it doesn’t take very many households with seven figure incomes to skew the result to a number that does not paint a true picture of conditions on the ground.
For the past few years the school system has aggressively pursued its funding with the board of supervisors. Using carefully choreographed demonstrations at the annual budget hearing school proponents passionately protest proposed budget cuts when the supervisors attempt to slow the rate of increase of the school budget.
The schools usually get most of what they request.
Excellence in local education is a very fine goal, but it’s never been quite clear if the supervisors and citizens agree that funding excellence in education should take a top fiscal priority.
This year, things are different. The expected shortfalls are the worst in recent memory.
The supervisors will have to make difficult and delicate choices about use of public dollars.
They can keep the 53 cent tax rate in place, which will result in lower property tax bills for some landowners. They can use part of the county’s fund balance, which Dickson estimated at approximately, $14.2 million. They can raise the tax rate on the reduced assessed valuations or they can slash spending to meet the expected county income.
None of those choices are happy ones. No matter what the board does, some citizens will be angry.
Although several speakers at the board meeting urged the supervisors to raise property taxes to prevent budget cuts, many people in the county are hurting financially.
Businesses are closing. Homes are in foreclosure. People are losing their jobs or not getting raises. For many people, money is very tight.
To give a modicum of relief to some business owners, the board voted 4-1 with Jim Eads District 5 dissenting:
“ to extend its deadline for payment of business personal property taxes for ninety (90) days without incurring the 10% late penalty. However, interest will accrue beginning January 1, 2010. The new deadline for paying business personal property taxes will be Friday, March 5, 2010. After this date, penalty is 10% of the uncollected balance. Interest begins January 1, 2010 and is not included in the extension.”
Although the picture is grim Dickson and the supervisors are right to publicly discuss the impact of the expected shortfalls now. This action represents a significant change in the county budget process. Dickson’s predecessor rarely, if ever, presented the county’s financial picture at open meetings. The budget was always an inside baseball behind closed doors activity with only carefully orchestrated glimpses permitted before the public hearing.
The 53 cent tax rate, which has been in effect for several years, is the result of a projection based on steady growth in population and property values. Indeed, it seemed like the budget was crafted by multiplying the total assessed valuation of all of the land in Goochland by 53 cents to determine the total budget. Then, working backwards to allocate that amount of money to various departments regardless of their budget requests.
During the fiscal year if a department ran out of money, supplemental appropriations were made. In all it was a very magical process with probably little basis in generally accepted accounting principles.
All that has changed. Everyone says they want transparency. Well, here it is, warts and all.
No one wants to pay higher taxes. However, if there is such a thing, local taxes may be the best kind. Those dollars stay close to home and fund things that make our community work.
It’s time for some citizen input. How would you instruct the supervisors to deal with the budget shortfall? Which items should receive funding priorities?
The November supervisors’ meeting saw the first skirmishes in the budget battle for the 2011 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2010.
County administrator Rebecca T. Dickson, during the evening portion of the meeting, presented and explained the county’s current and expected fiscal position. She was careful to point out that the numbers are preliminary, but they did give everyone a good idea of the magnitude of the financial shortfall the county faces due to declining real estate values.
Dickson said that she expects revenues for 2010 to fall about 12 percent, drop another five percent in 2011 and remain flat the following year.
Goochland, like most jurisdictions, is trying to find its way through the minefield of challenges caused by the economic meltdown. Unfortunately, in past years, our board has used a whistling past the graveyard method to deal with problems, so we may be caught more flatfooted than most.
The failure of the county to attract meaningful economic development puts the burden of the shortfall squarely on the backs of land owners with property tax still the significant source of county revenue.
Predictably, the board room was filled to standing-room- only capacity mostly with parents and teachers passionately concerned about the prospect of significant reduction in teacher ranks. The school budget consumes about 55 percent of the county budget.
Teachers are a vital resource to a school system. Think about the teachers that changed your life. They helped you tap your own resources to find the path to success in life. How would your life have been different if they had not been there?
The county school system has about 400 employees, 200 of them teachers. It’s hard to understand why the teacher corps is not at the very bottom of the list of proposed cuts. One reason is that a threat to fire teachers strikes a powerful emotional cord in parents that motivates them to action.
Unfortunately, this tactic has been used, successfully, so often in the past that it’s lost its authenticity.
Goochland schools have morphed in the past seven or so years from an embarrassment to one of the best districts in the region. This is accomplishment is the result of hard work by the school system, teachers, parents and students.
Good schools are an expensive proposition.
Several speakers cited the curious factoid that Goochland has one of the highest per capita incomes in the country. Everyone wants to hit up all those rich people, all 30 or so, to fund whatever they’re passionate about.
Those figures are based on an average. Teachers should know that when you have a relatively small population —Goochland’s is around 21,000 including the 2,000 or so inmates at our prisons — and you divide that number into the total annual income of all residents, it doesn’t take very many households with seven figure incomes to skew the result to a number that does not paint a true picture of conditions on the ground.
For the past few years the school system has aggressively pursued its funding with the board of supervisors. Using carefully choreographed demonstrations at the annual budget hearing school proponents passionately protest proposed budget cuts when the supervisors attempt to slow the rate of increase of the school budget.
The schools usually get most of what they request.
Excellence in local education is a very fine goal, but it’s never been quite clear if the supervisors and citizens agree that funding excellence in education should take a top fiscal priority.
This year, things are different. The expected shortfalls are the worst in recent memory.
The supervisors will have to make difficult and delicate choices about use of public dollars.
They can keep the 53 cent tax rate in place, which will result in lower property tax bills for some landowners. They can use part of the county’s fund balance, which Dickson estimated at approximately, $14.2 million. They can raise the tax rate on the reduced assessed valuations or they can slash spending to meet the expected county income.
