02/02/2012

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INSIDE Chamber holds annual meeting > page 2

Volume 58, Number 5 • February 2, 2012

Planning commission future up in the air Some offer their resignations, at least one member declines By Jim Fields jfields@mechlocal.com

Photo by Ken Odor

Susan Gray speaks at the Jan. 24 school board meeting, asking that custodial positions not be outsourced.

Goochland School Board prepares to vote on budget No cuts in school days will be made By Ken Odor jodor@goochlandgazette.com

Goochland School Board Chair Beth Hardy said Tuesday no cuts will be made instructional days when the board votes on the latest version of the school budget, scheduled for later that evening, Jan. 31.

“Poeple will see a balanced budget,” said Hardy. “We are still looking for savings and ‘add backs,’’’ she said. Some changes in the latest version of the budget, which has been tweaked repeatedly this month, include savings on electricity, water and sewer and laundrey, said Hardy.. Some non-teaching personnel will have their days reduced from 260 to 253 and instructional assistants will have their work days

reduced from 194 to 182. Plan 2 employees (those hired after July, 2010), would have to pay 1 percent of the employee part of their retirement. Despite misgivings expressed in last week’s meeting, custodial employees will be outsourced, said Hardy, save for the five head custodians and there will be an effort to find a contractor to outsource them see School Board > page 3

The Goochland County Planning Commission could see a lot of change between now and Friday as the clock ticks on a request by the board of supervisors to have all 10 members of the commission resign no later than Feb. 3. In a letter to each of the commissioners dated Jan. 23, the supervisors asked that the resignations be effective April 1, 2012, to give the supervisors time to amend the county code to restructure the planning commission and to appoint new members in April. The supervisors want to reduce the number of members on the commission by half to five members, one from each district. As of Monday, Jan. 30, five members of the planning commission had indicated they had complied with the request and submitted their letters of resignation. The commissioners resigning are: Tommy Carter and Derek Murray from District 3; Joe Andrews and James D. Crews Jr., District 4; and Lowe Lunsford III, District 5. Planning Commission Chair

Goochland Planning Commission Chair Courtney Hyers

Courtney Hyers from District 5 and James Atkinson from District 1 have not decided whether or not to resign. Ty Querry, a District 2 commissioner, said he definitely will not resign. “I’ve looked at the Virginia Code and while we are appointed by the board of supervisors, I don’t believe we serve at their pleasure,” he said. “I don’t think they can fire us or ask us to resign. I have talked to people in my district, and they are pleased with the work I’m doing. None of them have asked me to resign, and I have no intention of doing so.” District 1 commissioner Eugene Bryce said “no comment” about his see Planning commission > page 3 intentions concerning the letter, and

INDEX

Calendar Classifieds Letters Obituaries

15 16-19 6 9

Opinion 6 Sheriff’s Reports 8 Sports 12 TV Listings 13-15

SPORTS

NEWS

Goochland swim team dives into action

Local woman headed to East Africa

> page 12

> page 5


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