INSIDE Spring Garden Fest coming on April 24 > page 4
Volume 57, Number 15 • April 15, 2010
Supervisors vote against higher taxes 2011 tax rate will remain at 53 cents By Amy Condra acondra@goochlandgazette.com
Goochland’s Board of Supervisors voted not to raise taxes this year, despite County Administrator Rebecca Dickson’s recommendation that a four cent tax increase would balance the 2011 budget. The tax rate remains at 53 cents per $100 of assessed real estate value for next year. “We will be pressed to make the budget this year,” said Dickson. The adopted 2011 budget is $40
Photo by Ken Odor
Virginia Voice volunteer reader Birck Turnbull reads from the newspaper last week. Virginia Voice is a non-profit organization which provides an audio reading service on a special closed circuit radio system.
Virginia Voice reads the news tion is uniquely set up to serve. Founded in 1978, Virginia Voice serves visually handicapped listeners as well as others with disabilities that make By Ken Odor it impossible for them to read. jodor@goochlandgazette.com “Our biggest challenge is to get the Every radio station wants more lis- word out about our availability,” said teners, but Virginia Voice wants a special Executive Director Nick Morgan. “The kind of listener, the kind the organiza- people who need us have limited ability to hear about us. They can’t find us
Radio station serves the visually handicapped
INDEX
Calendar Classifieds News Letters Features
13 Opinion 14-15 Sports 2-4 TV Listings 6-7 5
6 9-10 11-13
surfing the dial.” Virginia Voice is a non-profit organization which provides an audio reading service on a special closed circuit radio system. Volunteers read articles that are picked up by listeners provided with special radios on a loan basis by Virginia see Virginia Voice > page 5
SPORTS
million, or 8.3 percent lower than last year’s budget of $43.7 million. Dickson had said earlier that revenue generated from higher tax rates would prevent the county from making deeper cuts to a recommended budget of $40.5 million. The county administrator’s recommended rate of 57 cents was defeated by a vote of 3-2, as Supervisors Ned S. Creasey, Malvern “Rudy” Butler and James W. Eads voted against Andrew Pryor and William E. Quarles Jr. Supervisors then unanimously voted to maintain the current rate. “We’re going to have to go back to the drawing board,” said Quarles. see Budget> page 2
New charges against Pet Rescue Foundation Thirteen additional complaints filed By Ken Odor jodor@goochlandgazette.com
Pet Rescue Foundation operator Annette Thompson of Hadensville faces new charges after 13 more complaints of animal neglect were filed against her earlier this month. Thompson had been scheduled
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to stand trial April 12 on the one remaining Class IV misdemeanor animal neglect charge facing her. After Thompson’s attorney Darvin Satterwhite asked for a continuance, a trial on the misdemeanor and the newly filed charges is now scheduled for May 24 in Goochland General District Court. An investigation by an ad hoc see Animal rescue> page 3
L O C A L
west SERVING EASTERN GOOCHLAND AND WESTERN HENRICO
Straus finds strength in loss > page 9
Mentors extend helping hand