None of those choices are happy ones. No matter what the board does, some citizens will be angry.
Although several speakers at the board meeting urged the supervisors to raise property taxes to prevent budget cuts, many people in the county are hurting financially.
Businesses are closing. Homes are in foreclosure. People are losing their jobs or not getting raises. For many people, money is very tight.
To give a modicum of relief to some business owners, the board voted 4-1 with Jim Eads District 5 dissenting:
“ to extend its deadline for payment of business personal property taxes for ninety (90) days without incurring the 10% late penalty. However, interest will accrue beginning January 1, 2010. The new deadline for paying business personal property taxes will be Friday, March 5, 2010. After this date, penalty is 10% of the uncollected balance. Interest begins January 1, 2010 and is not included in the extension.”
Although the picture is grim Dickson and the supervisors are right to publicly discuss the impact of the expected shortfalls now. This action represents a significant change in the county budget process. Dickson’s predecessor rarely, if ever, presented the county’s financial picture at open meetings. The budget was always an inside baseball behind closed doors activity with only carefully orchestrated glimpses permitted before the public hearing.
The 53 cent tax rate, which has been in effect for several years, is the result of a projection based on steady growth in population and property values. Indeed, it seemed like the budget was crafted by multiplying the total assessed valuation of all of the land in Goochland by 53 cents to determine the total budget. Then, working backwards to allocate that amount of money to various departments regardless of their budget requests.
During the fiscal year if a department ran out of money, supplemental appropriations were made. In all it was a very magical process with probably little basis in generally accepted accounting principles.
All that has changed. Everyone says they want transparency. Well, here it is, warts and all.
No one wants to pay higher taxes. However, if there is such a thing, local taxes may be the best kind. Those dollars stay close to home and fund things that make our community work.
It’s time for some citizen input. How would you instruct the supervisors to deal with the budget shortfall? Which items should receive funding priorities?
Sunday, November 1, 2009
On elections
You don’t have to vote
Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day.
We Americans are not forced to vote. In some countries, suffrage is mandatory. Not here, you can vote or not, as you choose.
Perhaps there is no requirement for participation in elections because it never occurred to the founding fathers that anyone given the opportunity to select those who govern them would not be ready, willing and eager to vote.
You don’t have to vote. In most elections there are at least a few candidates that are embarrassments to their parties. Sometimes all choices are bad and it is hard to see how it matters who gets elected.
You don’t have to vote, but every vote counts. In the past decade elections at all levels have hinged on a very few ballots. The people who stayed home could have changed everything.
Government at all levels is a mess and not likely to improve any time soon regardless of the annual pledge of candidates that this time things will change for the better.
Lately it seems like both parties want to drive everyone except their most ardent and easily controlled supporters away from the political system.
You don’t have to vote, but if you do research your choices first. Don’t vote for someone because of an endorsement by a movie star or athlete or your next-door neighbor. There is plenty of information on the internet about all the candidates running this year.
Just in case you missed it, Virginia is electing a governor lieutenant governor, attorney general and the entire House of Delegates. Both the Republicans and Democrats have a full slate of candidates. Goochland is part of the 56th District for the House of Delegates. If you have time to find this blog while doodling around you have time to research the candidates.
You don’t have to vote, but if you pass on the election, make it a conscious decision. Voting may be a bit inconvenient. Perhaps is should be.
It was definitely inconvenient for those who died in battle to protect our right to vote. It was certainly inconvenient for suffragettes to battle the establishment to secure voting rights for women. It was doubtless inconvenient for the civil rights protestors who routed the evils of racial discrimination at the polls.
New procedures at Goochland polling places should move the lines a lot faster than last year.
Absentee ballots are easily obtainable, but it’s too late to do that now. Plan ahead for next year.
You don’t have to vote, but if you do, be sure to bring a picture ID. It’s hard to understand why anyone would not be proud to be identified as a legally certified voter to ensure the sanctity of the whole process.
You don’t have to vote, but if you do, you will join Goochland citizens who last year set a record with their voting percentages.
You don’t have to vote, but if you do, be sure to thank the election officials who make it all possible. They sure don’t do it for the money. County registrar Frances Ragland and electoral board members Shirley Christian, Robin Lind and Herb Griffith work hard year round to ensure that all elections here are well run.
You don’t have to vote, but if you don’t, you can’t complain about whoever gets elected.
Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day.
We Americans are not forced to vote. In some countries, suffrage is mandatory. Not here, you can vote or not, as you choose.
Perhaps there is no requirement for participation in elections because it never occurred to the founding fathers that anyone given the opportunity to select those who govern them would not be ready, willing and eager to vote.
You don’t have to vote. In most elections there are at least a few candidates that are embarrassments to their parties. Sometimes all choices are bad and it is hard to see how it matters who gets elected.
You don’t have to vote, but every vote counts. In the past decade elections at all levels have hinged on a very few ballots. The people who stayed home could have changed everything.
Government at all levels is a mess and not likely to improve any time soon regardless of the annual pledge of candidates that this time things will change for the better.
Lately it seems like both parties want to drive everyone except their most ardent and easily controlled supporters away from the political system.
You don’t have to vote, but if you do research your choices first. Don’t vote for someone because of an endorsement by a movie star or athlete or your next-door neighbor. There is plenty of information on the internet about all the candidates running this year.
Just in case you missed it, Virginia is electing a governor lieutenant governor, attorney general and the entire House of Delegates. Both the Republicans and Democrats have a full slate of candidates. Goochland is part of the 56th District for the House of Delegates. If you have time to find this blog while doodling around you have time to research the candidates.
You don’t have to vote, but if you pass on the election, make it a conscious decision. Voting may be a bit inconvenient. Perhaps is should be.
