Jan 19, 2022 BOS Regular Meeting 1-19-22

WE'RE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF SOME BUSINESS.

UM, FROM OUR LAST MEETING, BEFORE WE START ON OUR TWO O'CLOCK SESSION.

UM, SO FOR, UH, BOARD MEMBERS, UM, PURSUANT TO VIRGINIA CODE SECTION 2.23712 D I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMBERS HEREBY CERTIFIED TO THE BEST OF EACH MEMBER'S KNOWLEDGE, KNOWLEDGE.

ONE ONLY PUBLIC BUSINESS MATTERS LAWFULLY EXEMPTED FROM OPEN MEETING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND TO ONLY SUCH PUBLIC BUSINESS MATTERS AS WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE MOTION CONVENING, OUR CLOSED MEETING WERE HEARD, DISCUSSED, OR CONSIDERED IN THE CLOSED MEETING.

SECOND, THANK YOU, MR. SPOON HOWARD.

ALL RIGHT, SO WE HAVE A MOTION TO CERTIFY ON A SECOND, MR. ALVAREZ, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND DOING THE ROLL CALL, VOTE ON THAT.

WE ARE CERTIFIED AND NOW WE ROLL INTO OUR 2:00 PM POST POSTPONED, UH, FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR FROM EARLIER THIS YEAR, WHEN WE GOT SNOWED OUT AND WE START AS ALWAYS WITH AN INVOCATION AND WE ARE GRATEFUL AND FORTUNATE TO HAVE, UH, PASTOR ROB YANCEY FROM VELOCITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH HERE WITH US TO START OFF AND AFTER THE INVOCATION, UM, I WILL LEAD IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND THEN WE'LL ROLL INTO THE ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING.

THANK YOU FOR THE HONOR AND PRIVILEGE OF BEING HERE TODAY.

LET'S PRAY.

GOD IS THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HAS GATHERED HERE THIS AFTERNOON TO CONDUCT THE BUSINESS OF GOOCHLAND COUNTY AND SERVE OUR CITIZENRY.

I ASKED THAT YOU GUIDE THEM IN THE DECISIONS TO BE MADE BY GRANTING THEM THE WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE NEEDED FOR TODAY.

WE ASKED FOR CONTINUED BLESSING FOR THE COUNTY, AND THEN WE MIGHT SERVE AS A MODEL FOR THOSE AROUND US AS PUBLIC SERVANTS AND AS CITIZENS, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THESE MEN AND WOMEN STAND IN THE GAP TO DO.

AND WE ASK THAT YOU GIVE THEM THE STRENGTH AND ENCOURAGEMENT NEEDED TO PERFORM THESE DUTIES.

WE THANK YOU FOR THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION GIVEN BY ALL WHO ARE SERVING OUR COUNTY FROM OUR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND LEADERSHIP TO OUR TEACHERS, TO THOSE WHO SERVE IN OUR COURTS AND CONVENIENCE CENTERS TO PARKS AND REC AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EVERYONE WHO WORKS TO MAKE THIS PLACE HOME.

WE ASKED FOR SAFETY AND PROTECTION FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVE US IN FIRE AND RESCUE AND IN OUR SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND ASK THAT YOU WOULD GUIDE THEM AS THEY SERVE.

AND AS WINTER WEATHER HAS BEEN A THEME OF THE LAST FEW WEEKS.

WE THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO WORK TO RESTORE POWER, WHEN IT IS LOST THE LONG HOURS DEDICATED TO HELPING OTHERS BY SO MANY.

AND WE THANK YOU FOR SO MANY ENCOURAGING EXAMPLES OF NEIGHBORLY LOVE AND CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER.

MAY WE EMBODY THIS ALWAYS AS WE LIVE AND WORK AMONG EACH OTHER, BLESS THIS GATHERING AND THE WORK DONE TODAY IN JESUS NAME.

AMEN.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE SINCE YOU'RE THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

AND WE'RE GOING TO ROLL NOW INTO OUR ANNUAL ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING.

[I. Call to Order, 2:00 PM]

UM, BEFORE I HAND THE GAVEL TO MR. ALVAREZ TO LEAD.

I JUST WANT TO THANK, THANK EVERYBODY UP HERE AND THANK STAFF FOR

[II. Invocation]

THE GREAT YEAR WE HAD LAST YEAR, ALL YOUR SUPPORT WITH ME, HIS ROLE AS CHAIR.

AND I KNOW THIS BOARD HATES TO SEE ME LEAVE THE CHAIRMANSHIP, BUT I THINK WE STRETCHED IT ABOUT AS LONG AS WE CAN.

SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN THE TURN AND AGAIN, SINCERELY, THANK ALL OF YOU FOR THE SUPPORT THIS YEAR.

AND I KNOW WE'RE ROLLING INTO A GREAT 2022, BUT MR. ALVAREZ, YOU RUN THE MEETING FROM HERE.

I'M GOING TO GIVE THIS BUCK, YOU KNOW.

NOW IS TO ELECT A CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISOR FOR 2022.

SO THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA

[00:05:01]

SO AT THIS POINT I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN, UH, FOR, UM, MOTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR, FOR CHAIR.

YEP.

MR. ALVAREZ, IF I COULD, UM, I KNOW THE TWO BEST DAYS AND OFFICES CHERRY YOUR FIRST DAY AND YOUR LAST DAY.

SO CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR LAST DAY HERE.

UM, FIRST I'D LIKE TO JUST THANK MR. CHAIR.

LUMPKINS, UM, HE'S DEMONSTRATED DEDICATED AND FAITHFUL SERVICE THROUGH, UH, A VERY UNUSUAL AND TUMULTUOUS YEAR.

HE HAS BEEN VERY ENGAGED AND VERY THOUGHTFUL.

AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR VERY STEADY HAND DURING A TIME OF RAPID CHANGE AND UNCERTAINTY.

UM, I WANT TO, UM, ALSO AS THE VICE CHAIR, THANK YOU PROFOUNDLY AND PROFUSELY FOR NEVER MISSING A MEETING.

SO I NEVER HAD TO STEP UP.

AND, UH,

[III. Pledge of Allegiance]

SO THANK FOR THAT.

UM, NOW IN THE PAST, WE'VE ROTATED THE GAVEL AROUND THE, THE BOARD SO THAT NO ONE HAD TO, UH, ENJOY A RENDER, WHICHEVER WAY YOU LOOK AT IT, THE GAVEL FOR TOO LONG.

AND USUALLY THE CHAIR, THE VICE VICE-CHAIR DOES GO AHEAD AND STEP UP INTO THE CHAIR ROLE.

UM, BUT I'M GOING TO SUGGEST WE DO SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THIS TIME AND CHANGE THINGS UP.

UM, I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS QUITE A BIT.

AND,

[IV. Annual Organizational Meeting]

UH, I THINK THE CAN, WHO WOULD BE BEST SERVED WITH HAVING SOMEBODY IN THE ROLE OF CHAIR THAT COULD GROW AND DEVELOP THEIR LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND TALENTS FOR THE FUTURE.

AND THAT, UM, IF I WERE TO ACCEPT THE CHAIRMANSHIP FOR THE THIRD TIME, I'M NOT SURE I'D LEARNED MUCH.

AND THE COUNTY WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE SERVED WITH AN INCREASE IN, UH, IN SOMEBODY'S SKILLSET.

SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND BREAK FROM TRADITION AND, AND RECOMMEND THAT I WAS GOING TO SAY, GO WITH, UH, A YOUNGER MEMBER, BUT IT'S PROBABLY MORE OF A NEWER MEMBER THAN A YOUNGER MEMBER, BUT I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND PLACE A NOMINATION, UH, SUPERVISOR NEIL SPOON, OUR TO BE THE NEXT CHAIR.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY.

ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS CM, DON? UH, DO WE HAVE A SECOND, SECOND? WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.

[1. 5221: Resolution Electing 2022 Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board of Supervisors]

SO I WILL DO THE ROLL CALL.

MS. LAST CO-LEAD YES.

MR. SPOON HOWARD.

SO CONGRATULATIONS YOUR THINKING THEN YOUR CHAIR, UH, AT THIS TIME I WOULD, UM, ASK FOR NOMINATIONS FOR VICE CHAIR.

UM, MR. ALVAREZ.

I, IT IS MY PRIVILEGE AND HONOR, UM, I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS A LOT AND IS GOING INTO THIS AND HAVING A LOT OF EXPERIENCE ON THIS BOARD.

I THINK IT WOULD BE, IT'S GOING TO BE GREAT TO HAVE SOMEBODY THAT HAS STEPPED UP RECENTLY TO SERVE THE COUNTY THAT IS EXTREMELY INVOLVED.

AND I THINK WE'LL DO A GREAT JOB.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE DON SHARP.

ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS FOR VICE CHAIR? DO WE HAVE A SECOND, A SECOND? WE HAVE A MOTION AND WE HAVE A SECOND ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION.

CAN I GET A DIFFERENT NAME, PETERSON, PETERSON, YOU CAN'T COME BACK.

SO, SO, UH, I'LL DO THE ROLL CALL.

MS. LAST CO-LEAD YES.

SO WE HAVE A CHAIR AND PLACE CHAIR, AND NOW WE NEED TO VOTE ON THE RESOLUTION.

DO WE ELECT THEM? IS THAT CORRECT? MS. MCGEE? YEAH.

THE APPOINTED MATERIAL MUST YOU CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.

TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION.

SO IN YOUR PACKET WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE NAMES OF PURSUANT TO THE VOTES JUST TAKEN, SO DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION? THE RESOLUTION IS IN YOUR MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE RESOLUTION OF 52 21 ELECTING THE 2022 CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR OF THE GIBSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.

THAT SECOND, WE HAVE A MOTION ON IT.

WE HAVE A SECOND.

ANY DISCUSSION? UH, SO MR. LUMPKINS.

THINK WE HAVE A CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR OFFICIALLY, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.

WE'RE THERE WILL, I THINK WE'LL MOVE AROUND MR. SHARP SPOT.

[00:10:08]

INTERESTING VIEW.

UM, I JUST REALLY WANT TO THANK EVERYONE.

I AM ABSOLUTELY HUMBLED AND VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IN THIS CAPACITY.

UM, THIS IS BY FAR, THE LAST TWO YEARS HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE BEST OF MY LIFE.

IT'S PROBABLY THE BEST ROLE I'VE EVER HAD, AND I'M JUST VERY EXCITED.

I ALSO WANTED TO THANK MR. LUMPKINS ROSIE NOW DOWN HERE.

UH, JUST NOT JUST FOR HIS LEADERSHIP OR FOR HIS LEVITY.

WE'VE HAD A ROUGH YEAR AND SOME, SOME LONG EVENINGS AND, UM, HE KEPT US GOING AND, UH, GAVE US SOME TO LAUGH AT SOMETIMES, BUT, UH, JUST DID A FANTASTIC YEAR.

WE HAVE A REALLY BUSY YEAR IN FRONT OF US.

UM, YOU COULD SEE FROM THE STORM AND EVERYTHING PILING UP IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.

UM, BUT I HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT, UH, THIS BOARD IS GONNA CONTINUE TO DO THE RIGHT THING BY OUR CITIZENS.

UM, AND IN THE SPIRIT OF WHAT'S DOING RIGHT.

UM, THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE RESOLUTION, UM, REGARDING OUR ETHICS AND STANDARDS.

UM, MS. MCGEE, WOULD YOU, UH, PLEASE LEAD US IN THAT VERY IMPORTANT EXERCISE? I CERTAINLY WILL.

UM, MR. CHAIRMAN, CONGRATULATIONS, MR. VICE CHAIRMAN.

I'M HAPPY TO HAVE YOUR LEADERSHIP, UH, IN 2022, UM, AS YOU DO AT EVERY ANNUAL MEETING, YOU'RE ASKED TO CONSIDER ADOPTING YOUR, UH, 2022 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT.

UM, I HAVE NOT FOR THIS YEAR, PUT IN ANY PROPOSED CHANGES, AFFORDED IT TO THE BOARD TO ASK IF THERE WERE ANY REQUESTED, THERE WERE NO LEGAL CHANGES REQUIRED, AND I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY FEEDBACK ABOUT CHANGES FROM BOARD MEMBERS.

AND SO PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

TODAY IS THE ADOPTION OF YOUR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT.

THANK YOU, MS. MCGEE BOARD, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT OUR ETHICS CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT? TH THERE'S A IT'S ATTACHED BY RESOLUTION.

SO EMOTION COULD BE TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION.

IT'S ADOPTING THEM.

MR. CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT AND APPROVE THE RESOLUTION, WHICH ADOPTS OUR 2022 CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT.

THANK YOU, MR. TOMPKINS.

THANK YOU, MR. PETERSON, ANY DISCUSSION? CAN WE BRING IT UP ON THE SCREEN? IS THAT POSSIBILITY? JUST THERE'S A PROVISION IN IT THAT WE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE PAST.

IT'S OKAY.

I JUST, I JUST I'M PULLING UP ON MY AGENDA PACKET.

I JUST WANT TO LOOK AT IT.

DO YOU WANT ME TO GO TO THE HOLE? JUST ROLL THROUGH, JUST SCROLL THROUGH IF YOU

[2. 5222: Resolution Adopting Board of Supervisors' 2022 Code of Ethics and]

DON'T RIGHT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH DISCRIMINATION SECTION AND NON-DISCRIMINATION SECTION THAT'S RIGHT.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.

HANG OUT OF THE DISCUSSION.

I'LL CALL FOR A VOTE, MR. UM, MR. SHARP.

AND CHAIR SPOONHOLDER.

IT'S AN OFFLOAD HERE.

THE NUMBERS OF MEETINGS THAT A MEMBER COULD MISS IF THEY HAD AN EMERGENCY OR PERSONAL MATTER, UH, THAT CAUSED THEM TO NOT BE ABLE TO BE PRESENT IN PERSON TO TWO MEETINGS OR 25%.

THANK YOU FOR THAT BOARD.

AND NOW WE WILL MOVE TO ITEM THREE, WHICH IS RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, 2022 RULES OF PROCEDURE, UH, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD IN THIS SITUATION.

AGAIN, YOU, YOU TYPICALLY CONSIDER YOUR RULES EVERY YEAR AND ADOPT THEM AS YOU SEE FIT TO GUIDE YOUR MEETINGS.

IN THE COURSE OF THAT YEAR, UM, I HAVE PROPOSED TO CHANGES TO TEXTS FROM LAST YEAR'S RULES OF PROCEDURE.

AND THERE OCCUR IN SECTION 2.10 ABOUT PARTICIPATION BY ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS.

I PROPOSE THESE CHANGES BECAUSE THEY ARE PURSUANT TO A STATE LAW THAT WAS ADOPTED IN THE 2021 SESSION.

SIMPLY ENLARGES

[00:15:02]

AND THEN, UH, ALSO IN SECTION 2.10, YOU HAD A PROVISION FOR THE ABILITY TO NOT PARTICIPATE IN PERSON.

IF YOU HAD A MEDICAL CONDITION AND THAT'S BEEN BROADENED TO CONSIDER THE MEDICAL CONDITION OF A FAMILY MEMBER THAT REQUIRES YOUR CARE.

SO THAT'S A SLIGHT BROADENING OF YOUR AUTHORITY, UH, PERMITTED UNDER STATE LAW.

AND SO I PUT IT TO YOU, UM, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND ADOPTING THESE, UH, RULES OF PROCEDURE.

THANK YOU, MS. MCGEE BOARD, ANY DISCUSSION OR ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO A DOCTOR? I THINK WE WERE PUTTING IT UP ON THE SCREEN.

MR. CHAIRMAN.

I MOVED THAT, UH, GUCCI COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS APPROVING, ADOPTED RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 2022.

THANK YOU, MR. HOPKINS.

THANK YOU, MR. PEARSON.

TEAMMATE DISCUSSION.

MR. ALVAREZ, MR. LOPEZ.

[3. 5246: Resolution Adopting Board of Supervisors' 2022 Rules of Procedure]

SO FAR WE WERE GOING LIKE ALL THE MEETINGS THAT I'VE SEEN IN THE PAST.

UM, WE'RE GOING TO DEVIATE A LITTLE BIT HERE, UH, FOR A SECOND.

WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS UNDERSTOOD WHERE WE STOOD ON DISCRIMINATION AND THAT IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S TOLERATED.

AND THEREFORE WE WANTED TO, UH, PROPOSE THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION.

WHEREAS THE GUCCI COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HAD RECEIVED FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT RESIDENTS WOULD LIKE THE BOARD TO EXPRESS PUBLICLY IT STAND AGAINST DISCRIMINATE.

WHEREAS THE GOODSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY WISH TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT IT WILL NOT STAND FOR NOR TOLERATE DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, SEX, AGE, RELIGION, CREED, CONNIE OF ORIGIN, DISABILITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, OR GENDER IDENTITY.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSTON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS THAT THIS RESOLUTION ON DISCRIMINATION IS HEREBY ADOPTED.

WHERE DO I HAVE A MOTION? UM, FOR THIS RESOLUTION, I RECOMMEND THAT WE ADOPT THIS RESOLUTION ON DISCRIMINATION AS PRESENTED.

THANK YOU, MR. SHARP, VICE CHAIR.

SECOND, SECOND BOARD AND DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC, MR. CHAIRMAN.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION I'M JUST WEIGHING JUST A QUICK THOUGHT HERE.

BRIEFLY.

UM, UH, WE, WE JUST ADOPTED AND I MOVED THAT ON OUR CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT, IDENTICAL LANGUAGE.

UM, THIS, AS IT SAYS IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH AS BEING ADOPTED FROM FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY RESIDENTS, THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A YEAR, A YEAR AND A HALF OR MORE THAT THERE'S BEEN DISCUSSIONS FROM SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

UM, YEAH, I JUST VOTED YES.

TO MAKE THE SAME STATEMENT IN OUR CODE OF CODE OF CONDUCT.

BUT I JUST BRIEFLY, I DON'T THINK THIS IS RESPONSIVE.

UM, SO I'M GOING TO VOTE.

NO, BUT IT'S NOT OPPOSED TO THE SENTIMENT, WHICH I OBVIOUSLY PRETTY CLEARLY AGREE WITH.

AND I JUST VOTED YES.

IN TERMS OF OUR RULE OF CONDUCT, BUT I DON'T THINK THIS IS RESPONSIVE TO THE REQUEST.

AND SO THAT'S THE REASON I'M GOING TO VOTE NOW.

THANK YOU, MR. LUMPKINS.

[4. 5252: Resolution on Discrimination]

YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN THIS CAME UP A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I TRIED TO GAUGE WAS YOU HAVE, THIS WAS BASED ON A LOT OF ACTIONS THAT WERE OUTSIDE OF GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S APPROPRIATE FOR US TO COMMENT ON THINGS THAT HAPPEN.

THAT DON'T HAPPEN.

THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, ESPECIALLY THE, THE, THE ALTERCATIONS THAT HAD OCCURRED, BUT WHAT I'M SEEING AFTER YEAR AND A HALF IS THAT WE ARE A COUNTY THAT HAS CITIZENS.

THAT DON'T FEEL LIKE WE'RE ENGAGING.

AND TO ME, THAT'S NOT THE WAY THAT I EVER THOUGHT TO GOVERN OR TAKE THIS ROLE.

SO, WHEREAS I DIDN'T SEE THAT THIS HAS BEEN IMPACTFUL TO GOOGLE.

I DO SEE THAT IT HAS BEEN, AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT THIS IS AN EFFORT THAT THIS WILL BE A WAY FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD AND TO HEAL AND TO, TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO ACTUALLY ADDRESS AND WORK ON.

UM, SO THEREFORE I'M, I'M IN SUPPORT

[00:20:01]

OF THIS.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS, IF NOT, I'LL CALL FOR A ROLL CALL THOUGH, DON'T YOU, YOU'RE WAITING FOR ME, MR. LOVE TO KNOW MR. PETERSON.

NOW WE ARE MOVING ON TO OUR FIFTH ITEM, WHICH IS THE RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 2022 MEETING SCHEDULE.

WE HAVE THAT IN THE PACKET BOARD FOR YOU TO REVIEW, UM, ANY DISCUSSION OR CAN I GET A MOTION, MR. CHAIRMAN? I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING OUR 2022 MEETING SCHEDULE AS PRESENTED.

THANK YOU, MR. LINCOLN'S SECOND.

THANK YOU, MR. PETERSON, ANY DISCUSSION? YES.

CAN WE SAY THE SCHEDULE? SURE.

PAGE 27.

MISS LAST CLIP, ACTUALLY BASELINE ISSUE.

THERE'S NO OTHER DISCUSSION ON THE SCHEDULE.

GO AHEAD AND ENTERTAIN A MOTION AND IT'S A VOICE VOTE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE ADAPTING, OUR SCHEDULE, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE.

OPPOSED MOTION CARRIES.

YOU ADOPT YOUR OWN CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT EVERY YEAR YOU CONSIDER WHETHER ANY CHANGES OR SO FORTH, WE PUT IT ON YOUR ANNUAL MEETING AGENDA.

AND THE LAST BIT THAT WE'LL BE RESOLVING RIGHT NOW IS THE RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE 22 CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR COUNTY APPOINTEES.

SO THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT SERVE ON BOARDS WITH US, AND WE FELT, FEEL IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE EXPECTATIONS OF HOW TO CONDUCT YOURSELVES IN THAT THOSE ROLES.

JUST TO GIVE YOU MR. THAT IT'S JUST THAT THE BOARD ADOPTED THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST YEAR.

AND, UM, IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT

[5. 5223: Resolution Establishing the Board of Supervisors’ 2022 Meeting Schedule]

IF IN THE FUTURE, YOU WISH SIMPLY FOR THIS TO CARRY OVER A YEAR TO YEAR WITHOUT BEING READOPTED, WE CAN CERTAINLY LET APPOINTEES KNOW THAT THAT OCCURS, BUT FOR THIS YEAR, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE, WE PUT IT ON THE AGENDA AND CONTINUE TO DO THAT IF YOU'D LIKE AS WELL.

