INSIDE School board passes balanced budget > page 2
Volume 58, Number 6 • February 9, 2012
They’re staying: three planning commissioners will not step down By Jim Fields jfields@mechlocal.com
Two more members of the Goochland County Planning Commission have decided not to resign as requested by the Goochland County Board of Supervisors. In a letter sent via email and regular mail dated Feb. 3, 2012, to the board of supervisors and county administrator Rebecca T. Dickson, Goochland Planning Commission Chairwoman Courtney Hyers from District 5 and James P. Atkinson from District 1, joined Ty Querry from District 2 in announcing they would not resign. The letter said that “the Board’s request for resignations of planning commissioners in mid-term implicates state law governing planning commissions. Virginia law requires all jurisdictions in Virginia to establish planning commissions to serve as advisory bodies on land use matters. State law requires that planning commissioners be appointed to specific terms of office and provides that they may not be removed except for just cause. In Goochland County, commission members are appointed to two-year terms, and may serve for a maximum of four terms.”
INDEX
Calendar Classifieds Education Letters
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Photo by Ken Odor
Goochland School Board Chariwoman Beth Hardy talks last week about the board’s busy first month on the job, which resulted in a balanced budget being approved on Jan. 31. Planning Commission Chairwoman Courtney Hyers says she will not resign, as have two other members.
The commissioners’ letter was in response to a letter sent by the board of supervisors to the commission members dated Jan. 23, 2012, requesting the resignation of each commission member by Feb. 3, 2012. One reason given for the request was to reduce the number of members on the commission from 10 to 5. see Planning commission > page 2
Obituaries Opinion Sports TV Listings
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Hardy looks back at first month By Ken Odor jodor@goochlandgazette.com
After one month on the job, Goochland School Board Chairwoman Beth Hardy is proud of the board’s work so far. “We produced a balanced budget –which I believe is the first time in I don’t how many years that the school board has produced a balanced budget within the prescribed appropriation of the board of supervisors,” said Hardy. “That in and of itself is kind of a big deal.” The 2012 Goochland School Board was faced with a
daunting task, with all five districts represented by a new member after the November election. Decades of experience on the board left with the defeated incumbents and the new members had to learn the ropes at the same time they faced a deadline of Jan. 31 to complete a budget. So they started in December. Early in the month the school board-elect invited the public to a public meeting with Goochland Superintendent Linda Underwood. Hardy called it at the time an “orientation for both the
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Goochland duo could be key to R-MC year
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see Hardy > page 4