It was definitely inconvenient for those who died in battle to protect our right to vote. It was certainly inconvenient for suffragettes to battle the establishment to secure voting rights for women. It was doubtless inconvenient for the civil rights protestors who routed the evils of racial discrimination at the polls.
New procedures at Goochland polling places should move the lines a lot faster than last year.
Absentee ballots are easily obtainable, but it’s too late to do that now. Plan ahead for next year.
You don’t have to vote, but if you do, be sure to bring a picture ID. It’s hard to understand why anyone would not be proud to be identified as a legally certified voter to ensure the sanctity of the whole process.
You don’t have to vote, but if you do, you will join Goochland citizens who last year set a record with their voting percentages.
You don’t have to vote, but if you do, be sure to thank the election officials who make it all possible. They sure don’t do it for the money. County registrar Frances Ragland and electoral board members Shirley Christian, Robin Lind and Herb Griffith work hard year round to ensure that all elections here are well run.
You don’t have to vote, but if you don’t, you can’t complain about whoever gets elected.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Looking forward
Parks master plan prepares for the future
On Monday October, 26, District 2 supervisor William Quarles, Jr. held his first town meeting in conjunction with an open house about the county’s park master plan.
Unfortunately, the meeting was sparsely attended. Those who were there gained valuable insights about the strategies being put in place to prepare Goochland for he future.
New county administrator Rebecca T. Dickson explained that Goochland is experiencing a $1.3 million revenue shortfall in the current fiscal year. That situation, she said, will get worse in the next fiscal year.
Due to shrinking real estate assessments, which she said are expected to decline about 12 percent overall (some will rise, some will fall, some will remain unchanged) the county expects real estate tax revenues to decline by $5.4 million for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2010.
Dickson said that while she does not recommend accessing the general fund to pay operating expense, that strategy is not unheard of in trying fiscal times. She expects the tax rate to remain at the current 53 cents per hundred dollars of assessed valuation.
Dickson properly and gracefully declined to lay blame for the troubles in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District.
That task will be addressed by the voters at the next local election in 2011.
She predicted, however, that the comprehensive countywide audit, currently in process, will identify past problems and offer solutions to fix them.
“The sky is not falling,” Dickson said of the TCSD. “But it may need to be propped up a bit.”
She said that the TCSD was a good plan and is still quite viable going forward. The economic assumptions on which it was based, however, have changed and the county needs to change course accordingly.
Quarles contended that the TCSD is the county’s economic engine and he too seemed optimistic that it will be able to bring needed revenue to the county. He offered no specifics.
The proposed parks master plan was discussed by the county’s principal planner Tom Coleman.
Crafted with the input of the Parks and Recreation Advisory committee, the master plan designates priority for development to four parcels of land. They are: the soccer complex next to the high school; the old Middle School; the Borne property off of Rt. 6 and a county owned tract on Mathews Lane in western Goochland.
Tucker Park at Maidens Landing with access to the James River is not a priority for the county because it is being developed under the auspices of a public/private task force in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce.
Right now, there is little money to build parks, admitted Coleman.
Why bother with a master plan, whose build out could cost about $14.8 million when the county is facing a drastic revenue shortfall?
Coleman, Dickson and Quarles said that having a master plan in place is a proactive step to enable Goochland to take advantage of funding opportunities that include grant money and public/private partnerships.
For years, the Goochland United Soccer Association (GUSA) has begged the county to acquire land for a soccer complex. Acreage next to the high school has been cleared, rough graded and seeded, all good first steps for the complex.
Before it can be put into use, however, safe road access from Rt. 6 and parking must be built. Both items carry hefty price tags.
GUSA has expressed a willingness to obtain funds to improve a county soccer complex. The land is there, now it’s time for GUSA to get to work.
Derek Stamey, the county’s new director of Parks and Recreations, observed that the master plan offers a great opportunity to get the ball rolling by working with groups like GUSA. Part of his job is to aggressively pursue grant money and other alternate funding sources.
With fairly detailed plans for specific parcels of land on hand, the county can move forward quickly when money becomes available.
Wendy Hobbs, a resident of District 2, asked when the plans would become reality. She stated that young people in the area have “nothing to do.”
Coleman said there is really no time line.
Dickson suggested that the county needs to investigate new ways to fund its capital improvement plan. In the past, most CIP items have been paid for with money from the county general fund on a pay as you go basis.
At some point, the economy will move through the dangerous rapids we’re now negotiating and find itself in calm and richer waters, Quarles contended.
The old middle school property is rife with possibility. Although the county has known for at least five years that the property would be surplus at the end of the 2007 school year, no decision about its disposition has yet been made.
In the meantime, the vacant property has begun to decay, increasing the cost of any new use. The building and the approximately 19 acres it sits on could be used for a variety of purposes. It will be interesting to see how many more years it sits there waiting for a decision.
Quarles gave a brief update about county government. He made it clear that he was speaking for himself and not the board of supervisors.
He was questioned about why the county is not doing more to make Goochland more hospitable to small business to generate jobs and revenue.
Quarles said that he wants to make sure that any new development is economically and environmentally sound.
One subject dear to Quarles’ heart is the need to find a way for residents of all parts of the county to have the ability to access high speed internet.
He seemed to indicate that the best way for the county to find a way to create an atmosphere attractive to private sector providers of emerging technology.
Broadband in Goochland, Quarles observed, will probably not be a one size fits all proposition. Currently, residents in an odd configuration of eastern Goochland, Courthouse Village, Millers Lane and Shepperdtown Road are served by Comcast.
Many other people use air cards or satellite systems, which have gotten mixed reviews. The rest of us suffer with and swear at dial-up connections.