BUT THAT'S WHAT'S FOR YOU TODAY FOR RESOLUTION TO ADOPT THAT FOR ALL CITIZENS THAT CAN AFFORD CITIZENS AND PERSONS APPOINTED TO BOARDS AND COMMITTEES ON BEHALF OF GOODWILL COUNTY.

THANK YOU, MS. MCGEE CHAIRMAN, I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT AS PRESENTED THE 2022 CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR ALL OF OUR APPOINTEES.

A SNOW, UH, AND WE OPERATED OUT OF THE, UH, EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER AND OUR LEAD WAS, UM, SHE FERGUSON WHO KIND OF GOT US ALL TOGETHER.

THANK YOU, MR. WATKINS.

THANK YOU, MISS LAST COLETTE, ANY, ANY DISCUSSION HEARING? NONE.

THIS WOULD BE VOICES.

ROLL CALL MR. SHARP.

YES, YES, YES, YES, YES.

UM, AGAIN, JUST VERY HONORED TO BE HERE.

IT'S MUCH HARDER MOVING THREE SEATS DOWN THAN IT WAS SITTING OVER THERE.

SO I THANK YOU FOR KEEPING ME STRAIGHT.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT YEAR.

UH, MR. ALVAREZ, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS? UH, YES I DO.

THE CHAIRMAN.

I WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY ASK A FIRE CHIEF TO COME UP AND GIVE US A REAL BUSY WEEK.

TWO WEEKS AGO, WE HAD A REAL BUSY WEEK, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WITH A, WITH

[6. 5231: Resolution adopting the 2022 Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct for]

WE HAD DAILY MEETINGS, BUT I'M GOING TO LET HIM TALK ABOUT IT CAUSE HE HE'S GOT ALL THE DETAILS.

SO CHIEF WELCOME CHIEF.

FIRE RESCUE IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WAS EXTREMELY BUSY, UH, ANSWERING COUGHS PER SERVICE.

THANK YOU MR. ALVAREZ, MR. CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

UH, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE BOARD OFFICERS WHO SERVE LAST YEAR AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BOARD OFFICERS WHO ARE IN THIS YEAR.

SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EVERYONE ON JANUARY 3RD, UH, WAS, UH, WAS A DIFFICULT DAY FOR GOOCHLAND COUNTY WHEN WE, WE ALL WOKE UP TO A HEAVY SNOW.

AND WHEN THAT ENDED UP IMPACTING, UH, MANY DOWN TREES AND FALLEN POWER LINES AND SO FORTH.

AND SO ON

[00:25:01]

AND WE REALIZED PRETTY QUICKLY THAT THIS WAS NOT YOUR TYPICAL SNOW STORM.

UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE SEEING, THE CHALLENGES, GETTING TO OUR CALLS, WE WERE HAVING TO CUT OUR WAYS INTO NEIGHBORHOODS.

UH, TREES WERE FALLING BEHIND THE FIRE ENGINE.

SO THE FIRE ENGINE OR THE SHERIFF DEPUTY CARL WAS TRAPPED IN NEIGHBORHOODS.

AND, UH, WE COULDN'T GET TO THE OTHER CALLS.

UH, THAT WAS ONE CITIZEN THAT WE TRIED THAT WAS HAVING CHEST PAINS THAT WE TRIED TO REACH, UH, PRETTY MUCH ALL DAY LONG.

UH, AND IT WAS JUST BEFORE DARK THAT WE FINALLY REACHED THIS HOME.

A NUMBER OF THINGS KEPT US FROM GETTING THERE QUICKLY QUICKER, BUT MAINLY, UH, DOWN POWER LINES AND TREES.

UH, THAT JUST WAS UNBELIEVABLE.

SHERIFF CHRISSY AND I TALKED AND ROBIN HILMAN OUR DEPUTY EMERGENCY COORDINATOR AND MR.

[V. Chair's Comments]

ALVAREZ.

AND WE ALL KIND OF DREW THE CONCLUSION THAT WHAT WE WERE SEEING FROM WINTER STORM FREE

[VI. County Administrator's Comments]

TO THE WAS COMPARABLE TO WHAT WE HAD DEALT WITH IN A HURRICANE ISABEL IN 2003, THE DAMAGE LOOKED VERY SIMILAR TO THAT.

AND SO THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER WAS OPENED ON JANUARY 4TH TO ADDRESS THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OF WINTER STORM FREE TO REMAINING OPEN UNTIL JANUARY THE 10TH.

SO IT WAS UPWARD FOR SIX DAYS.

THE COUNTY WAS HARD-HEADED ON JANUARY 3RD, WITH HEAVY SNOW AND WIND WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES OVER 9,000, UH, POWER OUTAGES, DOWNED POWER LINES AND FALLEN TREES, WOMAN SHELTERS, POWER AND SHOWER AND ANIMAL SHELTERS WERE OPEN THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.

THE EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER ASSIST US CITIZENS WITH THEIR EMERGENCY AND URGENT NEEDS, AS WELL AS INCLUDING FOOD AND DRINKING WATER AND WATER FOR THEIR ANIMALS.

IN SOME CASES, LIVESTOCK, HER PIO SENT OUT CODE RED MESSAGES, UH, ALERTING OUR CITIZENS TO THE AVAILABLE RESOURCES AND WHAT THE COUNTY WAS IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO DO TO, TO MITIGATE THE, UH, THE DAMAGE FROM THE LOCAL EMERGENCY, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND FIRE RESCUE CONDUCTED MULTIPLE CITIZEN WELFARE CHECKS.

AND IN SOME CASES WE FOUND A CITIZENS THAT WERE EITHER ILL OR A COLD FROM HAVING NO HEAT OR POWER HELPING THEM TO ONE OF THE SHELTERS, THE VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYED TO GOOCHLAND COUNTY WAS BASED OUT OF FIRE STATION SIX IN HAYDENVILLE ASSISTING V DOT THE DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY, THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION, AND OUR LOCAL CITIZENS WITH CLEARING TREES FROM THE ROADWAYS POWER COMPANIES WORKED TIRELESSLY RESTORING ELECTRICITY ACROSS THE COUNTY, THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION CENTER, OR THE NINE 11 CENTER PROCESSED 4,530 INBOUND PHONE CALLS NORMALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT 1700 DURING THAT TIMEFRAME.

MANY OF WHICH WERE 9 1, 1 CALLS AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE RESPONDED TO 615 CALLS FOR SERVICE FIRE RESCUE RESPONDED TO 169 EMERGENCY INCIDENTS AND RECORDED 4,190 STAFF HOURS, BOTH VOLUNTEER AND CAREER.

IN ADDITION TO THE, UH, DUTIES THAT WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF THE EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER TRAGICALLY AND SADLY ONE CITIZEN LOST THEIR LIFE IN A HOUSE FIRE, UH, ON NEWTOWN ROAD.

AND WE HAD ANOTHER, UH, SIGNIFICANT HOUSE FIRE WHERE A CITIZEN WAS DISPLACED ON SHALLOW WALL ROAD.

DURING THE SAME TIME PERIOD, THERE WERE, UH, SERIOUS VEHICLE ACCIDENTS AND THE COUNTY, THERE WAS ONE AT BROAD STREET INTO 88, UH, WHERE WE HAD PEOPLE TRAPPED, UH, IN TWO SEPARATE CARS.

UH, WE TRANSPORT IT TO YOUR AREA TRAUMA CENTER.

THE NEW FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AMBULANCES, UH, RECENTLY PLACED INTO SERVICE, UH, PROVED TO BE INVALUABLE RESOURCES ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE SNOW AND ICE COVERED ROADWAYS AND DRIVEWAYS.

THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THE EOC HAD BEEN ACTIVATED FOR A LOCAL WEATHER EMERGENCY.

THE LAST TIME WAS IN 2003 DOING HURRICANE ISABEL, WHICH CAUSED COMPARABLE DAMAGE TO THE WINTER STORM.

AND AFTER ACTION REVIEW OF EOC OPERATIONS WAS FACILITATED BY THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

ON LAST FRIDAY, JANUARY THE 14TH, IDENTIFYING ALL THE LESSONS LEARNED THE AOC ACTIVATION WAS HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL, ATTRIBUTED TO THE COLLABORATION DEMONSTRATED BY COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERS AND STATE AGENCIES ALL WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF OUR CITIZENS.

I'LL TELL YOU THAT, UH, OVER THE LAST YEAR, UH, THE COUNTY, UM, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HAS SUPPORTED, UH, QUITE A FEW THINGS REGARDING EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

UH, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS, UH, LAST SPRING WAS THE ADOPTION OF THE BRAND NEW EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN.

AND I'LL TELL YOU THAT, UH, THAT WORKED VERY WELL FOR US.

UH, HAVING HAD ALL OF THE TIME TOGETHER OVER THE LAST YEAR, WORKING WITH THE EOP, THE CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS PLAN, I THINK WE WERE, WE WERE WELL POSITIONED, UH, TO, TO STAND UP THE EOC WHEN WE NEEDED TO, IF YOU, WE EXPLAINED WITH THE ADOPTION OF THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN, THAT IT WAS A DIFFERENT PLAN.

IT WAS AN INSTANT COMMAND BASED PLAN, MEANING THAT YOU ACTIVATE WHAT YOU NEED AS YOU NEED IT.

AND THAT'S THE WAY WE OPERATE IT.

UM, I WON'T NAME EVERY COUNTY DEPARTMENT THAT WAS INVOLVED BECAUSE THE RISK WOULD BE, I WOULD MISS A BUNCH, BUT THERE WERE

[00:30:01]

ALL COUNTY DEPARTMENTS HAD INVOLVEMENT IN SOME WAY IN SCHOOLS, UH, OBVIOUSLY HAD A TREMENDOUS INVOLVEMENT WITH THE SHELTER SITES, AS WELL AS THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES.

ALL DID A FANTASTIC JOB.

UM, WE D W WAS SAYING ALL OF THAT, WE DON'T MINIMIZE THE, UM, THE TRAGEDY OF THE LIFE THAT WAS LOST IN THE HOUSE FIRE.

WE'RE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.

UM, THE LAST, UM, FATAL HOUSE FIRE IN THE COUNTY WAS, WAS IN OCTOBER OF 2004 IN THE WESTERN END OF THE COUNTY.

UH, WE'RE, WE'RE TAKING THIS VERY SERIOUSLY AND WE'RE LOOKING INTO IT.

IT'S STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.

UM, THERE WERE DEFINITELY, UM, ALTERNATIVE HEATING SOURCES IN USE, AND CERTAINLY WE THINK IT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE, UH, THE WINTER STORM.

THE OTHER THING I'LL TELL YOU IS, UM, HAVING THE FORESIGHT OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO HAVE A PREMIER EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER BUILDING, UH, WAS JUST INVALUABLE.

AND I'LL TELL YOU THE SAME APPLIES TO FIRE STATION SIX IN HAYDENVILLE.

UH, THE NATIONAL GUARD WAS BASED AT COMPANY SIX.

THEY HAD ABOUT 16 GUARDSMAN THERE FOR ABOUT, UH, 72 HOURS AND THEY WERE OPERATING IN VITTA IN REGIONS ONE AND TWO, TWO, WOULD IT BE MORE UP TOWARDS LOUISE? AND SPOTSYLVANIA, UH, LOUISE IS ACTUALLY, I THINK REGIONAL ONE AND THE BOTTOM LINE WAS, UM, THE REASON WE COULD HOST THE NATIONAL GUARD IS BECAUSE WE HAD THE 13,000 SQUARE FOOT MODERN FACILITY TO DO SO, UM, THE NATIONAL GUARD WAS GOING TO A BASE AT THEIR ARMORY AND POWER TAN OR A LOCAL HOTELS.

AND WE SAID, NO, NO, NO, WE HAVE A FACILITY THAT WE CAN HOUSE YOU.

WE NEED YOU IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

AND SO THAT WORKED OUT VERY WELL.

AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE, THE FORESIGHT AND THE LEADERSHIP TO HAVE THOSE BUILDINGS IN THE COUNTY.

I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK ROBIN HILMAN HER DEPUTY EMERGENCY COORDINATOR WHO GAVE COUNTLESS HOURS, UH, AS OUR EOC MANAGER, UH, ROBIN, UH, IS VERY DEDICATED AND COMMITTED TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IN THE COUNTY.

UH, AND WE CERTAINLY COULDN'T HAVE DONE WHAT WE DID WITHOUT OUR ASSISTANCE.

I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK ALL THE CITIZENS WHO HELPED US BECAUSE CITIZENS WERE HELPING, UH, SHERIFF AND FIRE RESCUE.

THEY WERE ACTUALLY, UH, HELPING US CUT TREES.

UH, THEY CAME TO THE RESCUE OF A COUPLE OF OUR AMBULANCES THAT WERE TRAPPED BY FALLEN TREES OR STUCK IN THE SNOW IN ONE CASE UP ON 5 22.

AND SO WE DON'T KNOW WHO ALL, ALL OF THEM WERE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T GET THEIR NAMES.

HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO DO IT, BUT I HOPE THEY'RE LISTENING.

AND I HOPE THEY WILL UNDERSTAND THAT.

WE RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, THIS WAS A WHOLE COMMUNITY APPROACH THAT IT TOOK TO HANDLE THE LOCAL EMERGENCY.

SO WITH HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT, UM, JUST A COUPLE OF JUST SOME, A LITTLE BIT OF STATS.

THERE WERE 9,064 POWER OUTAGES, UM, LOOKS LIKE, UM, ABOUT SHELTERS WERE OPEN AT BURT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, GOOCHLAND SPORTS COMPLEX FIRE STATIONS WERE OPEN FOR SHELTERING IN THE Y YMCA ABOUT 59.

PEOPLE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE SHELTER AND BY A WOMAN IN POWER AND SHOWER, THE EOC HANDLED 29, UH, CALLS FOR URGENT CITIZEN NEEDS ASSISTED WITH, UM, POWER RESTORATION FOR A NUMBER OF CITIZENS, HIGH PRIORITY, POWER RESTORATION, AS WELL AS, UM, THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES ASSISTED CITIZENS WITH, UH, WITH THEIR NEEDS.

UH, ANIMAL PROTECTION DID A MAGNUS.

THERE'S A JOB.

THEY ACTUALLY PROVIDED WATER FOR THE LARGE ANIMALS.

THERE WERE EIGHT REQUESTS FOR WATER FOR LARGE ANIMALS, AND THERE WERE, UH, THREE CITIZENS WHO TOOK ANIMAL PROTECTION UP ON THE PELT PET SHELTER THAT WAS OPEN, UH, DOING THE SAME TIMEFRAME.

I'LL TELL YOU THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THE WEATHER GOING FORWARD.

UM, ONCE IT STARTS, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO STOP.

UH, THERE'S A WEATHER CONFERENCE CALL GOING ON RIGHT NOW.

THE BATTALION CHIEF MARQUEE IS, UH, IS SITTING IN ON WITH VIETNAM AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD.

IT DOES APPEAR THAT TOMORROW AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING, WE COULD GET ANOTHER INCH OF SNOW IT'S THEY THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A WET SNOW, AND THERE'S GOING TO BE WINDY, COULD IMPACT THE RUSH HOUR TRAVEL TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

UH, I'LL TELL YOU THAT, UH, WHAT I READ AND WHAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT ALSO IS DURING THE DAY ON FRIDAY, IT LOOKS LIKE THE TEMPERATURES WILL PROBABLY BE IN THE TWENTIES.

AND THAT KIND OF CAUGHT MY ATTENTION.

AND THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT, UH, SNOW EVENT BEING FORECASTED FOR FRIDAY EVENING INTO SATURDAY MORNING.

AND IT'S KIND OF HARD TO GET ANYONE TO COMMIT TO WHAT THOSE TOTALS COULD LOOK LIKE.

SO I WOULD URGE ALL CITIZENS NOW IN THE COUNTY TO TAKE THE APPROPRIATE STEPS, TO, TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THE SUPPLIES THEY NEED.

AND, UH, WE CERTAINLY ARE DOING THAT AS AN ORGANIZATION AND WE'LL, UM, REACTIVATE IF WE NEED TO, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, THE NATIONAL GUARD DIDN'T JUST APPEAR.

UH, THE FOLKS IN THE EOC DID A LOT OF WORK CONTACTING STATE AGENCIES, AND EVENTUALLY CONVINCED THE GOVERNOR TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

SAME WITH DCR.

I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH WHAT HAPPENED.

YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS THINK OF,

[00:35:01]

I GUESS, PRIOR TO THIS WHO MAKES THE CALL TO CLOSE SCHOOLS AND ALL THAT? WELL, THIS TIME I WAS KIND OF FORCED TO DO THAT, AND THAT WAS A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR ME, BUT I HAD GREAT SUPPORT.

YOU KNOW, I WAS TALKING TO THE SHERIFF AT FIVE 30 IN THE MORNING AND, AND HIS STUFF, AND, UH, CHIEF FERGUSON AND THE FIRE AND RESCUE STAFF TO GET UPDATES ON HOW, HOW THE ROADS WERE AND SO ON.

AND HE WAS REALLY GREAT AND IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO SEE THE COLLABORATION AND THE, UH, I GUESS, COOPERATION IN THE ROOM.

SO THANK YOU, CHIEF, AND THINKING TO EVERYBODY WHO PARTICIPATED, THANK YOU, MR. ALVAREZ.

AND WE'RE STILL HERE.

IF I KNOW THEIR CITIZENS IS STILL HAVE THINGS GOING ON AND THEY CAN CONTACT US AND WE'LL STILL HELP THEM, UM, NEVER LIKED TO SPEAK AND NOT TO MAKE A, UM, A PLEA FOR SMOKE ALARMS. IF THERE ARE ANY CITIZENS WHO NEED SMOKE ALARMS, WE HAVE THEM, THEY'RE FREE.

THERE ARE NO COSTS.

WE'LL COME OUT, WE'LL INSTALL THEM IN THEIR HOME, OR WE'LL HAND HANDED THE SMOKE ALONG TO THEM AT THE FRONT DOOR.

IF THEY'D RATHER US NOT COME IN, UH, SMOKE ALARMS DO SAVE LIVES.

AND CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS ARE DEFINITELY NEEDED, UH, WHEN YOU BURN FOSSIL FUELS OR IF YOU'RE RUNNING A GENERATOR AND WE DID HAVE SEVERAL, SEVERAL CALLS FOR CARBON MONOXIDE IN RESIDENCES, AND THEY WERE ALL LEGITIMATE.

AND LUCKILY, UH, THERE WAS NO ONE THAT WAS VERY ILL AT ANY OF THOSE LOCATIONS FROM CEO POISONING.

UH, BUT GENERATORS, UH, ARE SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO.

AND CERTAINLY, UM, OUR PIO HAS PUT A LOT OF INFORMATION OUT, A LOT OF OUR FACEBOOK PAGE ABOUT HOW TO OPERATE GENERATORS SAFELY 20 FEET FROM THE HOME AND SO FORTH AND SO ON.

UH, BECAUSE CARBON MONOXIDE IS A SILENT KILLER, MUCH LIKE SMOKE.

SO, UM, BOTH OF THOSE ARE, ARE NEEDED.

CHIEF, YOU MENTIONED A SMOKE, SORRY, THE CHAIR, YOU MENTIONED THE SMOKE ALARMS, CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS ALSO AVAILABLE.

WE HAVE A, WE DON'T HAVE THE QUANTITY OF CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS AS WE DO SMOKE ALARMS, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME, AND IF THERE'S A CITIZEN HAVING A HARDSHIP, UH, OBTAINING A CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM, THEN WE'D BE HAPPY TO, UH, TO, TO HELP WITH THAT.

YES, SIR.

THANK YOU, CHIEF.

UM, REAL QUICK, I WANT TO JUST SAY THANK YOU.

AND YOU LAST YEAR TOWARDS THE END OF LAST YEAR, YOU GAVE A BOARD MEMBERS OF PAGERS.

SO WE COULD LISTEN TO THE PUBLIC CHANNEL.

AND A LOT OF US WERE LISTENING ON, ON JANUARY 3RD AND IT JUST VERY IMPRESSIVE.

UM, AND, AND KIND OF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF KEEP YOU ON THE EDGE OF THE SEAT, LISTENING TO ALL THE ACTIVITY, BUT ALL, ALL THE HARD WORK OF YOU AND YOUR TEAM.

AND THEN, AND THEN I KNEW YOU HAD BEEN FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER, AND THEN SURE ENOUGH, I HEAR A GRAVELLY VOICE CAR, ONE, UM, ON THE RADIO YOU WERE OUT THERE.

I KNOW YOU WEREN'T FEELING WELL, BUT THANK YOU.

AND YOUR WHOLE CREW HAS THAT KIND OF DEDICATION.

WE WE'RE BLESSED.

IT'S EASY TO BE ON A TEAM OF GOOD PEOPLE, AND WE HAVE A DEDICATED AND COMMITTED MEMBERS TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT, AND PRIVATE AND PARTNER SHIPS IN THE COUNTY.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, OKAY.

YEAH, YEAH.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

SO THANK YOU, CHIEF.

REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU AND EVERYONE HAS DONE, UH, DURING THE LAST SNOW, WE OBVIOUSLY, IF YOU'VE GOT AN EMERGENCY CALL NINE 11, YES MA'AM BUT THEN WE HAD ANOTHER PHONE NUMBER IF IT WAS AN URGENT NEED, BUT REALLY WASN'T EMERGENCY, RIGHT.

IS THAT NUMBER STILL ACTIVE? AND WILL IT BE OVER THE WEEKEND? IT WILL.

IT WILL BE, YES MA'AM.

AND IT WILL BE, UM, THE, THE EOC LINE IS ALIGNED THAT WE SET UP A VOICEMAIL.

