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Goochland Board elects Christie as chair, adopts 2026 ethics and procedure updates
Summary
At its 2026 reorganization meeting the Goochland County Board of Supervisors elected Jonathan Christie chair and Neil Spoonhauer vice chair, adopted a revised code of ethics for the board and county appointees, and approved minor updates to rules of procedure to align with FOIA guidance.
Jonathan Christie was elected chair of the Goochland County Board of Supervisors and Neil Spoonhauer was chosen vice chair at the board's reorganization meeting on Jan. 5. The nominations were moved, seconded and confirmed by unanimous roll-call votes.
The board then adopted three procedural documents for 2026. Tara McGee presented proposed language to the board's code of ethics and standards of conduct that clarifies Freedom of Information Act concerns about group emails and adds a new standard encouraging members to advise colleagues before publicly releasing information. "This is an aspirational document that each one of you commits to when we do this," McGee said while explaining the changes.
The board also approved a matching set of ethics expectations for county appointees to boards and commissions and adopted two small changes to its rules of procedure: updates to FOIA-compliant language on virtual participation and clearer language about altering the order of speakers during public hearings when the board finds it appropriate.
All three measures were adopted on roll-call votes. The board adopted its 2026 meeting calendar that includes more evening meetings to improve public access.
The actions formalize housekeeping and transparency priorities for the board ahead of the county's 2026 work plan.