Quarles wants to ensure that all county residents, regardless of their economic situation, have broadband access. Goochland, he said, has a digital divide that penalizes students who live outside areas with broadband access whose families cannot afford alternative internet options. How to provide broadband access throughout the county and who will pay are thorny issues a long way from resolution.
The internet issue illustrates the attitudinal differences around the county. At the District 5 town meeting earlier this month, the broadband issue was not raised because it is widely available there.
It is unfortunate that so few people attended this meeting either to chat with Quarles and Dickson or learn about the master plan for parks.
Citizen indifference results in non-responsive local government.
On Monday October, 26, District 2 supervisor William Quarles, Jr. held his first town meeting in conjunction with an open house about the county’s park master plan.
Unfortunately, the meeting was sparsely attended. Those who were there gained valuable insights about the strategies being put in place to prepare Goochland for he future.
New county administrator Rebecca T. Dickson explained that Goochland is experiencing a $1.3 million revenue shortfall in the current fiscal year. That situation, she said, will get worse in the next fiscal year.
Due to shrinking real estate assessments, which she said are expected to decline about 12 percent overall (some will rise, some will fall, some will remain unchanged) the county expects real estate tax revenues to decline by $5.4 million for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2010.
Dickson said that while she does not recommend accessing the general fund to pay operating expense, that strategy is not unheard of in trying fiscal times. She expects the tax rate to remain at the current 53 cents per hundred dollars of assessed valuation.
Dickson properly and gracefully declined to lay blame for the troubles in the Tuckahoe Creek Service District.
That task will be addressed by the voters at the next local election in 2011.
She predicted, however, that the comprehensive countywide audit, currently in process, will identify past problems and offer solutions to fix them.
“The sky is not falling,” Dickson said of the TCSD. “But it may need to be propped up a bit.”
She said that the TCSD was a good plan and is still quite viable going forward. The economic assumptions on which it was based, however, have changed and the county needs to change course accordingly.
Quarles contended that the TCSD is the county’s economic engine and he too seemed optimistic that it will be able to bring needed revenue to the county. He offered no specifics.
The proposed parks master plan was discussed by the county’s principal planner Tom Coleman.
Crafted with the input of the Parks and Recreation Advisory committee, the master plan designates priority for development to four parcels of land. They are: the soccer complex next to the high school; the old Middle School; the Borne property off of Rt. 6 and a county owned tract on Mathews Lane in western Goochland.
Tucker Park at Maidens Landing with access to the James River is not a priority for the county because it is being developed under the auspices of a public/private task force in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce.
Right now, there is little money to build parks, admitted Coleman.
Why bother with a master plan, whose build out could cost about $14.8 million when the county is facing a drastic revenue shortfall?
Coleman, Dickson and Quarles said that having a master plan in place is a proactive step to enable Goochland to take advantage of funding opportunities that include grant money and public/private partnerships.
For years, the Goochland United Soccer Association (GUSA) has begged the county to acquire land for a soccer complex. Acreage next to the high school has been cleared, rough graded and seeded, all good first steps for the complex.
Before it can be put into use, however, safe road access from Rt. 6 and parking must be built. Both items carry hefty price tags.
GUSA has expressed a willingness to obtain funds to improve a county soccer complex. The land is there, now it’s time for GUSA to get to work.
Derek Stamey, the county’s new director of Parks and Recreations, observed that the master plan offers a great opportunity to get the ball rolling by working with groups like GUSA. Part of his job is to aggressively pursue grant money and other alternate funding sources.
With fairly detailed plans for specific parcels of land on hand, the county can move forward quickly when money becomes available.
Wendy Hobbs, a resident of District 2, asked when the plans would become reality. She stated that young people in the area have “nothing to do.”
Coleman said there is really no time line.
Dickson suggested that the county needs to investigate new ways to fund its capital improvement plan. In the past, most CIP items have been paid for with money from the county general fund on a pay as you go basis.
At some point, the economy will move through the dangerous rapids we’re now negotiating and find itself in calm and richer waters, Quarles contended.
The old middle school property is rife with possibility. Although the county has known for at least five years that the property would be surplus at the end of the 2007 school year, no decision about its disposition has yet been made.
In the meantime, the vacant property has begun to decay, increasing the cost of any new use. The building and the approximately 19 acres it sits on could be used for a variety of purposes. It will be interesting to see how many more years it sits there waiting for a decision.
Quarles gave a brief update about county government. He made it clear that he was speaking for himself and not the board of supervisors.
He was questioned about why the county is not doing more to make Goochland more hospitable to small business to generate jobs and revenue.
Quarles said that he wants to make sure that any new development is economically and environmentally sound.
One subject dear to Quarles’ heart is the need to find a way for residents of all parts of the county to have the ability to access high speed internet.
He seemed to indicate that the best way for the county to find a way to create an atmosphere attractive to private sector providers of emerging technology.
Broadband in Goochland, Quarles observed, will probably not be a one size fits all proposition. Currently, residents in an odd configuration of eastern Goochland, Courthouse Village, Millers Lane and Shepperdtown Road are served by Comcast.
Many other people use air cards or satellite systems, which have gotten mixed reviews. The rest of us suffer with and swear at dial-up connections.
Quarles wants to ensure that all county residents, regardless of their economic situation, have broadband access. Goochland, he said, has a digital divide that penalizes students who live outside areas with broadband access whose families cannot afford alternative internet options. How to provide broadband access throughout the county and who will pay are thorny issues a long way from resolution.
The internet issue illustrates the attitudinal differences around the county. At the District 5 town meeting earlier this month, the broadband issue was not raised because it is widely available there.
It is unfortunate that so few people attended this meeting either to chat with Quarles and Dickson or learn about the master plan for parks.