UH, IT ASSISTED US AND WE SET UP A VOICEMAIL BOX SO THAT WE COULD, UH, WE DIDN'T WANT TO MISS ANYONE'S CALL IF WE WERE THE ONLY OTHER LINE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

AND SO THAT WILL BE UP AND AVAILABLE AND THAT'S THE WAY WE OPERATED THE EOC.

HE COULD CERTAINLY, UM, 9 1, 1 IS FOR EMERGENCIES AND, YOU KNOW, IT CAN ALWAYS GET HELP THROUGH NINE 11.

UH, BUT IF YOU HAD AN URGENT PROBLEM AND YOU DIDN'T NEED FIREPLACE OR AN AMBULANCE, OR, BUT YOU HAD AN URGENT SITUATION, THEN WE ENCOURAGED EVERYONE TO USE THE EOC LINE TO TRY TO ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE, THE CALLS GOING INTO THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER.

AND I KNOW, UM, RPO AND IT IS HERE AND WE'RE READY TO, UM, JUST TO, YOU KNOW, TO ANSWER THOSE LINES, UH, GOING FORWARD INTO THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

MA'AM IT'S 8 0 4 6 5 7 20 57.

AND JUST TRY TO, UM, LEAVE A LITTLE, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF THE PRESSURE ON THE, UM, EMERGENCY PERSONNEL FOR THE WRECK.

YOU, OH, NUMBER, YES.

AND I GET IT RIGHT? YES.

AT THAT, BUT WE MAY NOT HAVE ANY NUMBERS OF YEAH.

8 0 4 6 5 7 2 0 5 7.

IT'S NOT THE NORMAL GOOGLE AND EXCHANGE, BUT IT COMES TO LOCAL PEOPLE, UH, IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

AND AS THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER NUMBER, MS. LASCOLA, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT KEEPING IT, WELL, THESE CASES, MAYBE WE CAN PUT MAGNETS ON PEOPLE'S REFRIGERATORS OR SOMETHING.

SO PEOPLE KNOW WHAT NUMBER TO CALL.

THERE WAS A REQUEST THAT WE MAKE IT A 5, 5, 6 NUMBERS.

SO EVERYBODY KNOWS IS ACTUALLY STAYING IN GOOCHLAND.

AND WE'LL LOOK

[00:40:01]

W WE MAY NOT DO THAT UNTIL AFTER THIS PASSES AND WE DON'T WANT TO CHANGE THE NUMBERS IN THE MIDST OF A, AN EMERGENCY SITUATION.

AND WE CAN, WE CAN ADD THAT TO THE COUNTY WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK PAGE.

IT'S THERE BECAUSE WE'VE PUT IT OUT THERE.

IT'S STILL THERE.

COMMUNITY AFFAIRS MANAGER.

SO RIGHT NOW, PAUL DRUM, RIGHT.

SO RIGHT NOW THAT PHONE LINE IS ACTIVE, BUT WE HAVE IT IN A READY STATUS.

SO WE WILL HAVE IT OUT IN READY AS THE WINTER WEATHER COMES AND WE'LL PUT IT OUT.

BUT WITH THIS PAST STORM, WE HAD SUNDAY, WE HAD FOLKS INSTEAD CALLING NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE BECAUSE WE WERE NOT ACTIVATING THE EOC IN HAVING THAT NUMBER, BUT WE WILL HAVE THAT NUMBER READY IF WE NEED THAT TO GO.

AND WE WILL PUT THAT OUT WITH ALL OUR COMMUNICATION THAT WE PUT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, AS WE EVALUATE AS THE FIRE CHIEF AND, UH, COUNTY LEADERSHIP EVALUATES HOW WE RESPOND.

SO WE WILL DEFINITELY MAKE SURE THAT IT GETS ADVERTISED.

ANYTHING ELSE FOR CHIEF? THANK YOU.

JUST DOESN'T SEEM ENOUGH, BUT THANK YOU.

UH, THANK YOU.

AND I THANK YOU TO ALL THE FOLKS WHO WORKED HARD TO, UM, TO HELP THE CITIZENS.

AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THE LOSS OF LIFE, THE HOUSE FIRE.

AND WE KNOW PEOPLE, UH, HAD SOME, SOME REALLY SERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES GOING ON IN THIS.

SO WE'RE STILL HERE TO HELP IF ANYBODY STILL NEEDS ASSISTANCE.

I'M GOING TO THAT IS BECAUSE, UM, LAST WEEK I SENT THIS BOARD, UH, AN EMAIL AND I'D HAD TO DO WITH THE VETTING OF THE NEW COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.

KEEP GOING.

THE TRAVELER, THESE HAVE BEEN MY LONGEST COMMENTS EVER.

THANKS.

SO ONE LAST, I'M GOING TO COUNT ON THE CHIEF OF FUTURE COMMENTS AS WELL.

UH, HE, HE GETS MORE, UM, MORE ATTENTION.

SO ONE LAST COMMENT DURING THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY, OUR EMPLOYEES DECIDED TO DECORATE USING FOOD ITEMS THAT COULD BE DONATED TO BUSHLAND CARES.

AND EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, OUR FOLKS ARE VERY CREATIVE.

SO WE, WE HAD ALL KINDS OF DISPLAYS, ALL KINDS OF DISPLAYS AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE COLLECTED 1,232 POUNDS OF FOOD FOR GOOCHLAND CARES.

AND THAT DOES NOT COUNT BECAUSE YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T WEIGH A WHOLE LOT, BUT WE HAD SEVERAL CHRISTMAS TREES MADE OUT OF TOILET PAPER ROLLS, WHICH DON'T WEIGH A WHOLE LOT.

SO I THINK THE WEIGHT WOULD BE A LOT HIGHER IF, OR MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE USED VOLUME INSTEAD OF, UH, INSTEAD OF WADE.

BUT, UH, THEY DID A GREAT JOB.

IT WAS A LOT OF FUN AND EVERYBODY BROUGHT FOOD ITEMS AND CANNED GOODS AND ALL KINDS OF STUFF.

SO IT WAS A LOT OF FUN THINGS THAT WE, THAT I USED TO SEE WHEN I WAS ON THE BOARD, WHO WASN'T A PART OF, AND NOW I SAW HIM CLOSE UP, BUT I APPRECIATE ALL THE EMPLOYEES THAT CONTRIBUTED.

AND THAT'S ALL MY COMMENTS, MR. CHAIRMAN.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UH, MR. ALVAREZ AT THIS TIME BOARD, I'LL LOOK TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY REQUESTS TO POSTPONE AGENDA ITEMS, IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONS, DELETIONS, OR CHANGES IN THE ORDER OF PRESENTATION, HEAD NODS DONE HERE HAD NO SOUND HERE.

OKAY, GREAT.

AT THIS TIME, IT IS MY HONOR TO OPEN THE CITIZEN COMMENT PERIOD.

UM, THIS IS A TIME WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME FORWARD AND SPEAK ON TOPICS THAT NOT, NOT ON THE AGENDA, THAT IMPACT HOUSTON COUNTY.

YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES JUST PLEASE GIVE US YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS AND A LIGHT.

WE'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR THREE MINUTES ARE UP.

GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD AND JAMES 12, 10 BROAD STREET ROAD WELLVILLE 2, 3, 1, 2 9.

UM, NOTICED ON THE, UM, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARD STANDARDS OF CONDUCT.

I DIDN'T CATCH THE NAME, BUT IT WAS SORT OF LIKE BE TOLERANT ON THE, I FORGET WHAT THEY, UM, ONCE YOU MIGHT SCROLL DOWN, I'LL STOP YOU WHEN YOU GET TO IT.

BUT THE REASON I'M GOING, THE REASON

[2. Christmas Mother Food Drive Donation]

UM, I SAID WHAT I THOUGHT, UM, THAT I HOPE THAT HE WOULD, UM, DO A BETTER JOB OF VETTING THE NEW ONE THAN YOU DID ON THE LAST ONE, BECAUSE, UM, HE WAS ONLY HERE SEVERAL MONTHS.

UM, I'M ASSUMING THAT YOU GOT IT.

HOWEVER, I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO ASSUME I

[00:45:01]

CAME UP IN A DIFFERENT GENERATION THAN A LOT OF YOU.

UM, AND I WAS ALWAYS TOLD THAT YOU ACKNOWLEDGED

[Requests to Postpone Agenda Items and Additions, Deletions or Changes in the]

RECEIPT OF IT.

UH, AND IF MY BOSS WAS OUT OF TOWN, YOU COULD SAY, WELL, IT'D BE BROUGHT TO HIS ATTENTION ON

[VII. Citizen Comment]

HIS RETURN.

UH, HOWEVER, UM, I GOT NO RESPONSE AND IT WOULD BE NICE IF HE COULD HAVE SAID, WELL, LAN UM, THANK YOU.

UH, AND I HOPE I'M DOING THIS NOT ONLY BECAUSE I DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE, BUT I HOPE THAT IN THE FUTURE THAT ANY CITIZEN THAT EMAILS YOU, THAT YOU WILL HAVE THE COMMON COURTESY TO AT LEAST RESPOND TO THEM AND TELL THEM YOU GOT IT.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO ANY FARTHER THAN THAT, BUT JUST LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU DID GET IT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON.

I'M WENDY HOPS.

I LIVE AT 30, 55.

TRAMPY CROSS WAY IN SANDY HOOK.

AND MR. SPOONER, HOWELL, CONGRATULATION YOU AND MR. SHARP ON YOUR NEW APPOINTMENTS AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.

I WANT TO START THIS COMMENT PERIOD, BY SAYING IT TO MR. WYNN AND THE V DOC CREW, THAT THEY DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB ADDRESSING, UM, AN EROSION PROBLEM ON MY PROPERTY.

AND I DID WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEY WERE TIMELY.

THEY WERE RESPONSIVE AND DID A GREAT JOB AND MET THE NEW SUPERINTENDENT AT OUR DISTRICT OFFICE THERE ON A SANDY HOOK ROAD.

UM, I JUST FINISHED A BOOK AND TITLE WHERE YOU ARE, IS NOT WHO YOU ARE, BUT URSULA BURNS, WHO IS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN, CEO OF XEROX.

BUT THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN CEO, A WOMAN CEO OF A FORTUNE 500 COMPANY IN THE NATION.

AND IT'S BEEN 12 YEARS SINCE SHE WAS IN THAT ROLE.

AND THERE HAS, AND SHE STILL HAS THAT DISTINGUISH, UM, ANA BEING THE ONLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN IN THAT ROLE.

ONE OF THE TAKEAWAYS FROM THAT BOOK WAS THAT YOU CAN NOT THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.

IF EVERYONE IS FROM THE SAME BOX TODAY, YOU PASS THE RESOLUTION ON DISCRIMINATION AND I COMMEND YOU FOR THAT.

HOWEVER, I HAVE TO AGREE WITH MR. LAMPKIN.

I THINK THE ISSUES THAT WERE RAISED A YEAR AND A HALF, ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY ADDRESSED, BUT I WILL SAY THAT IT IS HOPEFUL THAT THE RESOLUTION PASSED THE DAY WILL LEAD TO FURTHER DISCUSSION WITH A DIVERSE GROUP OF CITIZENS.

I'M SEEKING THE INPUT FROM CITIZENS ON HOW BEST TO MEET YOUR RESOLUTION.

IT IS A STEP IN THE FORWARD DIRECTION, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO FUTURE DISCUSSION, PARTICULARLY ON ISSUES THAT ARE GERMANE TO THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR.

SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT, PLEASE UNDERSTAND WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DID TODAY, BUT IT'S NOT A ONE AND DONE, AND WE HAVE TO KEEP THE DISCUSSIONS GOING SO THAT WE HAVE, UM, A VIEW OF DIFFERENT VIEWS AND PERSPECTIVE, AND WE HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING.

THANK YOU, MS. HOUSE.

YOU DON'T ALWAYS SAY MUCH, BUT WHEN YOU DO, IT'S ALWAYS WORTH LISTENING TO, UM, BUT I'D NOTICED THIS PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE INCLEMENT WEATHER, UH, FELLOW GOOCH, LANDERS STEPPING UP AND JUST BEING WHAT I CALL GUCCI LANDERS.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, JOHN FILLAUER 1521 MANNEQUIN ROAD.

UM, I SAW A BUMPER STICKER.

I SEE IT ON AND OFF AGAIN.

IT SAYS A BARK, LESS WAG MORE.

AND OF COURSE, I ALWAYS THINK OF MY BAGELS WHEN I SEE THAT BUMPER STICKER.

CAUSE THEY ARE IN NONSTOP TAIL WAGGERS.

UM, I HEARD SEVERAL TIMES THIS PAST WEEKEND, THE PHRASE THAT GRATITUDE IS AN UNDERRATED VALUE.

SO MS. BECKA, WAIT, SO I'M GONNA USE MY TWO MINUTES AND 53 SECONDS, UH, TO EXPRESS SOME GRATITUDE TO FOLKS HERE IN GOOCHLAND.

UM, PARTICULARLY I WANT TO SAY, MR. LUMPKINS THANK YOU FOR THE LAST YEAR.

I'M NOT SURE.

I ALWAYS SAW THE LEVITY, BUT I ALWAYS SAW A STEADY HAND UP THERE AND I APPRECIATE VERY MUCH WHAT YOU HAVE DONE THIS PAST YEAR.

AND MR. PETERSON, I'VE ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGED YOU AS THE CLARENCE THOMAS OF THE BOARD.

[00:50:01]

I MEAN, THEY HELPED EACH OTHER.

UH, I WANNA ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE MR. WYNDHAM V DON.

I LIVE ON A SECONDARY ROAD AND, UH, I WOULD SAY TWO HOURS OF THE WEATHER INTENSITY ABATING.

UH, NOT THAT I DID, BUT I COULD HAVE GOTTEN FROM POINT A TO POINT D UH, ON 6 21 7, MR. WYNN.

UM, OTHER FOLKS MAY NOT ALWAYS APPRECIATE FEED EFFORTS, BUT I CERTAINLY DID THIS PAST TIME.

I ALSO APPRECIATED, UH, DOMINION, VIRGINIA OR WHATEVER THEY GO BY THESE DAYS FOR DOMINION ENERGY.

UH, WE WERE WITHOUT POWER FOR SEVERAL DAYS, BUT IT WASN'T BECAUSE THOSE FOLKS WEREN'T OUT THERE WORKING.

I MEAN, THIS WAS, IS ACKNOWLEDGED 9,000 RESIDENCES OR LOCATIONS DIDN'T HAVE POWER.

AND SO, UM, I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT.

AND I ACTUALLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF THE LINESMEN WHO WAS TAKING THE FALLEN TREE OFF THE WIRES THAT HAD CAUSED US TO LOSE POWER.

SO, UM, I APPRECIATE WHAT THE PUBLIC UTILITY FOLKS DID.

UM, AND I ALSO APPRECIATE WHAT WAS DONE BY OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.

UH, IT'S BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED SEVERAL TIMES ALREADY THAT THEY REALLY, REALLY DID STEP UP.

AND WHILE I DIDN'T HAVE ONE OF THE LITTLE, UH, LISTENING PODS, I DID SEE CHIEF FERGUSON ATTIC GAS STATION.

AND, UM, HE LOOKED WRITTEN HARD AND PUT UP WET, BUT HE WAS STILL OUT THERE DOING WHAT HE NEEDED TO DO.

MY FINAL APPRECIATION IS FOR OUR COUNTY ATTORNEY, UH, THIS PAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR, SHE HAS UNDERTAKEN TWO FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT ENDEAVORS, BOTH WITH THE BOND REFERENDUM AND CURRENTLY WITH REDISTRICTING.

AND SO I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT SHE HAS SUFFERED THE QUESTIONS FROM VARIOUS CITIZENS, VERY TOLERANTLY, UH, AS THEY HAVE BEEN PRESENTED, BUT I DO SO MUCH APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT THE STAFF HAS DONE TO BRING THESE TWO VERY VITAL QUESTIONS TO THE FOREFRONT AND ALLOW THE, UH, UH, POPULATION TO, UH, WEIGH IN ON THOSE.

NOW I DID START LATE, SO I'M STILL WITHIN MY TWO MINUTES AT 57 SECONDS, BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN.

UH, BEST OF LUCK, MR. SPOONER, MR. SHARP.

UM, WE'LL BE WATCHING.

THANKS SO MUCH.

THANK YOU, MR. THANK YOU.

ANYONE ELSE? WE'LL CLOSE THE SYSTEM PERIOD.

ALL RIGHT, BOARD.

IT IS TIME FOR US TO APPROVE OUR ACTION MINUTES FROM OUR REGULAR MEETING.

DECEMBER 7TH.

CAN I GET A MOTION? UM, MR. CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE OUR DECEMBER 7TH MEETING MINUTES.

MICHAEL IS AT A SIX NOW BECAUSE IT'S THREE SECONDS.

I HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE.

POST HEARING NONE.

I KNEW EARLY ON, WE WERE GONNA NEED SOME ASSISTANCE FROM SOMEWHERE.

NOW WE MOVE INTO OUR REPORTS AND I DO SEE MR. MARSHALL WHEN READ THAT MR. CHAIRMAN MEMBERS OF THE BOARD CONGRATULATION, MR. SPOON HAUER, AND MR. SHARP, LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL.

IT'S KIND OF A TWO-PART THING BECAUSE DECEMBER WAS SO WARM.

YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT WE'D HAVE HAD 10 OR 12 INCHES OF SNOW IN EARLY JANUARY, BUT IN DECEMBER WE RECEIVED 109, UH, WORK ORDERS AND COMPLETED 91.

WE HAD TWO CALL OUTS.

WE WERE DOING THE SAME, YOU KNOW, THE SAME TYPE OF MAINTENANCE WORK, POTHOLE, REPAIR, UH, SHOULDER REPAIR, THAT TYPE OF WORK THAT WE ALWAYS DO.

UM, I DO WANT TO BRING UP THE, UH, STORM AS CHIEF FERGUSON SAID, HE GAVE ME A CALL, UH, DIVERSE DAY.

AND I THINK YOU REMEMBER THAT CHIEF FERGUSON, HE WAS STUCK ON SIX 15 AND HE NEEDED HELP.

SUPERINTENDENT AND OPERATOR WENT OUT THERE, CORRECT? YES, SIR.

STARTED CUTTING.

THEY CUT FOR OVER THREE HOURS TRYING TO GET TO A CITIZEN THREE HOURS.

SO I'VE BEEN WITH FOR 45 YEARS.

I'VE WORKED 200 PLUS EVENTS IN SNOW.

AND THIS ONE WAS PROBABLY RIGHT UP THERE ON THE TOP.

UH, I WAS OUT THERE ON THE FOURTH AFTER THE FIRST DAY, AND

[VIII. Approval of Action Minutes]

SO I CALLED DISTRICT STAFF AND KNEW WE COULDN'T CLEAN UP THIS DEBRIS, YOU KNOW, AFTER WE GOT IT OUT OF THE WAY.

AND TODAY, UH, CREW DID

[00:55:01]

START ON ROUTE SIX IN TWO 50 REMOVING DEBRIS.

AND THE COMPANY'S NAME IS ASH BRIT.

THE CONSULTANT COMPANY THAT DID THE ASSESSMENTS IS CALLED TETRA TECH.

AND WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? WE GO, TH THIS, THIS COMPANY HAS GO CLEAN UP ALL THE DEBRIS ON THE PRIMARIES FIRST.

THEN THEY GO

[IX. Reports]

MOVE INTO THE ZONES THAT WE'VE SHARED WITH THEM TO CLEAN UP THE DEBRIS.

AND, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M SURE THERE'S SOME LIMBS TREES REAL CLOSE TO THE EDGE OF PAVEMENT.

[1. 5250: VDOT - December 2021]

WE'VE TRIED TO PUSH THEM BACK THE BEST WE CAN, BUT IT WAS A MASSIVE ENDEAVOR TO BEGIN WITH.

UH, FIRST ROAD I WENT DOWN WAS BECAUSE OF MR. ALVAREZ SAID WHITE HALL ROAD IS A MESS, BUT I HAPPENED TO MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH, BUT IT WAS JUST A WINDING BACK AND FORTH.

AND IT WAS, IT WAS LIKE THAT PRETTY MUCH FROM FAIRGROUNDS WEST, SAME THING IN WESTERN HANOVER.

SO I HAD TO SPLIT MY TIME BETWEEN WESTERN GOOCHLAND AND HANOVER.

WE HAD THE SAME TYPE OF ISSUES, TWO DIFFERENT POWER COMPANIES TO WORK WITH RAPPAHANNOCK AND DOMINION AND VERIZON AND CENTURY LINK.

SO WE DID THE BEST WE COULD.

I EVEN MOVED SEVEN, EIGHT CREWS UP HERE IN WESTERN GOOCHLAND FOR TWO DAYS TO HELP OUT THE SANDY HOOK AREA IN ORVILLE AREA AND A COUPLE OF EXTRA CREWS IN THEM, ALL PAY AREA TO GET THE ROADS OPEN WHERE PEOPLE COULD MOVE.

SO, UM, LIKE I SAID, THIS WAS, THE STORM WAS RIGHT UP THERE.

IT WAS A PERFECT STORM.

IT RAINED, THEN ALL THE SNOW STUCK TO THE TREES, THE WIND BLEW AND EVERYTHING STARTED TOPPLING OVER.

SO JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS WE'LL WORK THROUGH.

AND I DO APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, FIRE EMS, ALL THE CITIZENS THAT HELPED IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE EVERYTHING WORK.

SO FOR ALL OF Y'ALL REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

OTHER THAN THAT, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING UNLESS Y'ALL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS.

YOU GOT A LOT GOING ON.

I AFFORD ANY QUESTIONS.

JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH TO YOU AND YOUR CREW.

IT WAS, I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.

I DIDN'T GET OUT UNTIL TUESDAY AND IT WAS DEFINITELY IMPACTFUL TO SEE.

SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR, YEAH.

I MEAN, JUST IMAGINE MY CREWS WERE ON PRIMARY SYSTEM AND THEY HAD TO STOP CUT TREES AND A TREE WOULD FALL BEHIND JUST LIKE FINDING YOUR MOUSE ST.

LOUIS.

IT WAS, WE WERE INCHING ALONG.

WE COULD NOT, WE COULDN'T WORK THIS, NO, LIKE A NORMAL SNOW.

THIS WAS VERY ABNORMAL.

SO APPRECIATE EVERYTHING I'LL DO TOO.

NOW KIND OF A FUN THING.

I ALWAYS LIKE WHEN OUR DIRECTOR OF HR GETS TO INTRODUCE US TO NEW FOLKS THAT ARE GONNA BE SERVING OUR COUNTY.

SO, UH, INTRODUCE MS. RICE, GOOD AFTERNOON, JESSICA RICE, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES.

UM, SO THESE ARE NEW STAFF THAT JOINED US IN DECEMBER.

WE'RE ALMOST A LITTLE BIT OF A MONTH BEHIND, BUT THAT'S ALL RIGHT.

UM, SO THE FIRST ONE IS DIVYA GEORGE, AND SHE HAS JOINED THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT.

UM, SHE'S A GIS ANALYST.

THIS WAS A NEWLY APPROVED POSITION AND HAS ALSO BEEN HELPING ON THE REDISTRICTING AND ALL THE OTHER FUN THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON UP THERE.

SO, UM, SHE HAS A DEGREE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING AND WAS A GIS ANALYST FOR GEO DECISIONS IN RICHMOND.

SO, UM, WE CERTAINLY WELCOME HER EXPERIENCE.

UM, NEXT WE HAVE CHRISTOPHER MEADOWS WHO JOINED THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AS A COMMERCIAL INSPECTOR FOR THE TEAM.

AND HE BRINGS 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH INSTALLATION AND INSPECTION OF HVAC SYSTEMS IN BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS.

THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS HAD A NEW IE, NINE 11 DISPATCHER JOIN THEIR TEAM, KAYLIN THOMAS, UM, CAME ON AND SHE'S A RECENT GRADUATE.

UM, AND SHE ACTUALLY FILLED A VACANCY THAT WAS LEFT DUE TO A RESIGNATION.

AND THEN ALSO IN, WE HAD, UM, SEVERAL NEW FIREFIGHTERS JOIN US AFTER, UM, SOME VACANCIES.

AND THEN WE DID A RECRUITMENT FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

SO, UM, THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THEN, BUT THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT JOINED US IN DECEMBER.

WE HAD FOUR FULL-TIME AND ONE PART-TIME.

SO I'LL SEE IF I CAN PRONOUNCE THESE CORRECTLY.

SCOTT NEWCASTLE IS A FULL-TIME FIREFIGHTER AND EMT.

UM, THURMAN TALBOT CAME ON BOARD AS A FULL-TIME FIREFIGHTER, AN EMT, JOSH WITH THORN BLOOM, SAME FULL TIME, FIREFIGHTER EMT, TYLER WILKERSON,

[2. 5249: Introduction of New County Staff]

ALSO A NEW FIREFIGHTER

[01:00:01]

EMT, AND THEN JOHN OR GAIN IS A PART-TIME FIREFIGHTER, AN EMT WHILE HE'S FINISHING UP SCHOOL.

AND THAT IS ALL OF OUR NEW STAFF FOR DECEMBER.

AND YOU HAVE THEM HERE.

THEY WERE PREPARED ON THE THIRD OR FOURTH, WHATEVER THAT WAS.

GOTCHA.

WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE HARD WORK AND HIRING THOSE GREAT FOLKS AND WELCOME THEM TO GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

AND LET'S SEE, NOW WE HAVE, UM, IN YOUR PACKETS, WE HAVE, UH, REPORTS THROUGH YOU FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION BOARDS, ZONING APPEALS, AND DESIGN REVIEW, UM, AS WELL AS THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY FOR ALL OF OUR REVIEW.

ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THOSE BOARD? ALRIGHT.

AND NOW I'LL ASK YOU IF ANYBODY HAS ANY, UH, REPORTS OUT FROM THEIR COMMITTEES, WHERE DID THEY SURVIVE? NOTHING, NOTHING DOWN THIS END.

NO, I THINK MOST OF US HAD A MEETING OFF, SO ALRIGHT.

AND NOW, UM, WE WILL MOVE INTO OUR CONSENT AGENDA.

WE HAVE SEVERAL ITEMS TO REVIEW AND THEN WE HAVE EIGHT ITEMS. DOES, IS THERE ANYONE THAT WANTS TO PULL ANY OF THE ITEMS OUT? ALL RIGHT.

SO THEN I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MR. ALVAREZ TO REVIEW THE CONSENT AGENDA.

OUR, UM, FUNDING OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT WHEN THEY PRESENTED THEIR BUDGET LAST YEAR.

THANK YOU, MR. PETERSON, FOR THOUGHTS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA IS A RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION FOR BONNIE CHRISSY.

WHO'S RETIRING AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GOSHEN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO, UH, THE RESOLUTION IS SAYING IN YOUR POCKET, THIS WILL BE PRESENTED TO HER AT A SPECIAL LUNCHEON, I BELIEVE IS NEXT WEEK.

UM, THE NEXT ITEM IS, UM, AUTHORIZATION FOR THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TO EXECUTE A FOURTH AMENDMENT, UM, WITH CENTRAL VIRGINIA WASTE MANAGEMENT TO ALLOW FOR CONTINUED PROCESSING OF OUR ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT.

UH, THE THIRD ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE RESOLUTION AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET BY BUDGETING 164,000 IN THE SCHOOL OPERATING AND TEXTBOOK FUNDS AND AUTHORIZING FUND TRANSFERS EXCEEDING 7,500.

THESE ARE JUST MOVES WITHIN THE SCHOOL BUDGET.

THE ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS, UM, A BUDGET AMENDMENT INCREASING

[3. 5228: Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals and Design Review]

AND WE APPROVED THAT, UH, THE STATE HAD NOT COMPLETED THEIR BUDGET PROCESS AND THEY HAD INCLUDED SOME PAY RAISES FOR EMPLOYEES IN THIS COVERS OUR COST SHARE OF THOSE PAY RAISES NUMBER FIVE ARTS.

UM, IT'S A BUDGET AMENDMENT AGAIN, APPROPRIATE IN 47,000 FROM THE UTILITY OPERATING FUND FUND TO ADD ONE, UH, FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT POSITION IN THE, IN UTILITIES.

AND THEN, UM, TWO ADDITIONAL POSITIONS, ONE FOR THE CLERK OF THE COURT

[X. Consent Agenda]

AND ONE FOR A FIELD TECHNICIAN.

UH, I DON'T NUMBER SIX IS A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE BUDGET BY APPROPRIATING $184,000 IN PLANNING AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR THE SMALL AREA PLANNING CONSULTING FIRM

[1. 5229: Resolution of Appreciation for Bonnie D. Creasy, Executive Director of the]

THAT HAS STARTED, UM, ANALYZING AND WILL MAKE PROPOSALS FOR ALSO IN OUR TWO MAIN VILLAGES.

NUMBER SEVEN, IT'S A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE BUDGET, UM, FOR, UM, BY $135,000 IN THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY FUND.

THIS IS TO PROVIDE EQUIPMENT ON OUR LIGHTS,

[2. 5244: Authorization for County Administrator to Execute Fourth Amendment to]

OUR TRAFFIC LIGHTS TO ALLOW, UH, EMERGENCY SERVICES, TO PREEMPT THE LIGHTS AND MOVE THROUGH THEM MORE, MORE RAPIDLY.

AND THE LAST ONE IS A RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT REVISION OF THE REVENUE SHARE FOR THE FAIRGROUND ROAD EXTENSION TO, UM, ADJUST THE R UH, MATCH AMOUNT

[3. 5245: Resolution amending the Fiscal Year 2022 Goochland County Budget by]

FOR THE COST OF THE PROJECT.

ANY, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE SIDE, ITEMS, BOARD, ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. ALVAREZ? OKAY.

AND WE CAN, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO .

[4. 5233: Resolution amending the Fiscal Year 2022 Goochland County Budget by]

WE ADOPT THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS WITH ONE CHANGE IN THE, IN THE RESOLUTION.

IF YOU COULD JUST REMOVE THE EXTRA PERIOD IN THE FIRST, WHEREAS BEFORE YOU PRINT IT AND THE RESOLUTION FROM IS CRAZY.

THERE'S JUST ALL LIKE A LITTLE OKAY.

TYPO IN THE FIRST.

WHEREAS IF YOU FIX THAT, EVERYTHING ELSE LOOKS GOOD, BUT I DO HAVE, I DO HAVE A QUESTION

[01:05:01]

ON JUST REMIND ME OF THE NUMBERS ON THE LAST ITEM, MR. ALVAREZ, ON, ON THE, UH,

[5. 5227: Resolution amending the Fiscal Year 2022 Goochland County Budget by]

ON THE FAIRGROUND ROAD EXTENSION, WE ARE READING YOU A SECOND AGAIN.

EMOTION EMOTIONS.

YEP.

I'LL SECOND.

THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.

THEREFORE WE NEED TO IDENTIFY THE NEED TO IDENTIFY.

THANK YOU, MR. SHARP.

SORRY.

NOW YOU WOULD LIKE, UM,

[6. 5234: Resolution amending the Fiscal Year 2022 Goochland County Budget by]

NEVERMIND.

I'VE SEEN FUNDS DO NOT NEED TO BE ALLOCATED AT THIS TIME APPROPRIATE ON THE CRIER FUTURE BOARD ACTION.

CLARIFY THAT QUESTION.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

EX CHAIRMAN, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS MS. RODRIGUEZ? ALL RIGHT.

[7. 5232: Resolution amending the Fiscal Year 2022 Goochland County Budget by]

HEARING NONE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSED, UH, MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. PLEASE SEE THE FIVE REPLIES BY SAYING AYE.

AYE.

OPPOSED HEARING NONE MOTION PASSES.

GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. CHAIRMAN MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

NEW BUSINESS MOVING RIGHT ALONG AND WE WILL TURN IT OVER TO MS. HORLOCKER.

[8. 5230: Fairground Road Extension resolution to support revision to Revenue Share]

UM, GO AHEAD, MR. ALVAREZ, AND WE WERE GOING TO REQUEST, WOULD YOU LIKE TO, WE'VE HAD A REQUEST FOR A FIVE MINUTE BREAK, MR. CHAIRMAN.

UM, I'M A GIVING PERSON, SO YEAH, I'LL GIVE YOU, I'LL GIVE YOU A SEVEN BIG, BIG HAND ON THE THREE, EVERYBODY.

I WANT TO TAKE A FIVE MINUTE RECESS.

SEVEN MINUTES.

[XI. New Business]

[01:14:56]

I THINK THIS IS WHERE I WAS BEFORE WE, UH, TOOK A BREAK.

BIG HANDS ON THE THREE.

THANK YOU EVERYBODY.

[01:15:03]

BOND ISSUANCE RESOLUTION.

SO HOW DID WE, SO, UM, OVER THE PAST 10 OR SO YEARS, THE COUNTY HAS PURSUED A POLICY OF PAYING DOWN THEIR EXISTING DEBT.

UM, AND THE COUNTY ALSO WORKED TO OBTAIN THREE AAA CREDIT RATINGS.

AND YOU AS A BOARD APPROVED A CIP THAT INCLUDED FOR THAT FOR FUNDED PROJECTS OVER THE NEXT YEAR, OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

SO THE CURRENCY IP THAT WAS, UM, ADOPTED LAST SPRING, UM, HAS FOR THAT FUNDED PROJECTS.

NOW, THIS IS THE AMOUNT THAT IS DEBT FUNDED IS NOT THE TA.

IT MAY NOT BE THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE PROJECT.

SO WE HAVE THE GOOCHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 40.8, THE NEW COURTHOUSE AT 28 MILLION WEST CREEK FIRE STATION AT 8.2 MILLION AND ADDITIONS RENOVATIONS TO THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL OF 18.9 MILLION DEBT FUNDED.

THEN WE HAD A REFERENDUM, UM, WHICH WE POINTED OUT THIS MORNING WAS, UM, OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVED BY OUR CITIZENS AND IT INCLUDED $60 MILLION FOR SCHOOL PROJECTS AND 36 MILLION FOR COUNTY PROJECTS.

RECENTLY WE'VE MET WITH OUR FINANCIAL DECIDE, UH, ADVISOR TO DECIDE THE STRUCTURE OF THE DEBT.

UM, MR. PETERSON WAS INVOLVED IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND, UM, WE, UM, NEEDED TO DECIDE THINGS LIKE THE TERMS AND THE END AND, UM, THE LENGTH OF TIME, THINGS LIKE THAT.

UM, WE ALSO MET WITH THE RATING AGENCIES AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HEAR IN THE NEXT DAY OR TWO, ALTHOUGH WE'RE TRIPLE A RATED AS A COUNTY, UM, WHEN YOU ISSUE GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT, THEY SPECIFICALLY RATE THAT DEBT.

UM, WE MET WITH THEM, WE GOT EVERY INDICATION THAT THEY WOULD RATE OUR DEBT.

UM, VERY FAVORABLY.

UM, MOST OF THEM SAID THEY SAW NO REASON TO CHANGE THE AAA RATINGS.

[1. 5208: Resolution providing for the Issuance, Sale, and Award of Goochland]

SO WE'RE WAITING TO HEAR FROM THOSE ON THOSE AND THE NEXT DAY OR TWO.

UM, AND SO THE STEPS REMAINING TO ISSUE DEBT WOULD BE TO, UM, PASS A RESOLUTION TODAY AND THEN, UM, ISSUE THE DEBT SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY.

THE, UM, AND WHY WOULD WE ISSUE DEBT NOW? UM, WE STILL, EVEN THOUGH RATES ARE GOING UP, WE'RE STILL IN A REALLY FAVORABLE RATE ENVIRONMENT.

UM, THE PROJECTS ARE NEEDED SOON AND PRELIMINARY WORK HAS BEGUN.

I'M ONE OF THE PROJECTS.

SO NOW, UM, WE'VE GOTTEN SOME NEWS RECENTLY THAT PROJECTS ARE COMING IN WAY OVER BUDGET.

WE WE'VE HEARD THIS FROM SURROUNDING LOCALITIES, WE'VE EXPERIENCED SOME OF IT OURSELVES.

UM, AND, UM, IT'S FUNNY.

CAUSE IF WE HAD MET ON JANUARY 4TH, WE WOULD HAVE PASSED THIS RESOLUTION AND NEVER THOUGHT ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

UM, BUT BECAUSE IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS WE'VE GOTTEN SOME MORE NEWS.

WE'VE GOTTEN SOME MORE INFORMATION.

WE, UM, WE THINK THE SCHOOL, WE THINK THE COUNTY NEEDS A LITTLE MORE FLEXIBILITY AND HOW THAT WOULD LOOK IS, UM, YOU HAVE AN AMENDED RESOLUTION IN FRONT OF YOU.

IT HAS, IT'S BEEN RED LINE.

IT HAS A VERY FEW CHANGES FROM THE ORIGINAL RESOLUTION, BUT THE ORIGINAL RESOLUTION HAD A MAXIMUM ISSUANCE AMOUNT OF $49 MILLION.

AND THAT WAS TO BE ALLOCATED 40.8 TO SCHOOLS AND 8.2 MILLION TO THE COUNTY.

AND WE HAVE TO STICK WITHIN THOSE COUNTY SCHOOLS BUDGET BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE RESOLUTION WAS PASSED.

THE AMENDED RESOLUTION HAS A MAXIMUM ISSUANCE AMOUNT OF 54 MILLION.

SO THAT'S A $5 MILLION DIFFERENCE.

UM, THE SCHOOL PORTION INCREASED TO 45.8 MILLION FROM 40.8 MILLION.

SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE ONLY CHANGE THE COUNTY SIDE STAYED THE SAME.

UM, AND WHY, WHY DID WE THINK ABOUT DOING THIS WHILE WE'RE STILL WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THE RESOLUTION? UM, IT JUST GIVES THE COUNTY A LITTLE MORE FLEXIBILITY IN THE TIME OF RISING PROJECT COSTS.

IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE HAVE TO USE THAT MONEY, UM, FOR THOSE PROJECTS BECAUSE ULTIMATELY THOSE PROJECTS HAVE A BUDGET.

YOU HAVE APPROPRIATED AND UNLESS YOU APPROPRIATE MORE MONEY TO THEM, UM, THE PROJECT AMOUNT DOES NOT CHANGE.

SO IT DOES NOT CHANGE THE AMOUNT THAT'S PROJECT THAT IS BUDGETED FOR THE PROJECTS.

IT DOES GIVE US SOME EXTRA WHAT WE CALL DEBT, PROCEEDS SOME EXTRA CASH, WHICH WE CAN HANG ON TO BASICALLY,

[01:20:02]

AND THEN USE AT OUR OWN NEED DISCRETION.

UM, WHATEVER IT, UM, WOULD STILL COUNT AGAINST THE REFERENDUM.

SO IF WE, UM, GO TO THE 45.8 IN THE SCHOOL PORTION, THAT'LL BE SUBTRACTED FROM THEIR 60.

SO IT WOULD REDUCE WHAT COULD BE ISSUED IN THE FUTURE.

IF IT GETS APPROPRIATED TO THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, THAT'S ONE OPTION, OR IF IT DOESN'T GET SPENT FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, IT COULD THEN BE APPLIED TO THE NEXT PROJECT OR THE, UM, THE HIGH SCHOOL.

SO, UM, IT DOESN'T REALLY CHANGE ANYTHING.

UH, IN TERMS OF THE CURRENT PROJECTS, IT JUST GIVES US A LITTLE MORE FLEXIBILITY IN THE AMOUNT OF CASH WE WOULD HAVE.

WE CAN HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSIONS DOWN THE ROAD.

UM, ULTIMATELY THE BOARD STILL NEEDS TO, UM, DECIDE TO APPROPRIATE ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO A PROJECT.

IT JUST MEANS WE GET A LITTLE BIT, WE BORROW A LITTLE MORE UPFRONT THAN WE HAD ORIGINALLY THOUGHT WE WOULD.

UH, AND THOSE ARE THE MAIN POINTS.

UM, I THINK, UM, I WILL LET MR. PETERSON ADD ANYTHING THAT HE FEELS COULD HAVE HELPED FOR THIS.

SURE.

THANK YOU, MS. LACQUER.

UH, YOU DID A GREAT JOB OF GIVING US THE OVERVIEW AND THE BACKGROUND.

UM, THIS INDEED HAS BEEN ABOUT A TENURE TRACK.

UM, AND DURING THOSE 10 YEARS WE HAVE DONE TWO COMPREHENSIVE DEBT RESTRUCTURINGS ON THE TCSD DEBT, AND WE'VE DONE THREE CREDIT RATINGS ON THE GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT, AND IT PASSED THE REF REFERENDUM.

AS YOU MENTIONED, THE REFERENDUM WAS FOR ABOUT $96 MILLION.

AND WE'RE PROPOSING TO ISSUE ABOUT HALF OF THAT.

NOW FUND A COUPLE OF PROJECTS, MANAGE THOSE, UM, CAPABLY AND THEN DIGEST THE DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS AND THE PROJECTS THEMSELVES.

BEFORE WE BEGIN, THE SECOND HALF OF THIS, THE RATING AGENCIES ARE AWARE OF THE ENTIRE AMOUNT, THE 96 MILLION.

SO THIS 40 TO $50 MILLION, UH, IS REALLY JUST PART WAY TO DOING WHAT WE SET OUT TO DO.

UM, THE, UH, RESOLUTION BEFORE US TODAY IS TO CONSIDER APPROVING THE SALE OF THE BONDS.

UM, BEFORE WE DO THAT, I'LL JUST TOUCH ON SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS PERHAPS OF THE BONDS THEMSELVES TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS YOU, YOU MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE.

UM, THE RESOLUTION, UM, HAS SOME FLEXIBILITY BUILT IN, IN TERMS OF, UM, CAPS AND MINIMUMS AND MAXIMUMS. FOR INSTANCE, THERE'S A, UH, A, UH, TH THE YIELD ON THE BONDS HAS TO BE LESS THAN 4%.

THE, UH, THE PRINCIPAL HAS TO BE, UH, AT LEAST 98% OF PAR.

UM, THE TERM HAS TO BE NO GREATER THAN, UH, 28 YEARS.

UM, WE HAVE UP TO THIS CALENDAR YEAR TO GO IN, GO AHEAD AND DO THE ISSUANCE.

UM, SO THERE'S, THERE'S SOME RANGES AND CAPS AND FLEXIBILITY BUILT IN ON PURPOSE BECAUSE THE MARKETS ARE A MOVING TARGET AT THIS POINT, BOTH THE INTEREST RATES AND THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS, UH, JUST A LOT OF MOVING PIECES HERE.

AND SO WE NEED TO PREPARE SOME FLEXIBILITY, TRYING TO NAIL THESE THINGS DOWN IS KIND OF LIKE TRYING TO NAIL JELLO TO A WALL.

HE JUST IT'S, IT'S HARD TO DO, BUT WE'RE BUILDING IN SOME FLEXIBILITY.

SO SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS IN THE DEAL ITSELF, SOMETIMES SOME PEOPLE ASK ME, WELL, CAN WE REFINANCE THIS DEBT IF WE NEED TO DOWN THE ROAD, UM, THE BONDS HAVEN'T BEEN ISSUED YET, BUT GENERALLY YOU CAN REFINANCE IT AFTER ABOUT HALF OF THE LIFE.

SO IF IT'S A 20 YEAR, YOU CAN REFINANCE GENERALLY AFTER ABOUT 10, IF IT'S A 30 AFTER 15, THAT KIND OF THING.

