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Goochland supervisors adopt amended FY2027 budget with cuts, raises and new capital projects
Summary
The Goochland County Board of Supervisors on a recorded vote approved an amended FY2027 budget that holds tax rates steady, includes a 3% across‑the‑board pay increase, $2.6 million in capital improvements and a $16.9 million booster pumping station in utilities funding, and reallocates $37,000 to school instructional funding.
Goochland County adopted an amended fiscal year 2027 budget and its 25‑year capital improvement program after several hours of presentation and debate.
Chair Christie opened the meeting by asking the board to consider the county administrator's proposed amended budget, which he described as strengthening services while improving efficiency. Denise Sandlin, the county's director of finance, summarized the budget's key points: no increase in the county's real‑estate or personal‑property tax rates this year; a 3% pay increase for county and school staff; identification of roughly $3.4 million in cuts (about 3.1% of the general fund) to free resources for priorities; $2.6 million in capital improvements; and an estimated $16.9 million Ridgefield booster pumping station in the utilities capital program.
"We have not increased any tax rate this year," Sandlin told the board, noting the budget also factors in state grant revenue and a 2.5% reduction in some state charges that freed up funds. She said the budget includes an additional $1.5 million in funding for Goochland County public schools, bringing total school funding increases to about $3.3 million for next year.
Board members discussed a late amendment proposed by Supervisor Waters to redirect a $37,000 contribution originally listed for the Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District into the schools' instructional category to reimburse Monacan when it provides educational services directly to schools. After procedural motions and an amendment to remove that $37,000, the board voted by roll call to approve the budget and the CIP as presented. The roll call in the transcript records Supervisors Winfrey, Waters, Lyle and Chair Christie voting yes; the chair announced, "Budget passes."
The approved budget also includes modest utility rate adjustments (a 3% increase residential and commercial, with a 2.5% connection fee), the hiring of two new utility superintendents intended to save an estimated $225,000 in contract costs, funding to staff a new fire station and two new sheriff's dispatchers, and continued investment in information technology and county HR modernization.
The board simultaneously approved a resolution to maintain the county's personal‑property tax relief at 32% for qualifying vehicles during tax year 2026.
What happens next: The budget and CIP are adopted and county staff will begin implementing the approved spending plan and follow up on the amended line items, including coordination with the school division on the instructional funding reallocation.