Citizen indifference results in non-responsive local government.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Building trust
The long way back
On Monday October 19 members of the Tuckahoe Creek Service District Advisory Committee (TCSDAC)had their quarterly meeting with county officials. Comprised of major landowners in the district and appointed by the board of supervisors, the TCSDAC has been a long suffering entity.
At the start of the project in 2003, meetings were held almost monthly at a local restaurant. Engineers and other experts involved in construction and finance would put on a dog and pony show, often complete with charts and graphs that illustrated construction time lines and debt service schedules.
Since January, the meetings have been held in the county administration building and the tentative cordiality expressed by the TCSDAC members toward the county has been replaced with justified wariness.
New county engineer Gary Duval was introduced before county administrator Rebecca T. Dickson began the day’s dialog.
There was not much to report since the last meeting on August 3, Dickson said. She and staff have been working diligently to get their arms around all of the details of the TCSD.
Dickson reported that sheets of butcher paper, about 31 running feet, had been hung on the walls and used to document details, and questions about the project.
Until that task is completed, it will be impossible to diagnose the health of the patient and prescribe treatment.
She said that staff is still trying to figure out if some parcels that are in West Creek, but not part of the TCSD were treated as part of the TCSD for utility billing purposes.
This seems to indicate that the county did not establish an orderly record keeping process for public utilities that could be easily expanded as the system grew.
A larger and more important issue, one most definitely not of Dickson’s making, is the absence of trust between the county and TCSD landowners.
The county, due to attitudes and polices established by employees now gone and some members of the board of supervisors, acted in the past as though TCSD landowners were trying to steal something from Goochland.
Landowners, who agreed to have an extra tax placed on their property to fund the utilities needed for profitable development, often found attempts to develop their land foiled by unrealistic county policies. Sometimes, those policies were changed in mid-stream.
When the TCSD was created, landowners agreed to have pay an additional tax to fund the public utilities that would, in theory, there are no guarantees in the development game, make their property more marketable.
Although assessed valuations rose like a rocket until last year, landowners rarely realized more than a larger tax bill from their investment in Goochland.
Now, as the smoke from the personnel shake up at the county clears, it is time for the county and landowners to come together to address the problems of the TCSD and work going forward to make it a success.
This will require complete transparency on the part of the county. No more carefully massaged numbers to paint a rosy but false scenario of the balance sheet. The true numbers, which may not yet be known, must be shared with the landowners to craft accurate forecasts for rates and debt service schedules.
Dickson and county staff are working very hard to sort out the mess and offer workable solutions. The supervisors need to come together to support her recommendations.
Every taxpayer in Goochland will benefit from the success of the TCSD and we will all suffer if it fails.
On Monday October 19 members of the Tuckahoe Creek Service District Advisory Committee (TCSDAC)had their quarterly meeting with county officials. Comprised of major landowners in the district and appointed by the board of supervisors, the TCSDAC has been a long suffering entity.
At the start of the project in 2003, meetings were held almost monthly at a local restaurant. Engineers and other experts involved in construction and finance would put on a dog and pony show, often complete with charts and graphs that illustrated construction time lines and debt service schedules.
Since January, the meetings have been held in the county administration building and the tentative cordiality expressed by the TCSDAC members toward the county has been replaced with justified wariness.
New county engineer Gary Duval was introduced before county administrator Rebecca T. Dickson began the day’s dialog.
There was not much to report since the last meeting on August 3, Dickson said. She and staff have been working diligently to get their arms around all of the details of the TCSD.
Dickson reported that sheets of butcher paper, about 31 running feet, had been hung on the walls and used to document details, and questions about the project.
Until that task is completed, it will be impossible to diagnose the health of the patient and prescribe treatment.
She said that staff is still trying to figure out if some parcels that are in West Creek, but not part of the TCSD were treated as part of the TCSD for utility billing purposes.
This seems to indicate that the county did not establish an orderly record keeping process for public utilities that could be easily expanded as the system grew.
A larger and more important issue, one most definitely not of Dickson’s making, is the absence of trust between the county and TCSD landowners.
The county, due to attitudes and polices established by employees now gone and some members of the board of supervisors, acted in the past as though TCSD landowners were trying to steal something from Goochland.
Landowners, who agreed to have an extra tax placed on their property to fund the utilities needed for profitable development, often found attempts to develop their land foiled by unrealistic county policies. Sometimes, those policies were changed in mid-stream.
When the TCSD was created, landowners agreed to have pay an additional tax to fund the public utilities that would, in theory, there are no guarantees in the development game, make their property more marketable.
Although assessed valuations rose like a rocket until last year, landowners rarely realized more than a larger tax bill from their investment in Goochland.
Now, as the smoke from the personnel shake up at the county clears, it is time for the county and landowners to come together to address the problems of the TCSD and work going forward to make it a success.
This will require complete transparency on the part of the county. No more carefully massaged numbers to paint a rosy but false scenario of the balance sheet. The true numbers, which may not yet be known, must be shared with the landowners to craft accurate forecasts for rates and debt service schedules.
Dickson and county staff are working very hard to sort out the mess and offer workable solutions. The supervisors need to come together to support her recommendations.
Every taxpayer in Goochland will benefit from the success of the TCSD and we will all suffer if it fails.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
East versus west
Who benefits from economic development in Goochland?
Perhaps a better question is who is punished by a paucity of businesses in the county?
The need for sources of public revenue above and beyond real estate taxes is more pressing than ever.
A quick look at county property values confirms the oft- heard whine that property owners from roughly Cardwell Road east pay most of the taxes in Goochland.
Land to the west tends to have lower assessments so its owners fund a smaller share of the county revenue pie. When the national, state and local economy went into meltdown mode, the pie began to shrink.