UM, WHEN SOME PEOPLE ASK, UM, IS THIS IT FOR THE BOARD? THIS IS THE LAST THING THE BOARD WILL HAVE TO DO IN TERMS OF TAKING ACTION TO PERMIT THE SALE, TO GO FORWARD.

THIS WON'T NEED TO COME BACK AND BE REVISITED FOR ANY ADDITIONAL DECISIONS, AS LONG AS THERE'S NO MATERIAL CHANGES.

SOME HAVE ALSO ASKED, UH, WHAT ARE WE PLEDGING IN TERMS OF COLLATERAL AND THAT KIND OF THING.

UM, THESE ARE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS, AND THEY ARE SECURED BY THE FULL FAITH AND CREDIT OF THE COUNTY, THE ENTIRE COUNTY, NOT JUST A DISTRICT.

AND WE'VE, UM, THE ONLY THING WE'RE REALLY PLEDGING IS THAT IF THERE'S INSUFFICIENT FUNDS IN THE GENERAL ACCOUNT ASSETS, THAT WE WOULD, UH, UH, LEVY AND ADDITIONAL TAX, THE PROCEEDS OF WHICH WOULD BE DEDICATED TOWARDS EVERY PAYMENT.

UM, SO THAT'S REALLY, THE ONLY PLEDGE WAS TO, IF WE NEED TO RAISE TAXES, TO PAY THE DEBT BACK.

NOW, THESE PROCEEDS IS, AS YOU HEARD, CAN NOT BE CO-MINGLED WITH THE COUNTY ASSETS.

THESE ARE SPECIFICALLY FOR THESE PROJECTS AND THESE PROJECTS ALONE, AND CAN'T BE COMMINGLED OR USED FOR ANOTHER PURPOSE.

UM, THEN THERE'S ALSO, I GET ASKED SOMETIMES, WHAT ABOUT IF WE DON'T PAY WHAT'S THE REMEDIES FOR NON-PAYMENT AND FOR THE REMEDIES? UM, THE, UH, REMEDIES ARE TH TH TH THE BOND HOLDERS CAN EITHER PETITION THE COURT TO FORCE US TO RAISE TAXES AND PAY THE DEBT, WHICH WE'VE ALREADY PLEDGED TO DO, UM, OR THEY COULD, UM, WELL, THEY CAN NOTIFY THE GOVERNOR AND SAY, THIS, THIS JURISDICTION WITHIN YOUR, WITHIN VIRGINIA IS, IS NOT MAKING THEIR PAYMENTS.

CAN YOU MAKE THEM MAKE THE PAYMENTS? AND THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO REDIRECT, UM, ANY STATE AID THAT MIGHT BE COMING TO THE COUNTY TOWARD THE DEBT REPAYMENT AS WELL.

SO THOSE ARE

[01:25:01]

REALLY THE, THE, UM, THE REMEDIES THAT THE BOND HOLDERS MIGHT HAVE IN TERMS OF, UH, NONPAYMENT.

THEN, UH, THE PROCESS THERE'S USUALLY THREE OF TWO OR THREE PROCESSES.

YOU COULD FOLLOW EITHER A DIRECT PLACEMENT OR NEGOTIATED SALE OR A AUCTION.

UH, RIGHT NOW WE'RE CONTEMPLATING GOING OUT WITH A, A COMPETITIVE BID, UM, HAVE A DUTCH AUCTION TYPE APPROACH TO GET THE BEST PRICING ON THE BONDS.

AND THEN WE'VE TALKED ALSO ABOUT THE AMENDED AMOUNT FROM MAYBE 49 MILLION TO 54 MILLION.

SO THAT'S TO ACCOMMODATE THE INFLATION AND SOME OF THE FLEXIBILITY THAT WE'VE ENCOUNTERED FOR THE NEW INFORMATION.

SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THOSE SALIENT TERMS. I WANTED THE BOARD JUST TO BE AWARE OF SOME OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS THAT YOU'RE BEING ASKED TO CONSIDER HERE TODAY.

UM, I'VE ALSO BEEN ASKED, YOU KNOW, WHY'D, YOU BOTHER GETTING THE AAA RATINGS, WHY DON'T YOU GO TO THE AGENCIES? UH, THE LAST MAJOR IT BOND ISSUANCE THAT THE COUNTY DID WAS THE TACOMA CREEK SERVICE DISTRICT DEBT.

AND WHEN WE ISSUED THAT DEBT, THERE WAS SOME DOCUMENTATION TO GO ALONG WITH IT.

AND I BROUGHT SOME SHOW INTEL BECAUSE A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS.

THIS WAS THE DOCUMENTATION FOR THAT DEBT, THAT THE COUNTY ISSUES, WHEN WE DID NOT HAVE A CREDIT RATING, NOW THAT WE HAVE A AAA CREDIT RATING IN GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS, THIS IS THE DOCUMENTATION THAT WE'RE BEING ASKED TO PROVIDE.

THAT GIVES YOU JUST A VISUAL OF THE DIFFERENCE.

THIS IS BASICALLY SAYING BANOS WILL BUY IT BASED ON JUST THIS INFORMATION, AS OPPOSED TO NEEDING ALL OF THIS.

UM, SO THERE IS SOME BENEFIT TO THE COUNTY.

THIS IS A HISTORIC EVENT IN THAT THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME THE COUNTY HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO ACCESS THE CAPITAL MARKETS ON A DIRECT BASIS, RATHER THAN GOING THROUGH THE VRA, WHICH WE HAD TO DO BEFORE, AND THAT'LL SAVE THE COUNTY MONEY AS WELL.

SO WITH THAT, I'LL PAUSE AND OPEN IT UP AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS ON THE BOARD, UH, AND MAKE SURE THAT I STAYED IN LEGAL BOUNDS IF, AND WHEN WE DO CONSIDER THE RESOLUTION, UM, WHAT'S IN WRITING IS WHAT YOU'RE BEING ASKED TO APPROVE.

SO EVERYTHING THAT I'VE SAID WAS JUST A HELPFUL, HELPFUL SET OF HINTS, BUT DOESN'T CHANGE THE DEAL AT ALL.

SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO BY THE LETTER OF THE LAW RESOLUTION, AS OPPOSED TO MY CHARACTERIZATION OF IT.

SO THE HUMAN SABRINA SAID, MR. CHAIRMAN, I GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS MAYBE DIRECTED TO EITHER EITHER OF YOU, UM, A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT YOU SAID WHAT'S IN WRITING.

SO I'M ONLINE AND I'M LOOKING AT OUR AGENDA ON THE PACKET, AND THAT'S NOT.

SO SOMEBODY'S LOOKING AT WHAT'S ONLINE RIGHT NOW.

IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, OUR PACKET OR ELECTRONIC PACKET.

SO WHAT WE HAVE HAS BEEN PUT IN FRONT OF US WITH THE, WITH THE RED LINES, RIGHT? IN OTHER WORDS, THESE TWO THINGS ARE KIND OF HOT OFF THE PRESS.

THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT IN OUR ONLINE PACKET, SO WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT AT 40, 40, UH, 49 WE'RE AT 54.

CORRECT.

LINE THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, IT SAYS A MAXIMUM OF, SO IT'S NO GREATER THAN, SO IT'S ANYTHING UP TO, SO WE'RE NOT REQUIRED AT ALL TO ISSUE THE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE.

NOW YOU, YOU MADE A COMMENT THAT I THOUGHT WAS EXACTLY SPOT ON BASED ON WHAT WE HEARD THIS MORNING WITH THE SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, GETTING INFORMATION ON FRIDAYS THAT IT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, $15 MILLION IS THE DELTA BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, FOR THE, FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

SO, BUT WE HAVE A COUNTY SIDE OF THIS THINGS WITH PUBLIC SAFETY COMPONENT WITH COURTHOUSE AND SOME, UH, SOME OTHER, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY COMPONENTS.

SO, AND YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT FLEXIBILITY AS THIS IS GIVING US SOME, SOME I AGREE NEEDED FLEXIBILITY.

SO IT LOOKS LIKE WE WENT UP 5 MILLION FROM THE 49 TO 54, BUT WE ONLY DID THAT ON THE SCHOOL SIDE.

AND WHAT REALLY CAUGHT ME WAS YOU'RE SAYING, IF WE'D HAVE TAKEN THIS ABOUT, ON JANUARY 4TH, WE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY ROLLED ON THROUGH AS THIS THING WAS WRITTEN BEFORE.

RIGHT? SO WHAT IF, AND THIS IS THE EMBEDDED IN MY QUESTION IS HOW FAR ALONG ARE WE ON THE COURTHOUSE PROJECT AND THESE OTHER THINGS, BECAUSE WHAT IF WE DON'T WANT TO SAY COME SUMMER OR FALL OF THIS YEAR? YOU KNOW, THE SAME KIND OF THING.

IF WE WERE TO TAKE IN THE VOTE, YOU KNOW, IN SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR, WE WOULD HAVE DONE THIS DIFFERENTLY.

SO I, I JUST DID SOME QUICK NUMBERS.

THE 8.2, IF WE UPPED UP TO ABOUT THE SAME PERCENTAGE, THE 8.2 MILLION ON OUR SIDE WOULD TAKE US TO 9.18.

IS THERE A REASON WE SHOULDN'T BUILD IN SOME FLEXIBILITY AND TAKE THE COUNTY SIDE UP AS NOW, I'M GOING TO ANSWER MY OWN QUESTION THAT WE KNOW THAT PROJECTS ARE NOT ENTIRELY COMPARABLE.

AND WE HEARD SOME THINGS ABOUT SITE CHALLENGES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT WE KNOW AGAIN, TALKING ABOUT AT OUR EARLY MEETINGS, THE KNOWNS, WE KNOW PRICES ARISING.

WE KNOW WE'RE LIKELY TO HAVE SOME SIMILAR, UM, SOME SIMILAR CHALLENGES OF PRICE PRESSURES.

SO I'M JUST KIND OF ASKING, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF YOUR SAYING, GOSH, JUST THE TIMING A FEW WEEKS EARLIER, WE WOULDN'T HAVE MADE THIS CHANGE.

SO LET'S LOOK AHEAD A LITTLE BIT AND MIGHT, WE WANT TO HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE IN THIS FIRST ROUND WHILE INTEREST RATES ARE PROBABLY LOWER.

I DON'T KNOW WHEN WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK AROUND TO IT, BUT WE KNOW INTEREST RATES ARE RISING.

AND SO IS THERE A DOWNSIDE TO MAYBE BUMPING UP A LITTLE BIT ON THE 8.2 ON THE COUNTY SIDE? YEAH.

THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO REAL DOWNSIDE HERE, UH, IN, WELL, I SHOULDN'T SAY THAT, UM, WITH WHAT YOU SEE IN THAT RESOLUTION, IN THAT TOP

[01:30:01]

THE 54, THAT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT, IT'S AN AUTHORIZATION OF UP TO A MAXIMUM.

SO WHEN WE GET MORE DETAILED INFORMATION, AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE PROJECT, WE'LL KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH WE MAY OR MAY NOT NEED, BUT THAT, THAT INCREASE IS STILL WITHIN THE, ON THE SCHOOL SIDE OF THE REFERENDUM.

THE REFERENDUM FOR THE SCHOOLS WAS A 60 MILLION AUTHORIZATION FROM THE CITIZENS.

SO GOING FROM 40.8 TO 44.8, UH, WE'RE 45.8, WHATEVER YOU UP TO ABOUT 5 MILLION ON THE SCHOOL SIDE, I'M JUST SAYING, WHY DON'T WE UP IT ON THE COUNTY SIDE AT THIS POINT AS WELL, JUST THE AUTHORIZATION.

AND I KNOW THAT WOULD, BECAUSE WE UP THE WHOLE TOP LINE NUMBER, WE'VE UPPED IT TO 50 FROM 49 TO 54, BUT WE DEDICATED THAT WHOLE INCREASE TO THE SCHOOL SIDE OF IT.

WHY NOT ADD A LITTLE BIT OF FLEXIBILITY AND INCREASE THE TOP LINE NUMBER, BUT PUT A COMPARABLE UPSIDE ON THE COUNTY SIDE.

WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT.

UM, IT'S A DEEPER, WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT.

AND I'D LIKE TO HEAR WHAT THE REST OF THE BOARD'S THOUGHTS ON THAT ARE, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT VERY EASILY.

BUT, UM, AS WE, AS WE DIG DEEPER INTO THE BUCKETS, THERE'S LESS AND LESS FOR THE FUTURE PROJECTS, AS WELL AS YOU CAN UNDERSTAND, THIS IS ONLY THE, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING, I WANT TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS ONLY THE AUTHORITY TO GO AS HIGH IN THIS FIRST ROUND, RIGHT? YES, YES, YES.

WE CERTAINLY CAN DO THAT.

UM, IT'S EASY ENOUGH TO DO WHAT YOU DO IS CHANGE THE NUMBER FROM 54 TO 55, AND YOU GOT A MILLION ON THE OTHER SIDE.

UM, BARBIE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO WEIGH ON THIS AT ALL.

IT'S EASY ENOUGH JUST TO CHANGE THE NUMBER WE COULD DO THAT, AND IT WON'T REALLY CHANGE THE MARKETABILITY OF THE DEAL.

I DON'T THINK THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD IS THAT IT STARTING OUT AS A SMALLER PROJECT, SHOULD WE HAVE COST OVERRUNS? THEY WOULDN'T AMOUNT TO THE WHAT WORKS BY THINKING WE MIGHT HAVE IN THE SCHOOLS.

SO, SO WE CAN SPEND MORE CASH TOO.

SO IF WE HAD TO PUT ANOTHER 800,000 AND SHOE TO THE FIRE STATION, WE COULD DO THAT A LOT MORE EASILY THAN WE COULD PUT ANOTHER 12 MILLION INTO THE SCHOOLS.

UM, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A SMALLER NUMBER IF IT, IF IT RUNS OVER 10% AND IT'S ANOTHER 800,000, WE DO HAVE CASH RESERVES.

UM, SO, SO THAT THE BORROWING ISN'T THE ONLY FLEXIBILITY WE HAVE, I GUESS, IS WHAT I'M SAYING.

LET ME REPHRASE THE QUESTION MAYBE.

AND YOU'RE HELPING ME WITH YOUR RESPONSES.

WELL, JUST, I GUESS I WOULD REPHRASE IT.

WHY, WHY ARE WE ADDING THE FLEXIBILITY ONLY ON THE SCHOOL'S SIDE NOW VERSUS ADDING FLEXIBILITY ON BOTH SIDES? UH, THE SHORT ANSWER IS THAT'S THE INFORMATION THAT WE GOT WAS ON THE SCHOOL SIDE.

WE DON'T HAVE ANY UPDATED INFORMATION ON THE OTHER SIDE.

BUT, BUT THE SCARY PART IS THREE WEEKS AGO, WE WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN THIS.

SO WHERE ARE WE IN TERMS OF OUR PROJECTS ON THE FIRE STATION AND THE COURTHOUSE THAT I DON'T WANT TO BE, YOU KNOW, KICKING OURSELVES LATER WHEN WE GET SOME INFORMATION THAT WE DON'T WANT AND WE DIDN'T GIVE OURSELVES FLEXIBILITY.

YEAH, I LOOK, IT'S A GOOD, IT'S A GOOD POINT AGAIN, THAT IF IT'S A COUPLE OF HUNDRED THOUSAND VERSUS 10 OR 12 MILLION IT'S ORDER OF MAGNITUDE, I GUESS, BUT THE POINT IS STILL VALID AND THE CONCEPT IS, IS STILL VALID FOR BOTH PROJECTS THAT WE KNOW THERE'S INFLATION OUT THERE.

WE KNOW PRICES ARE GOING UP, BUT WE HAVE SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THE ONE SIDE, DON'T HAVE SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THE OTHER, I GUESS IS PART OF THAT.

CAN I PUSH THAT MAY HELP AT LEAST FROM THE INTAKE, WHAT ARE THE THOUGHTS OF THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS? WHEN I, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, BARBARA, I USED THE ANALOGY OF A HOUSE, RIGHT? WHEN WE WENT FOR THE BOND REFERENDUM THAT WAS GOING TO THE BANK TO GET PRE-APPROVED FOR YOUR LOAN.

SO NOW WE'RE SAYING, OKAY, WE GOT PRE-APPROVED FOR A LARGE AMOUNT AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE, SO THIS IS MORE LIKE A HOME EQUITY LINE OF CREDIT.

SO WE WOULD TAKE PORTIONS OF THAT, WHERE I'M NOT SPENDING IT YET.

MY QUESTION IS, WHEN DO WE START PAYING IT BACK? AND THAT'S, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

I THINK THE DEBT SERVICE STARTS JULY, JULY.

SO ONE OF THE ANSWERS IS IF WE'RE NOT READY TO BUILD THESE PROJECTS AND SPEND THE MONEY WE'RE PAYING INTEREST, IS THAT RIGHT WHERE WE'D BE PAYING INTEREST ON STUFF THAT'S SITTING IN OUR BANK.

I'M SURE WE'RE NOT MAKING AS MUCH THERE.

IT TO, YEAH, IT DOESN'T REALLY ALLOW IT.

INTEREST IS PAID SEMI-ANNUALLY AND THERE'S A DEBT SERVICE OF PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST MADE ANNUALLY OVER THE LIFE.

AT LEAST THAT'S THE CONTEMPLATION.

WE HAVEN'T ISSUED THE BOND YET.

SO IT SEEMS LIKE ONE OF THE REASONS YOU WANT TO BE CLOSE IS SO THAT YOU'RE NOT PAYING INTEREST ON MONEY.

YOU'RE NOT USING IT.

SURE.

THE COUNTERPOINT IS RIGHT.

WHEN IS THE MONEY IS A RATE IS LOWER NOW.

AND I GUESS, I GUESS PROBABLY THE SIMPLE ANSWER IS WE DON'T NEED THE FLEXIBILITY BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE INFORMATION THAT WOULD WARRANT US.

BUT THEN AGAIN, WE'RE NOT READY TO BITE OFF ANOTHER 15 MILLION TO BUILD A SCHOOL EITHER.

NO.

AND THEN, I MEAN, THIS, THIS DOESN'T MAKE A NECESSARY TO, SO, AND, AND YOU'RE RIGHT.

THIS WOULDN'T EVEN ALLOW

[01:35:01]

IT JUST ALLOWS US TO SPEND MORE MONEY ON THE FRONT END.

MS. LAST MONTH, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? OKAY.

OH, I WAS JUST GOING TO MAKE A COMMENT ON THE COUNTY SIDE, THE PUBLIC SAFETY USE OF THIS REFERENDUM, THE REFERENDUM THAT WE APPROVED IS THE FIRE STATION AND THE COURTHOUSE.

SO IF WE UP THE FIRE STATION, LET'S SAY BY A MILLION, THAT'S A MILLION LESS ON THE COURTHOUSE, RIGHT.

THAT WE COULD SPENT BASED ON THE REP, WHAT WAS APPROVED IN REFERENDUM, BARRING US GETTING SOME EXTRA MONEY SOMEWHERE ELSE ANYWAY.

WE ARE INTENTIONALLY KIND OF BUILDING IN TO SAY, WE, WE MAKE IT BETTER INFORMATION TOMORROW AND THE NEXT DAY OR NEXT WEEK OR THE WEEK AFTER, IT'S JUST, IT'S A MOVING TARGET.

SO, I MEAN, THESE ARE, THESE ARE ESTIMATES LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE.

UM, I MEAN, I JUST WOULD BE INCLINED TO JUST STICK WITH WHAT WE HAVE AT THIS POINT AND NOT PAY INTEREST ON SOMETHING.

CAUSE WE'RE NOT READY TO START THE FIRE STATION QUITE YET.

LET'S, DON'T PAY INTEREST ON SOMETHING THAT WE'RE NOT DOING RIGHT NOW.

MR. SHARP.

I, MY THOUGHT WAS ONLY THAT, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE TO SPEND MORE ON THE FIRE STATION NOW WE'VE GOT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BUILD A COURTHOUSE FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

SO WE'VE GOT TIME TO IDENTIFY AND PUT CASH INTO THAT PROJECT, KNOWING THAT WE MAY HAVE TO ADD FOUR OR 5 MILLION INTO IT BECAUSE CRISIS PRICES AREN'T GOING TO GO UP.

UM, SO I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IN THAT THE COSTS LIKELY WILL BE HIGHER, BUT I THINK IT'S A SMALL ENOUGH AMOUNT RELATIVE TO THIS PROJECT IS ONE IS 15% OF THE SCHOOL, UH, PROJECT.

SO I THINK THE CASH THAT WE'D HAVE TO PUT IN, WE PROBABLY HAVE ACCESS TO THAT NOW THAT WE'RE HOLDING THAT WE COULD PUT INTO THAT PROJECT AND IT'S NOWHERE NEAR AS MUCH.

SO AT FIRST I WAS THINKING, IT'S A GOOD IDEA, BUT I THINK THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IS GOING TO BE NEGLIGIBLE IN COMPARISON.

SO I THINK WE CAN, I WOULD SAY, GO AHEAD WITH WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE AND IF WE HAVE TO IDENTIFY MORE CASH ON THE EMS SIDE, THEN WE CAN PULL THAT OUT OF A HAT.

NO, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.

SO, AND YOU JUST SAID, GO WITH WHAT WE HAVE HERE WOULD BE THE REVISIONS, THE RECENT REVISIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE, UPPING IT BY 5 MILLION, THE TOTAL, THE UPPER LINE AND ALL ALL ON THE SCHOOL SIDE.

