EDA amends sponsorship policy and approves $5,000 for Goochland Day

The Goochland County Economic Development Authority amended its sponsorship policy and approved a $5,000 sponsorship for Goochland Day at its March 18 meeting.

Kathy Johnson, president of the Goochland Chamber and Community Foundation, outlined plans for Goochland Day on May 16 — a parade, vendor and food zones, a new "active aging" area, shuttle buses and an expected attendance of about 6,000 — and asked the EDA for a $5,000 gold sponsorship. "We are super excited about 2026, and we hope that you all will be there," Johnson said during the presentation.

Members debated whether the EDA should exceed the existing sponsorship cap in policy, which staff noted limited awards to $2,500 per application and set an annual sponsorship budget cap of $10,000. Some members supported the larger award as tourism promotion and local-business support; others warned committing a large portion of the annual sponsorship pot early in the fiscal year. One member urged caution, saying dedicating half of the sponsorship budget to a single organization "is fiscally irresponsible." (Committee member comments during discussion.)

After procedural votes on an amendment and substitute motions, the EDA voted to amend the sponsorship policy to allow awards up to $5,000 and then approved the $5,000 donation to Goochland Day. The chair later characterized the policy change and donation as a concurrent action that brought the request into compliance with the new limit.

The amendment and the sponsorship were both approved at the meeting; the motion to allocate $5,000 to Goochland Day passed in the final tally recorded by the chair.

The EDA instructed staff to record the policy change in its documents and to work with the organizer on sponsor benefits and logistics. Members also noted the importance of retaining flexibility to support other county groups later in the fiscal year.