The board of supervisors will face hard choices when they craft the county budget for the next fiscal year, which starts on July 1, 2010. They can cut spending, raise taxes, raid the general fund, or any combination to keep things going.
They undoubtedly want to do none of those things, but will have to chart a course to minimize the pain, a very difficult task that could have been lightened had there been more businesses in the county.
What are all those tax dollars, the county budget was more than $57 million this year, used for?
County schools consume all of the real estate tax collected. All other services from law enforcement to courts to solid waste are funded by other sources.
Many items fall between the cracks.
For instance, last year board chairman Andrew Pryor, District 1, came to his fellow supervisors hat in hand to request funds to improve playground equipment at Byrd Elementary School. Playgrounds at the county’s other two elementary schools were equipped by their respective PTAs.
Located in an economically challenged part of the county, Byrd parents are less able to raise funds.
Residents of Goochland’s “gold Coast” along River Road seem to have little interest in economic development and why should they?
They are either retired or work outside of the county. If they have kids, they likely attend private schools. They fulfill their recreational needs at the nearby country clubs and shop in Richmond or New York or wherever.
They use almost no county services. Their garbage goes elsewhere, they use Henrico public libraries and some subdivisions even have their own automatic electronic defibrillators to compensate for a dwindling fire-rescue volunteer corps.
Things are different in the rest of the county.
Public schools are the only opportunity most kids who live west of Manakin Road have to get the tools to help them participate in the American Dream.
The population of Goochland, like that of the rest of the country, is aging. Many of the people moving here are retired, passing through on the way to the cemetery. They have no family ties to the county and have little interest in what goes on here. They just want low real estate taxes and lots of rural character, whatever that is.
Goochlanders whose names can be found on local voting rolls and land records for decades if not centuries, are getting lost in the shuffle. They stand to benefit most from economic development. Better school funding to give their children a leg up in life is only a part. They’ll be able to stay here well into the future and pass their family heritage along to future generations.
Although the supervisors brag about having the lowest property tax rate in the region, as property values skyrocketed, tax bills exploded.
Some supervisors talk about length about discerning the difference between wants and needs as relates to county services, which is an important part of their job.
The people who will suffer most as the result of the budget cuts are those least able to compensate for any loss of services.
Goochland needs a wide range economic development throughout the county just to stay even.
Revenues from economic development, be it a truck stop or a corporate headquarters campus, fund the things that build community including soccer fields, libraries and parks.
Truck stop developers are less likely to demand the financial incentives that major corporations require. This puts revenue in the county’s pocket much sooner.
The county’s record with attracting corporate headquarters is spotty at best. When Motorola was on the horizon, the board acted as though its economic development work was over instead of just begun.
It’s hard to understand the resistance to preparing the Oilville interchange for significant commerce. The area in question is very small. The proposed wastewater treatment plant has relatively small capacity, which will limit the spread of development. Best of all, the plant will be owned and controlled entirely by the county. None of those pesky agreements with outside entities that plague other county utility schemes.
There will be some start up costs, but the bulk of the expense will be borne by the property owners.
Repeated efforts by the supervisors who represent the western portion of the county to quash development at Oilville are incomprehensible.
How exactly do they expect the county to pay for amenities their constituents want and need? These items include a fire-rescue station near Sandy Hook, which will probably be staffed by costly career personnel, a new community center and a continuation of the funding policies that have dramatically improved Goochland schools.
Goochland needs to get serious about attracting businesses large and small. Western supervisors who stand in the way of economic development for petty personal reasons should be ashamed of themselves.
Their actions penalize only their constituents.
The objections to development at Oilville have little to do with the project on the table and everything to do with a juvenile power struggle among grown up men who ought to know better.
Perhaps a better question is who is punished by a paucity of businesses in the county?
The need for sources of public revenue above and beyond real estate taxes is more pressing than ever.
A quick look at county property values confirms the oft- heard whine that property owners from roughly Cardwell Road east pay most of the taxes in Goochland.
Land to the west tends to have lower assessments so its owners fund a smaller share of the county revenue pie. When the national, state and local economy went into meltdown mode, the pie began to shrink.
The board of supervisors will face hard choices when they craft the county budget for the next fiscal year, which starts on July 1, 2010. They can cut spending, raise taxes, raid the general fund, or any combination to keep things going.
They undoubtedly want to do none of those things, but will have to chart a course to minimize the pain, a very difficult task that could have been lightened had there been more businesses in the county.
What are all those tax dollars, the county budget was more than $57 million this year, used for?
County schools consume all of the real estate tax collected. All other services from law enforcement to courts to solid waste are funded by other sources.
Many items fall between the cracks.
For instance, last year board chairman Andrew Pryor, District 1, came to his fellow supervisors hat in hand to request funds to improve playground equipment at Byrd Elementary School. Playgrounds at the county’s other two elementary schools were equipped by their respective PTAs.
Located in an economically challenged part of the county, Byrd parents are less able to raise funds.
Residents of Goochland’s “gold Coast” along River Road seem to have little interest in economic development and why should they?
They are either retired or work outside of the county. If they have kids, they likely attend private schools. They fulfill their recreational needs at the nearby country clubs and shop in Richmond or New York or wherever.
They use almost no county services. Their garbage goes elsewhere, they use Henrico public libraries and some subdivisions even have their own automatic electronic defibrillators to compensate for a dwindling fire-rescue volunteer corps.
Things are different in the rest of the county.
Public schools are the only opportunity most kids who live west of Manakin Road have to get the tools to help them participate in the American Dream.
The population of Goochland, like that of the rest of the country, is aging. Many of the people moving here are retired, passing through on the way to the cemetery. They have no family ties to the county and have little interest in what goes on here. They just want low real estate taxes and lots of rural character, whatever that is.