WELL, SUSAN, IF, IF WE'RE SAYING THAT WE DON'T WANT TO PAY MORE, IF THE LOGIC IS WE DON'T WANT TO PAY MORE INTEREST, WHY LET ME BACK UP, WHAT IS THE TIMING THAT THE DECISION HAS TO BE MADE BECAUSE WHERE WE'RE MAKING THE LAST BOARD DECISION, BUT THEN THERE'S GOING TO BE A DECISION MADE BY COUNTY LEADERSHIP, OBVIOUSLY CONSULTING WITH US, BUT WE WILL HAVE PUT IN PLACE THE PARAMETERS OF WHICH YOU CAN GO FORWARD.

WHEN IS THE DECISION THAT YOU ALL ARE GONNA MAKE? LIKE, OKAY, WE, WE HAVE AUTHORITY TO GO TO A 45.8, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT WE DON'T NEED TO BECAUSE, BECAUSE THE ISSUE I HAVE IS WHERE WE HAVEN'T AGREED TO TAKE ON THIS EXTRA COMPONENT OF THE SCHOOL YET, THE SCHOOLS STILL ARE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE 25% OF THEM.

THERE'S A DESIGN.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THINGS.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THEIR OVERALL CAPITAL NEEDS.

SO THERE'S STILL, SO I LIKE FLEXIBILITY.

BUT THEN I GUESS IF THE LOGIC IS, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE OURSELVES FLEXIBILITY ON THE COUNTY SIDE, WHAT HAS REALLY HAPPENED OTHER THAN WE'VE GOTTEN THIS ESTIMATE ON FRIDAY, THAT SHOWS US THE NUMBERS OF WAY OFF, WHAT HAS HAPPENED, THAT WE WANT TO GO DOWN THAT PATH OF SPENDING MUCH MORE, THAT MUCH MORE MONEY THAN WE PLANNED THREE WEEKS AGO.

WELL, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE HERE.

WE'VE GOT THE INTERESTING ENVIRONMENT WHEN YOU ACCESS THE MARKETS.

AND WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT THE FEDERAL RESERVE IS GOING TO RAISE INTEREST RATES THIS YEAR.

THEY'VE ACTUALLY COME OUT AND SAID THAT.

SO, SO WE SEE THE RISING RATE ENVIRONMENT OF THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.

THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS ARE, ARE UNCERTAIN.

SO IN A PERFECT WORLD, YOU'D WAIT TILL YOU HEAD PERFECT NUMBERS AND THEN GO OUT AND GET THE LOWEST INTEREST RATE IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.

THAT'S IN A PERFECT WORLD.

AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS BALANCE THOSE OF LET'S WAIT, GET BETTER NUMBERS.

BUT IF WE WAIT, THERE'S A COST OF WAITING.

SO THAT'S WHY THE FLEXIBILITY OF SAYING LET'S FOR THE BOARD RESOLUTION TODAY, LET'S INTRODUCE THIS INCREMENTAL LEVEL OF FLEXIBILITY SO THAT WHEN WE MAKE THE DECISION, WE HAVE SOME ROOM TO MANEUVER IN CASE.

NOW YOU ASKED, WHEN IS THAT DECISION POINT RIGHT NOW? I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT A POSSIBLE, UM, 1ST OF FEBRUARY, FEBRUARY ONE TIMING FOR, TO SELL A BOND.

SO THAT'S A COUPLE OF WEEKS FROM NOW.

NOW WE'LL HAVE A LITTLE BETTER INFORMATION.

INTEREST RATES MAY BE A LITTLE HIGHER AND WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT TO ISSUE ANY OR ALL OF THESE BONDS THERE'S PERMISSION UP TO A MAXIMUM.

AND WE PUT SOME GUIDE RAILS AROUND IT TO MAKE SURE THAT COUPON RATE AND THE FINAL MATURITY AND ALL THAT.

SO, BUT, BUT

[01:40:01]

SO THAT'S THE JUSTIFICATION FOR SAYING, OKAY.

INSTEAD OF, UH, AND JUST STAYING WITH OLD NUMBERS, WE HAVE NEW NUMBERS IN HAND.

LET'S BUILD THAT FLEXIBILITY AND LET'S DELIBERATE AND TRY TO NAIL THINGS DOWN, BUT LET'S NOT DELAY THE PROCESS TO WHERE IT'S GOING TO COST A LOT MORE FOR THE NEXT 20 OR 30 YEARS.

SO THAT'S THE BALANCING ACT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE.

IT'S, UH, IT'S NOT PERFECT, BUT IT'S WHAT WILL WORK WITH.

YES, SIR.

JUST REAL QUICKLY.

LET'S TALK.

I THINK YOUR, YOUR ARGUMENT THAT WE'RE IN A RISING INTEREST RATE ENVIRONMENT, THERE'S AN ARGUMENT FOR DOING MORE NOW, BUT YOU'RE TWO WEEKS AWAY FROM A DECISION.

SO I DON'T KNOW THAT IT MATTERS AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET ANY MORE INFORMATION ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY SIDE, THE COST SIDE.

I DON'T KNOW THAT THE SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO HAVE MUCH MORE IN WEEKS EITHER TO GIVE US, BUT, UM, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THE, OBVIOUSLY THE ANSWER IS WE, WE KNOW THERE'S SOME ISSUES ON THE SCHOOL SIDE.

UM, AND WE ARE IN A LOW INTEREST RATE ENVIRONMENT, BUT I WOULD ARGUE THAT IF WE THINK AT ALL, WE HAVE A RISK ON THE COUNTY SIDE OF HIGHER COSTS, THEN WHY NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OR AT LEAST GIVE YOU ALL A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO, TO THINK ABOUT, HEY, DO WE WANT TO BUMP UP THE COUNTY SIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE TO ADDRESS THE SAME CONCERNS THAT THE SCHOOLS HAVE, BUT I THINK EITHER WAY, WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO NAVIGATE THROUGH IT'S IT'S A BALANCING ACT AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ONLY HINDSIGHT WILL TELL US WHETHER WE GOT IT RIGHT.

AND WE'RE NOT LOCKED INTO A BOX OF THE, JUST THE SCHOOLS.

RIGHT? SO IF WE SAY SOMETHING HAPPENS, WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO COME UP WITH THIS 15 MILLION AND THEN THAT'S GOING TO HAVE IMPACTS THE TIMELINE.

THEN THAT MONEY CAN BE USED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY PROJECTS, NOT ON THE SCHOOL SIDE, NO SEPARATE REFERENDUMS. OKAY.

SO THEN WHY DOES IT SAY 54 MILLION TO THE FINANCE, THE COST OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC SAFETY PROJECTS, THEN JUST, YOU GOTTA READ, YOU GOTTA READ FURTHER.

EXCUSE ME.

I ANSWERED THE COMBINATION OF TWO OR SEVEN.

I THOUGHT THAT, AND THEN I READ THIS AND IT SEEMED, IT DOES SHOW SOME SECRET.

OKAY, GREAT.

SO TO WRAP THIS UP, AS I'M HEARING IT, IT'S THE, WE TAKE THE RISK OF PAYING BACK PAY MONEY THAT WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY USING RIGHT NOW VERSUS BORROWING MONEY AT A HIGHER RATE LATER FOR A MUCH LONGER TERM.

SO LET'S SAY WE, WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR A YEAR.

WE'RE PAYING BACK STUFF FOR A YEAR.

I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT COSTS WOULD BE A LOT LESS THAN YOU DID SOME CALCULATIONS ON THE BACK OF A NAPKIN.

IN THE OTHER MEETING, THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE $15 MILLION, RIGHT.

THAT WE HAD SAID 2% INTEREST RATE.

SO WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY SAYING IS IF WE, IF WE UP THIS NOW, WE'RE GOING TO BE BORROWING THIS MONEY AT A LOWER RATE VERSUS GETTING SAVING A LITTLE BIT MONEY ON INTEREST OR PAYBACK FOR THE NEXT 30 YEARS.

THAT WOULD BE THE ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF ISSUING THE BONDS TODAY RATHER THAN WAIT SIX MONTHS OR 12 MONTHS AND FIND OUT WHERE THE COSTS ARE.

UH, THERE'S A, THERE'S A POTENTIAL COST TO WEIGHT THAT COULD DWARF THE COSTS OF THE, UH, PROJECT.

UM, AND YOU MENTIONED, WE, YOU KNOW, WE MAY NOT, YOU KNOW, HINDSIGHT WILL TELL US, UH, WE'RE DOING HALF NOW AND HALF LATER, SO WE'LL GET AN AVERAGE OF THE TWO.

AND SO WE, WE'RE NOT DOING IT ALL AT ONCE TO BE ALL RIGHT OR ALL WRONG.

SO, UH, WE'LL SEE HOW THINGS GO.

BUT, UH, UM, DOING HALF NOW AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT, UM, MR. CHAIRMAN, THE DEBT SERVICE STARTS SOME, AND IT IMPACTS YOUR CURRENT BUDGET.

SO YOU WOULD THEN HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH DO WE BORROW IN, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE PROPOSED 20, 23 BUDGET? BECAUSE IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON IT.

FAIR ENOUGH.

MS. WALLACH, YOU DIDN'T TOUCH ON IT, BUT PERHAPS YOU COULD JUST TOUCH VERY BRIEFLY AND WHAT THIS DOES TO OUR DEBT SERVICE RATIOS.

WE, WE HAVE A, UH, A POLICY OF NO MORE THAN 12% OF OUR BUDGET TOWARD THAT SERVICE, BUT AN INFORMAL TARGET OF NO MORE THAN 10% OF THE DEBT SERVICE.

IF WE DO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY, THAT'LL BRING OUR DEBT SERVICE UP TO 7%.

IT'S NOT THE EXACT NUMBER, BUT IT'S WELL BELOW OUR TARGET OF 10, WELL BELOW OUR POLICY OF 12.

SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY, AGAIN, WE'RE ASSUMING ABOUT HALF THE DEBT HERE, SO IT'S NOT GOING TO PUT US IN DANGER FROM OUR RATIO STANDPOINT AND OUR POLICY COMPLIANCE STANDPOINT.

IS THAT FAIR? THAT'S FAIR.

EXCELLENT CONVERSATION.

I TOLD YOU WHAT YOU WERE DOING THE HARD STUFF THIS YEAR.

UH, AGGREGATE PRINCIPLE AMOUNT ON THE SCHOOL SIDE OF 54 MILLION.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY.

THERE'S NOT BEEN A MOTION YET.

HAS THERE MR. CHAIRMAN, I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE AMENDED RESOLUTION AS, AS IT WAS AMENDED EARLY TODAY.

IT'S NOT IN OUR PACKET, BUT WE HAVE IT BEFORE US TO, UM, ISSUE PSU INCIDENT SALE OF GOODS, SOME KIND OF GENERAL OBLIGATION IMPROVEMENT BONDS, AND THE MAXIMUM PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF 54 MILLION TO FINANCE THE COST OF PUBLIC SCHOOL AND PUBLIC SAFETY PROJECT WITH THE,

[01:45:01]

UM, AND THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF 54 IS A GRAND TOTAL OF 45.8 MILLION ON THE SCHOOL SIDE AND 8.2 ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY SIDE OF THE EQUATION AS AMENDED, RIGHT? THE NUMBERS, THE NUMBERS ARE THE AMENDED.

SO THE MOTION IS TO PASS THE AMENDED RESOLUTION AND CORRECT AS PRESENTED AS, AS PRESENTED.

HERE WE GO IN HARD COPY BEFORE US TO PRIVIA PERFECT WITH THE 54 TOTAL.

AND I'LL SECOND THAT, THANK YOU.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION MR. ALVAREZ? WE DO MISS LAST COLLECT CLASS, MR. SHARP.

MR. LUMPKINS CHAIRMAN SPOON HOWARD.

SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'LL ADVANCE THE FIRST SLIDE HERE.

VERY GOOD.

NOW WE HAVE CHIEF FERGUSON.

WELL, THE CHIEF FERGUSON AND, UH, CHIEF GORDON COME UP.

UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IS WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT VOLUNTEERS? HOW ARE WE DOING? HOW ARE WE DOING, WHAT ARE WE DOING, RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS.

AND THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE US THROUGH, UM, A COUPLE OF A FEW SLIDES TELLING US WHAT THEY'RE DOING TODAY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UM, GOOD VOLUNTEER COVERAGE IN THE COUNTY.

SO GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN, MR. CHAIRMAN MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, SALVO REZ.

UM, WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BEFORE YOU THIS AFTERNOON AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT OUR VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION PLAN AS IT IS TODAY AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING IN THE FUTURE.

UH, IT'S MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU DEPUTY CHIEF, UH, ANTHONY J. GORDON, UH, TONY IS A 40 YEAR VOLUNTEER MEMBER OF GOOCHLAND COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF FIRE RESCUE EMERGENCY SERVICES.

UH, HE HAS A PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, BACKGROUND, UH, HE'S RETIRED.

HE HAS A RYKO POLICE CAPTAIN OF 30 PLUS YEARS, AND HE PRESENTLY WORKS FOR THE, UH, THE FBI.

I'LL ALSO TELL YOU THAT, UH, HE WAS A DEPUTY SHERIFF HERE IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

HE WAS A NINE 11 DISPATCHER, AND HE ALSO WORKED IN ANIMAL PROTECTION AND HIS PUBLIC SAFETY TIME.

UH, THERE IS NOT A, THERE'S NO ONE MORE DEDICATED, UH, AS A, AS A VOLUNTEER MEMBER OF THE ORGANIZATION OR ANY MEMBER FOR THAT MATTER AS TONY GORDON IS.

AND HE'S BEEN OUR DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF, UH, SINCE 2009 HELD ABOUT EVERY POSITION IN THE ORGANIZATION.

THERE ARE COMPANY FIVE, UH, AND COMING UP THROUGH THE RANKS.

SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, UH, CHIEF GORDON, GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. ALVAREZ, UM, MR. CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INVITATION.

I SHOULD COME TALK TO YOU TODAY.

UM, THE CHIEF IS, UH, GOT MY HEAD SO SWOLLEN.

I'M NOT SURE I'LL BE ABLE TO CALL.

WELL, I LOOKED PRETTY GOOD TO BE A 40 YEAR VOLUNTEER.

DON'T YOU AGREE? I'M LIKE IMAGE OF ABOUT A 30 YEAR OLD, BUT, UM, I LIKE A LITTLE HUMAN WHEN I TALK.

SO, UM, ANYWAY, SO I WAS ASKED TO ACTUALLY GIVE A PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD MEMBERS REGARDING VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION IN THE COUNTY, WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHAT WE'VE DONE, WHERE WE'VE COME FROM AND WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT FOR THE FUTURE.

[2. Fire-Rescue Volunteer Recruitment and Retention Presentation]

SO, UM, AS YOU ALL, YOU ALL KNOW, UH, CHIEF FERGUSON ACTUALLY HAS SHARED THIS WITH Y'ALL ALREADY.

THIS IS OUR MISSION, OUR VISION, OUR CORE VALUES OF OUR DEPARTMENT.

THIS WAS CREATED NOT BY THE EXECUTIVE CHIEFS.

IT WAS NOT CREATED BY THE CAREER STAFF MEMBERS.

IT WAS CREATED BY ALL MEMBERS OF OUR DEPARTMENT, AND EVERYBODY HAD INPUT IN THIS.

SO WE HAD REPRESENTATION FROM OUR ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

WE HAD REPRESENTATIVES REPRESENTATION FROM OUR DISTRICT CHIEFS, OUR OFFICERS, OUR MEMBERS, BOTH CAREER AND VOLUNTEER.

YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH IT.

SO I'M NOT GOING TO BORE YOU WITH READING IT TO YOU.

AND I'LL JUST MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE HERE.

SO AS A VOLUNTEER, I HAVE PROUDLY SERVED THIS COUNTY FOR RIGHT AT 40 YEARS NOW.

UH, CHIEF FERGUSON, I ACTUALLY JOINED THE DEPARTMENT ABOUT 30 DAYS APART FROM EACH OTHER IN 1982.

SO IT'S A WHOLE LOT LONGER AGO, BUT I'M SORRY.

I WAS FIRST WHO WAS FIRST ONLY BAMA.

UM, NO, BUT SERIOUSLY, UM, GOOCHLAND VOLUNTEERS HAS BEEN SERVING GOOCHLAND COUNTY FOR 70 YEARS AT THE END OF LAST YEAR, WHICH IS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE THAT WE STILL WERE MAINTAINING OUR VOLUNTEERISM WITHIN THE COUNTY.

SO JUST SO YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THIS PICTURE ON THE TOP LEFT-HAND CORNER, THAT IS THE, UH, ONE OF THE VERY FIRST FIRE TRUCKS IT WAS BOUGHT BY GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

WE ACTUALLY STILL OWN THAT AS PART OF THE ASSOCIATION AND THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS ARE ACTUALLY REFURBISHING THAT TRUCK NOW.

SO MAYBE WE'LL GET TO LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE IT IN THE GOOGLE.

THEY PRAYED THIS YEAR.

I'M NOT SURE, BUT WE'LL SEE.

AND THEN THE BOTTOM LEFT HAND IS AN OLDER PICTURE OF OUR EMS AGENCY, UH, CENTERVILLE RESCUE SQUAD WHEN IT AT AN AMBULANCE BACK IN THE DAY AS WELL.

UM, AND THOSE HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR MANY YEARS, BUT WE CONTINUE TO SERVE PROUDLY AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE GOOCHLAND COUNTY FOR MANY YEARS

[01:50:01]

TO COME.

I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY MORE YEARS I'VE GOT WHAT A CHIEF FERGUSON SAYS.

I'VE GOT AT LEAST A FEW MORE GOOD YEARS IN MY, IN MY HAT HERE.

SOME WILL KEEP GOING.

SO AS LONG AS THE LORD WILLING.

SO WHY DO PEOPLE VOLUNTEER FOR SUCH A POSITION? WHY DO PEOPLE VOLUNTEER TO BE A FIRE RESCUE PERSON? UM, ME, I JOINED BECAUSE I WANTED TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY.

I WANTED TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK.

I LIKE THE LIGHTS AND SIRENS AS A 16 YEAR OLD KID.

AND I WANTED TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND HELP, UH, HELP MY NEIGHBORS HELP OUR CITIZENS ACTUALLY, AND THEIR MOST WORST TIME OF THE WORLD WHEN I NEED HELP.

UM, BUT WHEN YOU TALK TO VOLUNTEERS, I ACTUALLY SIT ON THE INTERVIEW PANEL AND I CHAIR THE INTERVIEW PANEL FOR ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS AND HAVE BEEN FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

NOW, ONE OF THE QUESTION IS WHY DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER? AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE ANSWERS THAT I GET.

I GET SATISFACTION OF HELPING OTHERS THAT ARE IN NEED FEELING A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT, GAINING REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE, TO BE FOR A FUTURE CAREER OPPORTUNITY, A SENSE OF PRIDE.

AND JUST WANTING TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.

I'VE ACTUALLY HAD A FEW BECAUSE OF THE INCENTIVES THAT GOOCHLAND COUNTY OFFERS YOU AS THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OFFER, BUT ALSO THE US AS A DEPARTMENT OFFERED TO OUR PEOPLE.

AND WE THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR OUR DEPARTMENT AND CONTINUE TO DO FOR OUR DEPARTMENT.

SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO, WE DO NOT HAVE A DEDICATED RECRUITMENT RETENTION COORDINATOR IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY, FIRE AND RESCUE.

FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION ON THAT BOARD, TRYING TO RECRUIT PEOPLE AND FIND OUT WAYS TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN VOLUNTEERS AND ENDED UP IN A WHOLE STATE, NOT JUST IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

UH, FOR OUR CAREER SIDE OR A VOLUNTEER SIDE, UM, WE TASK EVERY MEMBER OF OUR DEPARTMENT WITH ACTUALLY BEING THAT VOLUNTEER RECRUITER OR THAT CAREER RECRUITER TO GET PEOPLE TO WANT TO JOIN OUR DEPARTMENT, OUR DISTRICT CHIEFS, OUR STATIONS, OUR VOLUNTEERS, OUR CAREER STAFF.

THEY ALL DO A GREAT JOB OF ACTUALLY HELPING RECRUIT, BUT I NEED MORE HELP.

UM, WE NEED YOUR HELP AS A BOARD MEMBER, AS BOARD MEMBERS TO HELP GET THE MESSAGE OUT TO THE COMMUNITY.

THAT GOOCHLAND IS STILL A PARTIAL VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENT, AND WE NEED HELP FROM YOUR CITIZENS THAT LIVE IN YOUR, YOUR DISTRICTS.

UM, WE ALSO GET, UM, UH, CLASS ANNOUNCEMENTS.

WE PUSH OUT FOR EMT CLIENTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE IN THE TOP RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF AN EMT BANNER THAT WE PUT OUT.

WE GOT, WE USED TO GET A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WANTED TO JOIN, TO BE AN EMT OR GET THEIR EMT AND HALFWAY THROUGH THE CLASS REALIZE, YOU KNOW, I WANNA, I WANNA GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

I WANT TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER HERE.

UM, WE ALSO GET TO VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF BMS THAT ACTUALLY HELPS US OLD DOMINION EMS ALLIANCE AND, UH, THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF VOLUNTEER RESCUE SQUAD, WHICH IS ACTUALLY HEADQUARTERED RIGHT HERE IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

ALL OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS ASSIST US WITH RECRUITMENT AND HELPING US FIGURE OUT WAYS TO RETAIN OUR VOLUNTEERS, UM, VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF OUR PROGRAMS. AND WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN CAREER FAIRS AT LOCAL SCHOOLS OR EVENTS.

IF YOU REMEMBER, WHEN WE HAD THE GOOCHLAND DAY EVENT AND ALSO THE FALL FESTIVAL, YOU JUST HAD, WE HAD A BOOTH SET UP, WE WEREN'T JUST DOING FIRE PREVENTION THERE.

WE WERE ACTUALLY TRYING TO RECRUIT PEOPLE THERE AT THE SAME TIME.

UM, SORRY.

UM, WE ALSO HAVE OUR FIRE RESCUE WEBSITE, WHICH WE HOPE THAT THE BUDGET IN THE FUTURE YEAR WILL ALLOW US TO ACTUALLY UPDATE THAT AND UPGRADE THAT SITE.

