Goochland holds public hearing on proposed water/sewer and plan-review fee increases; staff says replacement and renewal planning underway

Goochland County opened a public hearing April 1 on proposed amendments to the county fee schedule that would raise water and sewer user and connection fees by 2.5% and revise building-plan review re-review fees. The proposed changes also raise the commercial plan re-review fee from $100 to $250 and add a residential plan re-review fee (transcript read as "$2.50").

Acting Director of Public Utilities Wayne Stevens addressed supervisor questions about aging infrastructure in the county’s Lower Tuckahoe service area (lines installed in 1968, not originally in the Tuckahoe Creek service district and supplied from outside the county). Stevens said the county maintains separate budgets and funds for operations-and-maintenance and for replacement-and-renewal (R&R). He said rate studies, updated every two years and last revised in the prior year, drive planned rate increases and long-term funding for repairs and replacement. Stevens said staff will bring a more detailed R&R plan to future budgets and that user fees are intended to cover R&R spending while connection fees are used for capital projects.

Why it matters: several parts of the county operate on older water infrastructure that will require significant investment over time. Supervisors asked specifically whether the proposed fee adjustments will address large replacement needs on older mains and Stevens replied that while annual operations budgets and the R&R fund are used to repair and replace assets, a detailed, multi-year R&R plan is being developed and will inform future rate adjustments.

Public hearing details from staff presentation (as presented by Miss Kaye): - Water and sewer user and connection fees increased by 2.5% for all users (proposed). - Commercial plan re-review fee increased from $100 to $250. - A new residential plan re-review fee was introduced (transcript reads "$2.50"); staff did not clarify the unit or confirm the figure on the record at the hearing.

Board action and next steps: the public hearing proceeded and was closed during the April 1 session; no final fee ordinance vote was taken that evening. Staff will include proposed fee changes as part of the overall budget and rate package for board consideration on April 15 or in a subsequent advertised rate action, as required by code.

Ending: Public-utilities staff said they are preparing a more detailed replacement-and-renewal plan and will present it in coming budget discussions and rate studies; supervisors thanked staff and closed the hearing.