Goochlanders whose names can be found on local voting rolls and land records for decades if not centuries, are getting lost in the shuffle. They stand to benefit most from economic development. Better school funding to give their children a leg up in life is only a part. They’ll be able to stay here well into the future and pass their family heritage along to future generations.
Although the supervisors brag about having the lowest property tax rate in the region, as property values skyrocketed, tax bills exploded.
Some supervisors talk about length about discerning the difference between wants and needs as relates to county services, which is an important part of their job.
The people who will suffer most as the result of the budget cuts are those least able to compensate for any loss of services.
Goochland needs a wide range economic development throughout the county just to stay even.
Revenues from economic development, be it a truck stop or a corporate headquarters campus, fund the things that build community including soccer fields, libraries and parks.
Truck stop developers are less likely to demand the financial incentives that major corporations require. This puts revenue in the county’s pocket much sooner.
The county’s record with attracting corporate headquarters is spotty at best. When Motorola was on the horizon, the board acted as though its economic development work was over instead of just begun.
It’s hard to understand the resistance to preparing the Oilville interchange for significant commerce. The area in question is very small. The proposed wastewater treatment plant has relatively small capacity, which will limit the spread of development. Best of all, the plant will be owned and controlled entirely by the county. None of those pesky agreements with outside entities that plague other county utility schemes.
There will be some start up costs, but the bulk of the expense will be borne by the property owners.
Repeated efforts by the supervisors who represent the western portion of the county to quash development at Oilville are incomprehensible.
How exactly do they expect the county to pay for amenities their constituents want and need? These items include a fire-rescue station near Sandy Hook, which will probably be staffed by costly career personnel, a new community center and a continuation of the funding policies that have dramatically improved Goochland schools.
Goochland needs to get serious about attracting businesses large and small. Western supervisors who stand in the way of economic development for petty personal reasons should be ashamed of themselves.
Their actions penalize only their constituents.
The objections to development at Oilville have little to do with the project on the table and everything to do with a juvenile power struggle among grown up men who ought to know better.
Monday, October 12, 2009
What a difference a day makes
Playing to the home crowd
On Monday, October 5, District 5 supervisor Jim Eads continued his fine tradition of holding town meetings at the Manakin Fire-Rescue Station to discuss local government issues and chat with his constituents. He began the practice after he first took office almost 10 years ago.
Eads is to be congratulated for holding these meetings. The other four supervisors should follow suit to encourage greater interest in county government.
With an eye on the clock, Eads kept the agenda moving so that his constituents could get home to watch football.
The meeting, which featured remarks by the new county administrator Rebecca T. Dickson, was cordial, informative and an excellent example of community spirit.
Dickson, giving what has become her introductory stump speech, briefly listed some of the challenges that the county faces in the near future.
Goochland, she said, like everywhere else in America, will face trying fiscal times as the floundering economy works its way out of recession. Dickson estimated that the county could face a budget shortfall of more than $5 million in the 2011 fiscal year, about the same in percentage terms as neighboring jurisdictions.
Dickson reported that she and county staff are working very hard to get their arms around the problems that beset the Tuckahoe Creek Service District.
Eads glossed over the whole TCSD mess stating that the check fiasco was a very unfortunate, and concluded episode. No criminal activity was uncovered so the county should move forward, he said.
Eads reiterated the county philosophy that the TCSD is paid for by those who benefit from it, which is sort of true. In fact, the following afternoon, the supervisors voted to loan the TCSD $3 million from the general fund to pay for a water line, located entirely in Henrico County. It would have been nice to have that money available to help offset the coming budget shortfalls.
The $63 million in bonds that funded construction of TCSD infrastructure are general obligation bonds taken out in the name of Goochland County.
That means every taxpayer is on the hook should the byzantine debt service scheme currently in place default and plunge the county’s credit rating to the basement.
Eads also fanned the fire of a sore point among his constituents who took matters into their own hands to negotiate a municipal water supply from Henrico. This occurred about 30 years ago when homeowners in the Lower Tuckahoe Community were told that the county would not help them find an alternative to an inadequate private water system.
Eads believes that a fairness disparity exists between people in the Courthouse and those along River Road who pay the same water rates.
Public utilities in Courthouse Village are provided by agreements between the county and the two nearby Department of Corrections facilities. The county ran water and sewer lines from the prisons to the high school, county administration building and J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College campus. Due to limited capacity, some, not all, property owners along those lines were permitted to connect and charged hefty fees to do so. They did not initiate installation utility lines as did River Road residents.
In response to questions about building a new elementary school, Eads believes that new schools and parks should be funded only by bond issues approved by a ballot referendum. Because Eads’ constituents tend to be either empty nesters or send their children to private schools, their only interest in county education policy is the impact of the school budget on their property taxes.
If the voters indicate approval to financing new parks and schools, said Eads, the county should buy a large tract of land, perhaps on Rt. 250, to build a major recreational complex.
Although there was no legal requirement for the supervisors to secure voter approval when they created the TCSD, given the serious threat to the county’s rural nature posed by intense development, there was certainly a moral obligation for the board to seek the taxpayers’ blessing incurring a debt greater than the entire annual county budget.
So far, development in the TCSD has been disappointing. Eads laid the blame for this entirely on the bad economy, even though development in the TCSD was dead in the water when the regional economy was in hyper expansion mode.
One gentleman waved a copy of the next day’s board meeting agenda and asked why the supervisors attempted to address at least 14 items during a three-hour meeting.
Too bad he was unable to attend the next day’s board meeting where another Jim Eads seems to have been in attendance.
This one took little heed of the new streamlined board procedures, which he strongly supported.