BUT WE ACTUALLY HAVE A SPOT ON THAT SITE FOR PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY CLICK AND INQUIRE ABOUT MEMBERSHIP.

SO I ACTUALLY RESPOND TO ALL THOSE INQUIRIES.

THEY COME STRAIGHT TO MY EMAIL BOX THAT THE COUNTY, UH, GRACIOUSLY GIVES ME THIS PAST YEAR.

WE HAD 46 INQUIRIES THAT EMAIL BOX, BUT OUT OF THAT 46 ONLY NINE HAVE SUBMITTED APPLICATIONS.

WHAT I DO IS I THANK THEM VERY MUCH FOR THEIR INTEREST IN GOOGLE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE.

I TELL THEM A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US.

WE'RE A COMBINATION DEPARTMENT, BOTH CAREER AND VOLUNTEER, AND WE HAVE CERTAIN EXPECTATIONS OF OUR MEMBERS COMPLETING THEIR TRAINING, DOING SOME OTHER THINGS, ATTENDING SO MANY HOURS OF DUTY THAT SO FORTH.

AND THEY GET THAT.

AND THEN WHEN YOU QUESTION SOME OF THESE PEOPLE, YOU ASK THEM, WHY DIDN'T YOU APPLY? YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU INQUIRED.

AND MOST OF THEM SAYS, WELL, I'M NOT SURE I WANT TO PUT IN ALL THAT TIME.

IT'S REALLY NOT MUCH.

WE ONLY ASKED 24 HOURS A MONTH OF OUR VOLUNTEERS MINIMUM.

UH, WE'D LIKE THEM TO DO A LOT MORE, BUT W BUT THAT'S, THAT'S SOME OF THE ANSWERS WE ACTUALLY HEAR, OR THEY DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO TRAVEL TO GOOCHLAND, TO VOLUNTEER.

SOMETIMES PEOPLE GET CONFUSED WHERE CENTREVILLE OR CENTREVILLE IS.

UM, I DO GET THOSE INQUIRIES FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT YEAH, SO WE ALSO, UM, HAVE AN ADVANTAGE OF MAKE ME A FIREFIGHTER.

UM, THAT'S A WEBSITE THAT PEOPLE GO TO THIS PAST YEAR.

WE ACTUALLY HAD TWO INQUIRIES TO THAT WEBSITE.

UM, NO APPLICATIONS WERE SUBMITTED BY EITHER ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE I'VE TRIED TO FOLLOW UP.

UM, AND THERE, IF SHE'S NOT RESPONDING TO US, BUT WE STILL ADVERTISE THERE.

AND THEN PEOPLE WANT TO BECOME A FIREFIGHTER.

THEY GO OUT AND THEY GOOGLE IT.

AND WHERE, WHERE CAN I BE A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER? AND THEY GO, THEY FIND WEBSITES JUST LIKE THAT.

VIRGINIA STATE FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION AND OTHERS OUT THERE.

BUT YOU JUST SAY FIREFIGHT ASSOCIATION DOES A GREAT JOB OF HELPING US RECRUIT AS WELL.

UM, THEY ARE ACTUALLY DEDICATED TO VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS.

THEY ACTUALLY HELP MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO WANT TO BECOME VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS.

AND JUST AS A NOTE, UH, KEN BROWN, OUR FORMER FIRE CHIEF, UM, WELL BEFORE CHIEF MCKAY, UM, HE WAS ACTUALLY THE IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT OF THE VIRGINIA STATE FIREFIGHTER ASSOCIATION.

AND HE IS CURRENTLY SERVING AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL.

HE IS STILL A VOLUNTEER IN OUR DEPARTMENT, BUT HE'S SERVING INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AT THE NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE COUNCIL, REPRESENTING THE VIRGINIA STATE FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION TO TRY TO FIND EVEN BETTER WAYS IN BIGGER WAYS TO ACTUALLY RECRUIT PEOPLE.

UM, THE GOVERNOR'S EMS ADVISORY BOARD, CHIEF FERGUSON IS ACTUALLY A MEMBER OF THAT COUNCIL OR THAT BOARD.

AND HE ACTUALLY REPRESENTS THE VIRGINIA STATE

[01:55:01]

AND THEN WE HAD A VIRGINIA FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION, AND THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A SPECIAL WEBSITE, UH, WW DOT EVERYDAY HERO, VIRGINIA VA.ORG.

AND THEY'VE COME UP WITH THREE DIFFERENT VIDEOS, WHICH I'M GETTING READY TO SHOW YOU.

ONE IS A 32ND, A 62ND AND 92ND.

AND WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO SHARE THOSE WITH YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR DISTRICTS, OR ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA, IF YOU HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA.

SO I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU THIS VIDEO, MAKE SURE SHE WOULD OPEN UP.

THEY'VE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB.

THIS IS THE 62ND ONE FROM THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS TO THE BUSTLING CITIES OF OUR VIRGINIA.

YOU'VE SEEN US YET.

MEETING ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE AT THE WORST POSSIBLE MOMENT.

YOU'VE WONDERED WHERE COURAGE CAN BE FOUND BATTLING AN INFERNO ON A ONCE QUIET STREET, ASKED YOURSELF WHO REACHES THROUGH BROKEN GLASS INTO A WORLD OF HURT BY CHOICE OR THOUGHT, WHY DO WE FAITHFULLY SERVE OUR COMMUNITY AS VIRGINIA VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS IS SO GLOWING LIGHT IN THE NIGHT THAT WE NEIGHBORS COULD SEE A GRANDPA JUST WANTS TO BE BACK WITH GRANDMA OR A YOUNG DRIVER WHO CAN'T FIND HER PHONE IN A THUNDERSTORM, THE WORST MOMENTS IN LIFE, HALF AN ALL AROUND US.

AND THE QUESTION IS WHY, BUT WHY NOT? YOU JOIN THE RANKS OF THOSE WHO NO PURPOSE IS FOUND IN MOMENTS LIKE THESE, THAT DEEPER MEANING AWAITS YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES.

WE ARE THE VIRGINIA FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION BE AN EVERYDAY HERO TODAY@EVERYDAYHEROVA.ORG.

SO HERE WE GO.

YOU DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION.

IT WAS A GOOD THING CAUSE I WAS HEARING UP, BUT WE HEAR, UM, UM, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT STANDBY.

I THINK I GOT TO CLOSE THIS OUT.

THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WHAT WE'RE DOING.

FIREFIGHTER, UM, COMPLETE MEZCAL MEDICAL AND PHYSICAL, WHICH WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT.

SORRY ABOUT THAT.

UM, NO, BUT EVERY TIME I WATCH THIS VIDEO ACTUALLY TEAR UP.

WHEN I WATCHED THE 92ND VIDEO, I AIN'T HEAR IT MORE.

MY DAUGHTER, SHE'S 23 YEARS OLD.

MY YOUNGEST IS STILL LIVING WITH US.

SHE WALKED INTO THE OFFICE OF THE DAY CAUSE I WAS REVIEWING THIS AND SHE SAW ME CRYING AND SHE STATED, WHY ARE YOU CRYING? I WENT, YOU KNOW, HONEY, 40 YEARS OF DOING THIS AND THIS IS STILL WHY I DO IT.

40 YEARS LATER, I ACTUALLY WANTED TO STEP DOWN TWO YEARS AGO AND ACTUALLY RETIRE MYSELF.

AND CHIEF FERGUSON WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO DO THAT.

UM, SO I'M STILL HERE AND I WILL CONTINUE SERVING CHIEF FERGUSON IN THIS COUNTY FOR AS LONG AS I CAN POSSIBLY DO THAT.

BUT, UM, THIS VIDEO IS AVAILABLE WITH THE EVERYDAY HERO VA.ORG.

I ENCOURAGE YOU AND ANY CITIZEN OUT THERE TO SHARE THIS WHEREVER THEY CAN SHARE IT TO TRY TO GET US MORE VOLUNTEERS, UH, HANG ON.

I'M TRYING TO GET IT.

THERE WE GO.

UM, FURTHER AND, UH, RECRUITMENT RETENTION OF VIRGINIA, UH, FIRE RESCUE ASSOCIATION, BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS RECENTLY HIRED AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THAT WILL ALSO ASSIST IN RECRUITMENT RETENTION.

WE ACTUALLY MET HIM LAST NIGHT AND DISCUSSED A LOT OF THE STUFF HE'S ACTUALLY IN THE AUDIENCE.

MARTIN DEAN, IF YOU EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW, MARTIN MARTIN WAS JUST RECENTLY HIRED AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, FOR THE ASSOCIATION TO ACTUALLY HELP US WITH ALL A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.

AND WE ACTUALLY TOLD HIM OUR VISION AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO.

SO MARTIN IS WILLING TO STEP IN JUST LIKE HE DOES WITH EVERYTHING ELSE AND ACTUALLY HELP US WITH EVERYTHING HE POSSIBLY CAN HELP US WITH.

UH, CURRENTLY AS A VOLUNTEER DEPUTY CHIEF, I HANDLE ALL INQUIRIES THAT COME THROUGH THE WEBSITE.

I HANDLE ALL INTERVIEW PANELS THAT SHARE THOSE OUT, ORGANIZE THOSE INTERVIEW PANELS, NOT MADE UP OF CAREER PEOPLE THAT MADE UP OF VOLUNTEERS WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT.

MOST OF THEM ARE LIFETIME MEMBERS OF OUR DEPARTMENT AND THEY WANT TO STILL CONTINUE GIVING BACK TO THE DEPARTMENT.

IT CAN'T GET OUT ON THE FIRE TRUCKS AND AMBULANCES ANYMORE DUE TO AGE MEDICAL CONDITIONS OR OTHERWISE, BUT THEY WANT TO HELP.

SO THEY WANT TO BRING THE RIGHT PEOPLE INTO THE DEPARTMENT AND THEN ALSO HELP WITH THE ASSIGNMENTS TO STATIONS DEPENDING ON WHERE THE NEED IS AND WHERE THE PEOPLE LIVE AT.

I HELP GUIDE THEM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

UM, WE ALSO, UH, USED TO HAVE FIREFIGHTER AND EMT CLASSES EVERY YEAR IN OUR HIGH SCHOOL SETTING.

AND THAT STARTED BACK IN THE LATE 1990S AND WE HOPED, UH, WE HOPE THAT, UH, CHIEF ERICKSON JUST RECENTLY MET WITH THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION ABOUT PARTNERING TO TRY TO DO A CLASS THIS FALL IN OUR SCHOOL, UH, FOR AN EMP CLASS.

CAUSE IF WE WOULD GET VOLUNTEERS FROM THAT CLASS, THIS PHOTOGRAPH RIGHT HERE IS ACTUALLY FROM ONE OF OUR OLD EMT CLASSES, THEN DOING THE TRAINING.

AND ACTUALLY BECAUSE THEY GET CERTIFIED JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.

AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING THIS, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THESE KIDS ARE AT TODAY, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT, UM, THEY WERE PRETTY ACTIVE THERE FOR A WHILE.

SO HERE'S SOME MORE, UM, PHOTOGRAPHS FOR YOU.

UM, TOP LEFT-HAND CORNER IS A BUNCH OF VOLUNTEERS, UH, DURING A TRAINING CLASS FIREFIGHTER TRAINING CLASS, TOP RIDERS ARE CAREER PEOPLE OUT IN FRONT OF RECRUIT, DO FIRE PREVENTION AND ALSO NOT ONLY RECRUIT FOR THE CAREER SIDE, BUT ALSO OUR VOLUNTEER SIDE.

UM, THE BOTTOM LEFT IS A TRAINING CLASS AT THE FIRE TRAINING CENTER.

AND THEN IF RIGHT, UH, PHOTOGRAPHS IN AN EMT CLASS THAT WE'VE TAUGHT HERE IN RECENT YEARS.

SO WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR BETTER AND BIGGER WAYS TO ACTUALLY RECRUIT PEOPLE.

AND A LOT OF TIMES THESE RIGHT HERE, JUST BY WORD OF MOUTH, THEY GO BACK AND TELL THEIR FRIENDS AND YOU ASK THEM, WHY ARE YOU JOINING THE DEPARTMENT? OH, I'VE GOT THREE

[02:00:01]

FRIENDS AT SANIBEL.

ROB GOT TWO FRIENDS AT COMPANY FIVE OR WHATEVER THEY WANT TO JOIN WITH THEIR FRIENDS, BUT THEY WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE COMMUNITY AT THE SAME TIME.

UNFORTUNATELY, VOLUNTEERING IN FIRE RESCUE IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN VOLUNTEERING IN ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION WITHIN GOOCHLAND COUNTY, SUCH AS THE ANIMAL SHELTER OR THE LIBRARY OR GOOCHLAND CARES, OR YOU NAME IT, WHATEVER VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION IN GOOCHLAND CANDIDATES, LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS, THE UNFORTUNATE THING WITH GOOGLE FARM RESCUE OR THE FORTUNATE THING, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU WANT TO LOOK AT IT.

I LOOK AT IT SO A FORTUNATE THING, UM, BUT IT REQUIRES AN EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND CHECK.

THESE PEOPLE ARE HELPING OUR CITIZENS.

THESE PEOPLE ARE GOING INTO PEOPLE'S HOUSES.

SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PREPARED AND WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE POSSIBLY CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RIGHT PERSON WALKING THROUGH THE DOOR, NOT SOMEBODY THAT'S A THIEF OR A CONVICTED FELON OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE BECAUSE WE'RE THERE TO HELP THAT CITIZEN.

SO WE DO HAVE AN EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND CHECK THAT WE DO.

WE ALSO HAVE THE STATE MANDATED TRAINING THAT WE DO FIREFIGHTER ONE FOR FIREFIGHTERS IS THE MINIMUM.

AND THEN YOU GOT HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRAINING.

YOU HAVE EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN OF AID SIDE.

THEY WANT TO TAKE THAT ON A VOLUNTEER SIDE CPR.

AND THEN OF COURSE OUR, UH, ICS NIMS CLASSES THAT ARE MANDATED.

UM, WE ONLY REQUIRE 24 HOURS A MONTH OF DUTY FROM OUR VOLUNTEERS TODAY.

MOST OF THEM GIVE A LOT MORE, SOME GIVE THE 24 AND PLUS A LITTLE BIT, BUT WE HAVE PEOPLE DON'T GIVE HIM 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 HOURS A MONTH JUST DEPENDING ON WHAT THEIR AVAILABILITY IS BECAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE IN SCHOOL.

SOME OF THEM ARE LIKE MYSELF, HAVE A FULL-TIME JOB.

I HAVE TO GO DO IT, HAVE TO GO DO EVERY DAY.

UM, BUT WITH THIS, WE JUST REDUCE THIS DOWN TO 24 HOURS BACK IN FEBRUARY LAST YEAR TO TRY TO GET IN LINE WITH LOCAL JURISDICTIONS NEAR US AND AROUND US THAT ARE, HAVE HAD TO LOWER THEIR NUMBER OF HOURS.

WHEN I FIRST JOINED, I THINK IT WAS 48 OR MORE HOURS THAT WERE REQUIRED, UM, THAT GOT LAURA TO 40 SEVERAL YEARS LATER.

AND NOW WE'RE AT 24.

UM, WE ALSO GET THE PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION.

UH, WE RECEIVED THAT INCREASE THAT YOU APPROVED.

WE THANK YOU FOR THAT.

THAT'S GOING TO HELP A LOT.

UM, HELPS ME A LOT.

I KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE WIFE LIKES A NICE VEHICLE AND I DRAW THAT FROM TIME TO TIME.

SO WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO FOR US.

UM, WE ALSO HAVE THE ONGOING, ONGOING CONTINUING EDUCATION JUST BECAUSE YOU GET CERTIFIED DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU ARE GOOD AND GOLDEN FOR THE REST OF YOUR CAREER.

AND AS A VOLUNTEER OR AS A CAREER PERSON, YOU HAVE TO HAVE CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS EVERY YEAR, HOURS EVERY YEAR.

SO YOU CAN STAY ABREAST OF ALL THE NEW TECHNOLOGY, ALL THE NEW TECHNIQUES, EVERYTHING.

SO THAT'S ANOTHER DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND EVERYBODY ELSE THAT VOLUNTEERS OUR APPLICATION PROCESS OVER THE YEARS HAS BEEN IMPROVED GREATLY.

UM, UNLIKE MOST DEPARTMENTS AROUND US HAVE VOLUNTEERS.

WE ACCEPT APPLICATIONS YEAR ROUND FOR VOLUNTEERS.

YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THEM WILL OPEN IT UP FOR A WINDOW OF A 60 DAY WINDOW OR A 30 DAY WINDOW AND JUST ACCEPT THE APPLICATION DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, WE WANT TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS YEAR ROUND, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.

SO OUR APPLICATIONS ARE ON OUR WEBSITE.

WE ENCOURAGE ANYBODY TO APPLY AND WE'LL PROCESS YOU THROUGH THE SYSTEM.

THE PROCESS WAS STREAMLINED SEVERAL YEARS AGO.

UH, WE, WE TRY TO TWEAK IT EVERY TIME.

MATTER OF FACT, MARTIN AND I, AND THE OTHER CHIEFS TALKED LAST NIGHT ABOUT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO EXTREME ON THE STREAMLINE MANY MORE THAN WE ALREADY HAVE IT.

UM, BUT WE WANT TO BUILD A TEAM, NOT ONLY BUILD THE TEAM, WE WANT TO BUILD THE RIGHT TEAM FOR OUR CITIZENS OF OUR COUNTY.

UM, SO THE APPLICATIONS ARE NOW SENT DIRECTLY TO OUR ADMINISTRATION.

WE PROCESSED THEM OUT OF THE ADMINISTRATION OFFICE, UH, INTERVIEW SET UP AFTER A PRELIMINARY BACKGROUND CHECK.

UM, AND THEN WE TURN AROUND AND AFTER THEY PASS THE INTERVIEW PANEL AND NOT EVERYBODY DOES PASS, BUT I WOULD DARE SAY ABOUT 98% OF THE PEOPLE WILL GET THROUGH THE INTERVIEW PROCESS AS LONG AS THEY'RE, UH, ABLE AND CAPABLE.

UM, AND THEN THE APPLICANT IS ACTUALLY SENT OFF FOR FINGERPRINTS, WHICH HAS BEEN A BLESSING FOR US BECAUSE WE USED TO HAVE TO HAVE THEM COME TO US.

NOW IT'S ON THE APPLICANT TO GO TO A KIOSK TYPE LOCATION THAT SHOULD GET THEIR FINGERPRINTS DONE.

UM, SO THAT'S GETTING IT DONE A LOT QUICKER.

THE STATE HAS, IS TURNING AROUND APPLICATIONS OR BACKGROUND CHECKS A LOT QUICKER THAN WHAT THEY USED TO.

IT USED TO TAKE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 60 AND 90, SOMETIMES 120 DAYS TO GET THESE PRINTS BACK.

SO IT PUT PEOPLE IN AN AUTO MODE AND THEY JUST, THEY GOT THEY'D LOST INTEREST.

SO NOW WE'RE GETTING THEM BACK IN TWO OR THREE DAYS AFTER THEIR FINGERPRINTS OR EVEN A WEEK AFTER THEIR FINGERPRINTS, WHICH IS A BLESSING.

UM, ONCE THE BACKGROUND CHECKS COMPLETED, THE APPLICANTS THEN ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC STATION, THEY GET A DIRECT EMAIL FROM ME, WELCOME THEM TO THE DEPARTMENT AND A VIRTUAL INTRODUCTION TO THEIR DISTRICT CHIEF AT THEIR STATION THAT ARE SIGNED.

AND THEN THEY ARE ALSO SENT OFF FOR FULL MEDICAL AND PHYSICAL.

UM, WE GET TO THE EXACT SAME MEDICAL AND PHYSICAL THAT WE SEND OUR CAREER OFFICERS CAREER FIREFIGHTERS TO, UH, WHICH IS GREAT.

IT'S $888 AND 50 CENTS FOR THAT PHYSICAL.

AND WE APPRECIATE YOU FUNDING OUR BUDGET TO BE ABLE TO DO NOT ONLY THE CAREER PEOPLE, BUT ALSO OUR VOLUNTEERS.

OUR VOLUNTEERS GREATLY APPRECIATE THAT CURRENT INCENTIVES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO OUR VOLUNTEERS AS WE, OF COURSE, WE'VE GOT THE GOOCHLAND COUNTY PROPERTY TAX INCENTIVE, WHICH IS, UH, IS A BLESSING BY ITSELF UNIFORMS. WE PROVIDE OUR UNIFORMS TO OUR MEMBERS DIRECTLY.

UM, BACK WHEN CHIEF FOLKS NOT JOINED, WE BOUGHT ALL OF OUR STUFF.

WE WANT A UNIFORM SHIRT, WE BOUGHT IT, WE WANT SPECIAL BOOTS.

WE BOUGHT IT.

WE HAD THAT GUY DIDN'T EVEN REMEMBER PAYING A STIPEND FOR MY TURNOUT HERE, UH, WHEN I JOINED.

UM, BUT THAT'S THE ONLY TIME WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT ANYMORE.

UM, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE GEAR, ABOUT $4,000 TO OUTFIT, EVERY NEW

[02:05:01]

UH, WE ALSO OFFER THE MICHAEL TINK SIM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR ALL OF OUR MEMBERS, NOT JUST OUR VOLUNTEERS, BUT ALSO OUR CREW MEMBERS TO ADVANCE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION.

UM, ON AVERAGE, THE COMMITTEE DISPERSES ABOUT 50 TO $53,000 A YEAR.

UM, NO TAX MONEY'S INVOLVED, IT'S ALL BEEN DONATED TO THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM BY A PRIVATE DONOR.

