The Goochland Board of Supervisors held its first round of budget hearings Jan. 19 as 14 department heads presented their individual budget requests.

Sheriff James Agnew said his office needs more people. He indicated a need for more supervisors and manpower to provide increased patrol coverage. The sheriff also said he was requesting the purchase of six new vehicles this year and six more in FY2014.

Agnew also, like almost every department head, said his staff needed a raise.

“It’s easier to pay good people more and retain them than to lose them and then have to hire and train someone,” Agnew added. “Our main competition when it comes to losing officers is Henrico, the State Police and Chesterfield County.”

Agnew’s office is broken down into several divisions. For the Sheriff’s Office, his FY2013 request is for $2,809,179 and the FY2014 request is $3,259,600.

The Sheriff’s Office also maintains security for the courts and the Sheriff-Court related requests were $513,476 for FY 2013 and $532,438 for FY 2014. Agnew’s request for corrections and detention were $692,300 for both FY 2013 and 2014.

Emergency services was the final division under the Sheriff’s Office and for FY2013 $621,558 was requested, and $645,145 for FY2014.

Commonwealth Attorney Claiborne Stokes requested $463,144 for FY2013 and $466,561 for FY2014.

“Right now we are two people short in my office,” he said. “I’ll be hiring a Deputy Assistant Commonwealth Attorney and a secretary. When it comes to raises for my office, give it all to my staff. I don’t want a raise and they deserve it.”

Treasurer Pamela Johnson talked about some of the changes in her office.

“When we have to go out of town for training, we sometimes ride with the Louisa County treasurer,” she said. “We share automobile expenses and both counties save a little.”

One concern she talked about was making cash deposits at the bank.

“If I go and make a cash deposit, there is a lot of paper work at the bank,” she said. “We need to get a company to transport the money for us.”

Supervisor Robert Minnick asked Johnson if the Sheriff’s Office couldn’t transport the money.

“I don’t know if that would be feasible,” she answered.

Sheriff Agnew then said, “I think we might be able to work that out.”

Johnson’s budget request for FY 2013 is $387,756 and $391,168 for FY2014.

Commissioner of Revenue Jean Bryant said that while her department was cramped for space, she needed another full-time employee. She said that there had been a lot of positive comments since reopening the DMV office in her department and that DMV Select generates approximately $20,000 annually in fees to supplement county revenue.

Bryant requested $281,346 for both FY2013 and 2014.

County Assessor Glenn Branham projects no personnel changes and requested $348,398 for FY2013 and $354,467 for FY2014.

He talked about his department’s efforts to make accurate assessments and noted that last year there were only eight appeals. Branham compared that to Henrico where he said that they probably had 1,500 or more.

Lee G. Turner, Clerk of Circuit Court, requested the addition of a full time person to her staff. She noted the position was cut several years ago and now an addition is badly needed.
“Every person in our office is overworked,” she said. “We don’t have overtime but do receive comp time.”

Turner requested $320,833 for FY 2013 and $332,646 for FY2014.

Roberts Marks, director of Animal Control, said that Animal Control received over 8,000 calls a year.

The three animal control officers cover a 300 square mile area and offer emergency services 24/7, 365 days a year. The estimated domestic animal population of Goochland County is over 150,000.

Marks requested $169,233 for FY2013 and $170,130 for FY2014.

The board of supervisors will hold another daytime budget work session Feb. 7 for additional departments and will hear the schools budget and capital improvement presentations at their Feb. 13 evening meeting.

Budget public hearings are set for April 3, with adoption of the county and schools budget, capital improvement plan and utility and tax rates expected April 17.