Eads wrested control of the meeting from board chairman District 1 supervisor Andrew Pryor during an informational presentation about options for commercial development at the Oilville Interstate 64 interchange made by Don Charles director of community development.
Continuing a long held objection to development at the Oilville interchange, various iterations of which have been on the drawing board for a least 10 years, Eads interrupted Charles and badgered and bullied a landowner who is seeking ways to work with the county to develop his land.
Eads has every right and obligation to ask questions.
However, his comments and their tone, suggest that his only agenda was to derail efforts at creating a mutually beneficial partnership between landowners and the county.
He feigned ignorance of options for providing limited wastewater treatment at the interchange, independent of the VDOT participation that was featured in earlier development plans, even though they had been vetted by the new county engineer.
Eads’ interruptions consumed at least 40 minutes of the three and one-half hour meeting, leaving even less time for other agenda items.
To keep board meetings from degenerating into time consuming rants, workshops should be conducted outside the regular meeting agenda.
Important issues like development of the Oilville interchange deserve thoughtful and public discussion by the supervisors. In a perfect world, these discussions would be held in the evening to permit attendance by the greatest number of citizens possible.
On Monday, October 5, District 5 supervisor Jim Eads continued his fine tradition of holding town meetings at the Manakin Fire-Rescue Station to discuss local government issues and chat with his constituents. He began the practice after he first took office almost 10 years ago.
Eads is to be congratulated for holding these meetings. The other four supervisors should follow suit to encourage greater interest in county government.
With an eye on the clock, Eads kept the agenda moving so that his constituents could get home to watch football.
The meeting, which featured remarks by the new county administrator Rebecca T. Dickson, was cordial, informative and an excellent example of community spirit.
Dickson, giving what has become her introductory stump speech, briefly listed some of the challenges that the county faces in the near future.
Goochland, she said, like everywhere else in America, will face trying fiscal times as the floundering economy works its way out of recession. Dickson estimated that the county could face a budget shortfall of more than $5 million in the 2011 fiscal year, about the same in percentage terms as neighboring jurisdictions.
Dickson reported that she and county staff are working very hard to get their arms around the problems that beset the Tuckahoe Creek Service District.
Eads glossed over the whole TCSD mess stating that the check fiasco was a very unfortunate, and concluded episode. No criminal activity was uncovered so the county should move forward, he said.
Eads reiterated the county philosophy that the TCSD is paid for by those who benefit from it, which is sort of true. In fact, the following afternoon, the supervisors voted to loan the TCSD $3 million from the general fund to pay for a water line, located entirely in Henrico County. It would have been nice to have that money available to help offset the coming budget shortfalls.
The $63 million in bonds that funded construction of TCSD infrastructure are general obligation bonds taken out in the name of Goochland County.
That means every taxpayer is on the hook should the byzantine debt service scheme currently in place default and plunge the county’s credit rating to the basement.
Eads also fanned the fire of a sore point among his constituents who took matters into their own hands to negotiate a municipal water supply from Henrico. This occurred about 30 years ago when homeowners in the Lower Tuckahoe Community were told that the county would not help them find an alternative to an inadequate private water system.
Eads believes that a fairness disparity exists between people in the Courthouse and those along River Road who pay the same water rates.
Public utilities in Courthouse Village are provided by agreements between the county and the two nearby Department of Corrections facilities. The county ran water and sewer lines from the prisons to the high school, county administration building and J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College campus. Due to limited capacity, some, not all, property owners along those lines were permitted to connect and charged hefty fees to do so. They did not initiate installation utility lines as did River Road residents.
In response to questions about building a new elementary school, Eads believes that new schools and parks should be funded only by bond issues approved by a ballot referendum. Because Eads’ constituents tend to be either empty nesters or send their children to private schools, their only interest in county education policy is the impact of the school budget on their property taxes.
If the voters indicate approval to financing new parks and schools, said Eads, the county should buy a large tract of land, perhaps on Rt. 250, to build a major recreational complex.
Although there was no legal requirement for the supervisors to secure voter approval when they created the TCSD, given the serious threat to the county’s rural nature posed by intense development, there was certainly a moral obligation for the board to seek the taxpayers’ blessing incurring a debt greater than the entire annual county budget.
So far, development in the TCSD has been disappointing. Eads laid the blame for this entirely on the bad economy, even though development in the TCSD was dead in the water when the regional economy was in hyper expansion mode.
One gentleman waved a copy of the next day’s board meeting agenda and asked why the supervisors attempted to address at least 14 items during a three-hour meeting.
Too bad he was unable to attend the next day’s board meeting where another Jim Eads seems to have been in attendance.
This one took little heed of the new streamlined board procedures, which he strongly supported.
Eads wrested control of the meeting from board chairman District 1 supervisor Andrew Pryor during an informational presentation about options for commercial development at the Oilville Interstate 64 interchange made by Don Charles director of community development.
Continuing a long held objection to development at the Oilville interchange, various iterations of which have been on the drawing board for a least 10 years, Eads interrupted Charles and badgered and bullied a landowner who is seeking ways to work with the county to develop his land.
Eads has every right and obligation to ask questions.
However, his comments and their tone, suggest that his only agenda was to derail efforts at creating a mutually beneficial partnership between landowners and the county.
He feigned ignorance of options for providing limited wastewater treatment at the interchange, independent of the VDOT participation that was featured in earlier development plans, even though they had been vetted by the new county engineer.
Eads’ interruptions consumed at least 40 minutes of the three and one-half hour meeting, leaving even less time for other agenda items.
To keep board meetings from degenerating into time consuming rants, workshops should be conducted outside the regular meeting agenda.
Important issues like development of the Oilville interchange deserve thoughtful and public discussion by the supervisors. In a perfect world, these discussions would be held in the evening to permit attendance by the greatest number of citizens possible.
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