Goochland County interim county administrator Manny Alvarez on Tuesday presented a proposed FY2026 budget that would hold the county’s tax rates steady while increasing spending for public safety, schools and capital projects.

Alvarez said the county’s proposed general fund for 2026 is about $65,000,000, with special revenue funds of about $4.5 million and utilities at about $26,000,000. He said the county is not proposing a tax-rate increase this year. “We have not raised taxes, I think, since 02/2008... We're still not proposing on raising taxes, this year,” Alvarez said.

The proposal reflects a roughly 12 percent increase in revenue driven by higher assessments and new construction, Alvarez said, and includes a cautious approach to projecting expenses. The budget would fund 11 full-time positions in public safety — six new firefighters/EMS positions and five deputies — and provides a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment for county employees. The capital improvements plan includes school equipment (a $1.7 million chiller for the high/middle school complex), $1.3 million for IT upgrades and investments in emergency technology such as 911 recording upgrades.

Alvarez said the county continues to prioritize maintaining competitive employee pay to limit turnover to neighboring jurisdictions. He described the county’s revenue mix as led by general property taxes and noted an overall assessment rise of about 9.6 percent compared with last year.

The Board of Supervisors will hold the required public hearings on the tax rate, the Tuckahoe Creek Service District and FY2026 budget-related items on April 1; the board is scheduled to adopt the budget on April 15, Alvarez said. He encouraged residents to raise questions at the town halls and public hearings and to contact supervisors or county staff with concerns.

No formal board action or vote was recorded at the town hall; the presentation was informational and followed by public questions.

Ending: The county will post the proposed budget materials and timelines on the county website and accept public comment at the April hearings before final adoption.