Goochland board raises data‑center rate to 44¢ per $100, adopts tax rates and fee schedule changes
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Summary
After debate over negotiating leverage versus attracting investment, supervisors approved the county's advertised 2026 tax rates as amended to set a 44¢ per $100 rate for data centers and adopted an update to the county fee schedule to cover staff costs.
The Board of Supervisors adopted the county’s advertised tax rates for calendar year 2026 with an amendment that sets the data‑center portion of the rate at 44¢ per $100 of assessed value.
Supervisors debated whether a higher data‑center rate could be used as negotiating leverage to extract operational concessions—such as lower decibel limits—or whether it would deter investment into Goochland. One supervisor said keeping a higher rate provides room to negotiate incentives; another warned that rates set too high could push projects to neighboring counties. “If you don't get them to the table, you can't ever get them to speak,” a board member said when arguing for retaining negotiating room; another said the county must remain competitive in the region.
The board also adopted an ordinance amending Appendix C of the county fee schedule to cover staff time and costs for certain services. County staff and supervisors characterized the fee changes as cost‑recovery rather than a general revenue increase.
Roll‑call votes recorded the passage of the tax‑rate resolution (as amended) and the fee‑schedule ordinance.