AND, UM, THAT MONEY IS CONSTANTLY PUSHED OUT TO THE MEMBERS AND THEY ACTUALLY USE THAT.

AND, AND WE APPRECIATE THAT.

UH, WE'RE ALSO WORKING.

WE HAVE A MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE THAT'S WORKING TO IDENTIFY OTHER INCENTIVES THAT WE CAN OFFER TO OUR VOLUNTEERS TO TRY TO NOT ONLY MAINTAIN THEM, BUT ALSO KEEP THEM AND RETAIN THEM FOR THE FUTURE.

I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF TALKING ABOUT ALL THESE VOLUNTEERS AND STUFF.

WELL, THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT OUR LAST FIVE YEARS LOOK LIKE BROKEN, BROKEN DOWN BY COMPANY.

AND BY YEAR, UM, 2017 WAS A GREAT YEAR.

WE TOOK ON 40 VOLUNTEERS THAT YEAR, UH, SPREAD OUT AMONGST MOST OF THE COMPANIES, COMPANIES ONE AND THREE AND FIVE TYPICALLY GET THE MOST OF THE VOLUNTEERS OVER THE OVERALL, UM, COMPANY SIX.

AND, UM, IT HAS GOTTEN A PRETTY DECENT JUMP THIS YEAR, WHICH IS GREAT CAUSE THEY NEED VOLUNTEERS AS WELL.

UM, BUT OVERALL ABOUT 140 PEOPLE, BUT OF THOSE 21 OF THOSE WERE ACTUALLY, UM, ASSOCIATE OR NON CALL RUNNING MEMBERS OR AUXILIARY MEMBERS.

AND WE STILL USE OUR ASSOCIATE MEMBERS FOR NON-EMERGENCY TYPE STUFF IN OUR STATIONS, EVEN EDMOND.

AND WE ALSO, UM, UTILIZE OUR AUXILIARY, ASSIST US AS MUCH AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN.

AND I KNOW MS. LESKO LED HAS BEEN PART OF AN AUXILIARY FOR MANY YEARS, AND WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

SO CURRENT STAFFING CHALLENGES NOW FOR THE VOLUNTEER SIDE OF THE HOUSE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE GAVE YOU SOME NUMBERS EARLIER, UM, W WHAT THEY'RE REQUIRED TO RUN.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE GOT A LOT OF FIREFIGHTERS THAT DON'T LOG THEIR HOURS.

THEY JUST SHOW UP WHEN THERE'S A MAJOR EMERGENCY.

WE STILL HAVE SOME OF THE OLDER GENERATION PEOPLE DOING THAT.

UM, THE TOMMY CARTER'S AND PEOPLE LIKE THAT, THEY STILL RUN CALLS ALL THE TIME.

SO I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU A BREAKDOWN.

NOW, IF YOU'VE SEEN PART OF THIS SLOT ALREADY, THAT'S BEEN UPDATED WITH THE 20, 21 NUMBERS THAT WE JUST RECENTLY RECEIVED.

UM, BUT YOU SEE OUR RESCUE HOURS ARE STILL DOWN ON THE DECREASE OF OVER 5,000, ALMOST 6,000 HOURS OF DUTY TIME FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR, WHICH IS SAD, BUT, UM, COVID HAS DEFINITELY TAKEN AN IMPACT ON A LOT OF OUR VOLUNTEER EMS PEOPLE.

BUT IF YOU NOTICE, WE DO HAVE AN UPTICK IN OUR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER HOURS, THEY'RE PICKING UP.

UM, BUT FIREFIGHTERS THERE, THEY CAN EITHER RUN 24 HOURS A MONTH OR THEY CAN RUN A PERCENTAGE OF THE CALLS OUT OF THAT STATION PER MONTH, ON AVERAGE, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO GET THEIR CREDIT, THEIR TAX CREDIT OR THEIR INCENTIVE.

UM, SO THAT'S ACTUALLY A PRETTY IMPRESSIVE NUMBER THERE TO SEE THAT GOING UP.

AND WE HOPE OUR EMS HOURS WERE EVENTUALLY PICK UP AS WELL.

OUR CALLS FOR SERVICE HAVE ALSO INCREASED, UH, 2020 WAS A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR, BUT AS YOU SEE FROM 2021, OUR CALL VOLUME HAS ACTUALLY INCREASED BY 18%, JUST FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

UM, THESE ARE MOST RECENT, UH, SOME RECENT, UH, PHOTOGRAPHS HERE OF STRUCTURE FIRE THAT WE, UH, WORKED IN THE MANNEQUIN AREA.

AND THEN OF COURSE THE CAR ACCIDENT THEN OFF AMANDA, UH, ROUTE SIX AT, UH, WEST CREEK PARKWAY, UM, PRETTY SIGNIFICANT, BUT OUR VOLUME THAT WAS BOTH OF THESE HAD BOTH VOLUNTEERS COMING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

I WAS OUT UNTIL FIVE 30 ON THAT STRUCTURE FIRE AND WENT HOME, TOOK A SHOWER, WENT STRAIGHT TO WORK AND WORKED ALL DAY.

COFFEE WAS MY BEST FRIEND THAT DAY AND UNFORTUNATE THAT'S THE WAY IT HAPPENS SOMETIMES.

SO, BUT IT'S JUST LIKE OUR CAREER PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP TO SOMETIMES THEY'RE WORKING STRAIGHT THROUGH 24 HOURS.

SO OUR ASSOCIATION CONTINUES TO ACTUALLY MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR VOLUNTEER STATIONS, UH, OR CAREER CAREER VOLUNTEER STATIONS, BUT THE ASSOCIATION, UH, TRULY OWNS THESE STATIONS, UM, EXCEPT FOR STATION SIX, OF COURSE, BUT YOU KNOW, LIKE MANNEQUIN, THEY'LL JUST GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF FRONT BAY DOORS WERE ENLARGED TO ACCEPT THE NEW FAR LIGHTER TRUCK THAT WE JUST RECEIVED.

UM, AND IT'S BEEN SITTING RIGHT THERE IN THAT FRONT BAY THERE, UH, CROZIER, UH, WEATHER, EXCUSE ME, MANNEQUINS GETTING READY TO START A WHOLE RENOVATION PROJECT FOR BUNK ROOMS AND MEETING ROOMS AND ALL KINDS OF STUFF DOWN THERE.

CROZIER, UH, THEIR PARKING LOT INTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE CENTERVILLE IMPROVED THEIR UTILITY ROOM, BUT ALSO BATHROOM INNOVATIONS, UH, TO IMPROVE THE SHOWERS AND THE BATHROOMS AT THAT STATION.

UH, FIFE, YOU KNOW, YOU WERE VERY AWARE OF THE ADDITION THAT THEY PUT ON TO HAVE SLEEPING QUARTERS AND SHOWERS AND KITCHEN THERE.

SO THAT WAY IT WOULD ACCOMMODATE NOT ONLY VOLUNTEERS, BUT ALSO ACCOMMODATE OUR CAREER STAFF THAT ARE STAYING THERE NOW.

AND THEN OF COURSE, COMPANY FIVE IS JUST IMPROVED THEIR PARKING.

I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY'S WRITTEN BY, BUT NEW PAVEMENT, NEW CONCRETE, NEW, EVERYTHING LOOKS REALLY SHARP UP THERE.

UH, THANK YOU TO THE COUNTY FOR PAVING THAT WHOLE AREA.

WE APPRECIATE THAT.

AND THEN, UM, OF COURSE THEY'D WORKED ON INTERIOR RENOVATIONS AS WELL.

THE BUNK ROOM THERE NEEDS LOTS OF IMPROVEMENT AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MR. MARTIN DEAN WILL START WORKING ON IS ALL THESE PROJECTS TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO ADVANCE THESE.

BUT UNFORTUNATELY WITH RECRUITMENT TENSION, WE STILL DEAL WITH CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT OUR DAYS AND OUR WEEKS.

SO, UM, AS YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY HAS GROWN A LOT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.

SO RESPONDING TO THE DEMANDS OF INCREASED GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTY, THAT THAT'S A CHALLENGE, BUT IT'S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE IT COULD TAP INTO A RESOURCE THAT WHERE MAYBE WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT FOR FUTURE VOLUNTEERS OR CAREER PEOPLE AS WELL, UM, EXPANDED EMERGENCY SERVICES RELATED TO LIKE COVID

[02:10:01]

VACCINATION STRATEGIES.

WE'RE TRYING TO, UM, TRYING TO TACKLE AND, AND UNDERSTAND AND, AND MOVE FORWARD AND TRY TO LIVE IN SOME TYPE OF NORMALCY.

NOW, STAFFING BOTH ON THE VOLUNTEER AND THE CAREER SIDE, YOU KNOW, WE TRAIN A LOT OF PEOPLE AND NEXT THING YOU KNOW, THEY TAKE JOBS IN BIGGER DEPARTMENTS.

SO WE DEAL WITH THAT NOT ONLY THE CAREER SIDE, BUT ON THE VOLUNTEER SIDE AS WELL.

WE HAVE A LOT OF VOLUNTEERS THAT GO OFF INTO THE BIGGER JURISDICTIONS TO GET MORE EXPERIENCE AND SO FORTH HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR VOLUNTEERS AND OUR CAREER MEMBERS CANCER IN THE FIRE SERVICE.

THAT'S A BIG TOPIC, UH, THROUGHOUT STUFF THAT I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT 40 YEARS LET ALONE 10 YEARS AGO UNTIL RECENT YEARS WHEN WE'RE SHARING A LOT MORE AND MORE OF IT, UH, MENTAL HEALTH, UH, WE SEE A LOT, UM, OUR VOLUNTEERS SEE A LOT.

LUCKILY WE HAVE A GOOD MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY TAP INTO A LOT OF DIFFERENT RESOURCES TO ASSIST US WITH THOSE THINGS.

UM, COVID OBVIOUSLY THE HEALTH, EXCUSE ME, HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUE.

UH, YOU MENTIONED THE CHIEF WAS FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER BACK BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

UM, SO IT WAS THAT WE BOTH WERE SICK AT THE SAME TIME AND TRYING TO GET OUT OF QUARANTINE AS QUICK AS WE COULD, SO WE COULD GET OUT AND HELP HELP OUR CITIZENS AGAIN, UH, APPARATUS FLEET MANAGEMENT, UH, THAT IS A FULL-TIME JOB.

I MANAGE PRETTY MUCH MOST OF THE FIRE APPARATUS MAINTENANCE IN THE COUNTY.

UM, AND WE HAVE A NICE SIZED FLEET, BUT THE TRUCKS ARE AGENTS.

SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR FUNDING, THESE FUTURE TRUCKS AND THESE CURRENT TRUCKS THAT WE'RE NOW PURCHASING BECAUSE OUR TRUCKS ARE AGING AND THEY COST A LOT MORE.

EVERY TIME WE SEND IT TO THE SHOP BY RESCUE TRAINING, UH, WE ARE, UH, HAVE CREATED A TRAINING DIVISION THAT WILL NOT ONLY DELIVER TRAINING, UM, FOR OUR CAREER PEOPLE IN THE DEPARTMENT, BUT ALSO OUR VOLUNTEERS.

SO WE HAVE A CAREER CAPTAIN AND A VOLUNTEER CAPTAIN AND OUR FIRE, UH, TRAINING DIVISION OR A FOREIGN EMS TRAINING DIVISION.

UM, BUT WE REALLY NEED A TRAINING CENTER FACILITY AS WELL.

THAT IS AGED, UM, AS YOU WELL KNOWN, HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT.

AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE OLDER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS THAT'S, UM, COMING INTO THE COUNTY.

SO THAT'S OUR CHALLENGE BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ABLE TO, UH, WE DON'T RECRUIT A LOT OF THOSE PEOPLE TO BE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS.

MOST OF THEM DON'T, DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THE TRAINING.

THEY'RE AT AN AGE WHERE THEY ARE THINKING ABOUT RETIRING OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY, AND THEY MAY NOT WANT TO GO INTO A BURNING BUILDING OR GO RESPOND TO A CAR ACCIDENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.

SO THAT'S A CHALLENGE FOR US AND WE HOPE TO GET MORE AND MORE VOLUNTEERS, BUT, UH, WE NEED PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY RUN THE CALLS TO THE SAFER GRANT THAT THE CHIEF HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSES.

UM, THE GRANT CAN BE USED FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, AND I WANTED TO SHARE SOME OF THOSE THINGS.

I KNOW HE'S PROBABLY ALREADY BRIEFED YOU UP ON IT, BUT THAT SAFER GRANT IS NOT JUST FOR THE, NOT FOR THE DEPARTMENTS FOR ALL OF US.

IT'S FOR THE COUNTIES, FOR OUR CITIZENS, IT'S FOR US VOLUNTEERS, BUT IT CAN ACTUALLY BE USED TO HIRE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION COORDINATOR, SOMEBODY THAT ACTUALLY DO THIS STUFF EITHER PART-TIME OR FULL-TIME TO ACTUALLY MANAGE ALL THIS RECRUITMENT OR RETENTION VERSUS ME DOING MY FULL-TIME JOB AND THEN COMING HOME AND DOING IT IN THE EVENINGS.

HOPEFULLY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BACK HERE BEHIND ME WILL STEP UP AND BE ABLE TO TAKE ON SOME OF THIS STUFF IN THE FUTURE.

UM, BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOTTA HIRE FIREFIGHTERS.

WE NEED PEOPLE TO RUN THE CALLS.

UH, THE CALL VOLUMES ARE NOT SLOWING DOWN.

THEY'RE INCREASING.

AND I IMAGINE TOO, THAT 2022 WILL BE JUST AS HIGH, IF NOT HIGHER, UM, MARKETING CAMPAIGNS, UM, WE CAN SPEND THE MONEY ON MEDICAL ASSESSMENTS THAT WE'RE PAYING.

YOU ALREADY SAW THE COST OF THAT PERSONAL PROTECTIVE GEAR, VERY EXPENSIVE FOR OUR TAXPAYERS CALLS FOR BASIC CERTIFICATIONS AND TRAINING AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES BEYOND RECRUITMENT RETENTION.

WE CAN USE A SAFER GRANT FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING.

SO THE QUESTION IS, DO YOU, ARE YOU READY TO VOLUNTEER? I'VE ALREADY TALKED TO MR. SPOONFLOWER EARLIER, BEFORE THE MEETING, UM, ABOUT AN APPLICATION.

I'VE GOT IT IN THE CAR IF HE NEEDS IT, BUT IT'S ALSO ONLINE IF YOU WANT TO JOIN, BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU.

I MEAN, IF YOU'RE NOT INVOLVED OR YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED, STEP UP, TAKE THE NEXT STEP.

I THOUGHT YOU WERE TOO.

UM, BUT IF YOU DO SERIOUSLY, IF YOU KNOW SOMEBODY IN YOUR COMMUNITY, YOU THINK WOULD MAKE A GREAT VOLUNTEER, GREAT CAREER PERSON, HAVE HIM HAVE THEM CONTACT US.

UM, I'VE GIVEN MUCH CONTACT INFORMATION.

HE CAN GO TO THE WEBSITE OR YOU CAN CALL FIRE RESCUE ADMINISTRATION, OR YOU CAN CALL ME DIRECT.

I MEAN, YOU GIVE ME AN EMAIL ADDRESS.

I ANSWER IT PRETTY QUICKLY.

SO, UM, YOU CAN GIVE ME A PHONE, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

SO YOU CAN CALL ME AND I'D BE GLAD TO POINT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

THAT'S MY JOB.

SO I'LL OFFER QUESTIONS TO THE BOARD OR ANYBODY ELSE, IF YOU HAVE AN EMAIL, THANK YOU, DEPUTY CHIEF.

EXCELLENT PRESENTATION.

THE WORD, ANY QUESTIONS, SIR? THANK YOU.

EXCELLENT.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS PRESENTATION FOR A LONG TIME.

I KNOW IT'S A CHALLENGE GETTING VOLUNTEERS, BUT IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE EFFORTS THAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO IT.

WE COULDN'T DEAL WITH THAT.

W I MEAN, IT'S A HUGE, HUGE IMPACT TO OUR COUNTY AND THEY ADD SO MUCH TO IT.

THANK YOU, SIR.

APPRECIATE IT.

Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD DAY.

OR DO WE NEED TO BREAK OR WE GOT UP ABOUT 30.

WE HAD A PRESENTATION AHEAD OF US.

NOW, BUT IT WAS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO.

BIG HAND ON THE FIVE, 10 MINUTES, 10 MINUTES.

[02:25:09]

[02:25:10]

[02:25:10]

FOR BEING BACK ON TIME.

APPRECIATE THAT.

AND IF YOU'RE READY, MS. MCGEE TALKED TO US ABOUT IT'S AWESOME THING.

WE GOT REDISTRICTING.

TAKE UP SOME OF YOUR TIME THIS AFTERNOON.

I AM, AS YOU KNOW, GOOCHLAND COUNTY ATTORNEY TERRA MCGEE.

THIS IS FOR JANUARY 5TH AND IT WAS GOING TO BE THE FIRST PUBLIC MEETING ABOUT THE COUNTY'S NEW PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP, BUT SNOWMAGEDDON HAPPENED.

AND SO NOW TODAY ON JANUARY 19TH, WE'VE ALREADY HAD SEVERAL COMMUNITY MEETINGS ABOUT THE PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP.

UM, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A SLIGHTLY LESS DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT IT, SIMPLY SOME OF THE STUFF YOU'VE HEARD BEFORE ABOUT THE, UM, CRITERIA AND SO FORTH, BUT, UM, IT'S HELPFUL TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT YOU TO A BOARD MEETING BECAUSE WE DO HAVE SOME CITIZENS WHO REGULARLY FOLLOW YOUR BOARD MEETINGS, BUT MAY NOT BE ZOOMING INTO COMMUNITY MEETINGS OR PARTICIPATING.

SO I AM HERE TO DISCUSS THE COUNTY'S ELECTION DISTRICT REDISTRICTING.

AND AS I HAVE DISCUSSED TWO PRIOR MEETINGS, COUNTIES, TOTAL POPULATION WENT UP BY 12% FROM THE 10TH TO THE CENSUS FROM 2010 TO 2020.

AND THE TOTAL POPULATION OF THE COUNTY IS 24,727.

THAT'S NOT THE NUMBER WE USED FOR REDISTRICTING.

AND AGAIN, AS I'VE EXPLAINED, ONCE BEFORE, TWICE BEFORE, I BELIEVE WE HAVE AN ADJUSTED POPULATION NUMBER THAT EVERYONE IN VIRGINIA IS REQUIRED TO USE FOR THEIR REDISTRICTING.

AND THAT'S, UH, IT WAS ADJUSTED BY THE DIVISION OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES, LOOKING AT PRISONER POPULATIONS AT THE STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY AND PUTTING THOSE INDIVIDUALS BACK TO THEIR HOME DISTRICTS.

AND THAT'S JUST HOW VITRINE IS HANDLING THE RE-DISTRICTING.

OUR ADJUSTED POPULATION IS 24,149 INDIVIDUALS.

AND THAT'S THE NUMBER WE'RE USING FOR REDISTRICTING.

NOW, I AM STANDING BEFORE YOU, UH, TO PRESENT THIS INFORMATION, BUT I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF, OF A VERY DEEP AND, UM, HARDWORKING TEAM OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE, UM, WORKED ON THIS EVER SINCE WE STARTED THE REDISTRICTING.

I DON'T KNOW.

IT SEEMS LIKE YEARS AGO

[3. 5247: Presentation of Proposed Redistricting Map]

AND SO ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AND, UH, JOANNE, OUR REGISTRAR, RYAN MULLIGAN AND GIS PERSONNEL ON WHOM THIS REALLY DOES HAVE QUITE THE, UM, IMPACT BECAUSE IT'S ALL ABOUT OUR MAPPING, INCLUDING YOU'LL NOTICE THERE, THE LAST NAME BEING, UH, ONE OF OUR BRAND NEW EMPLOYEES THAT WAS ONLY INTRODUCED TO YOU THIS AFTERNOON.

THIS IS THE ONLY PART OF THE PRESENTATION I'M DOING SLIGHTLY LESS THAN, AND THAT IS THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CREATING ELECTION DISTRICTS.

AGAIN, I HAVE PRESENTED THAT TO THIS BOARD TWO OTHER TIMES THIS FALL.

UM, SO THEY'RE REALLY ONLY LISTED UP HERE, UH, IN TOTAL.

AND I HAVE VERY FEW COMMENTS.

THE FIRST FOUR OF THESE ARE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS.

THE MOST PREDOMINANT REQUIREMENT FOR REDISTRICTING IS THE FIRST REQUIREMENT THAT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL IN POPULATION IS BY LAW REQUIRED TO BE PLUS OR MINUS 5% IN EACH DISTRICT IN TERMS OF NUMBER FOUR, CLEARLY OBSERVABLE BOUNDARIES.

BEFORE I EVER STARTED LOOKING AT A MAP, I THOUGHT THAT WAS GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING OR DIFFICULT THINGS TO DETERMINE, BUT IT WASN'T BECAUSE IT TURNS OUT THAT WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS NOT WHERE THE CLEARLY OBSERVABLE BOUNDARIES ARE.

BUT THE FACT THAT CENSUS BLOCKS USE CLEARLY OBSERVABLE BOUNDARY AND OUR JOB IN REDISTRICTING WAS REALLY TO BIND TOGETHER.

CENSUS BLOCKS.

NOW CENSUS BLOCKS, THE US CENSUS DETERMINED THAT THERE ARE 780 CENSUS BLOCKS IN GOOCHLAND BY BUS IN 2020.

AND THAT OF COURSE IS DATA DETERMINED BY THE CENSUS IN ORDER TO JUST EXPLAIN ABOUT THE CENSUS BLOCKS, UM, THE BLACK LINES, THE SMALLER BLACK LINES THAT YOU SEE UP.

HANG ON.

I DO THAT EVERY TIME, UM, ARE THE CENSUS BLOCK LINES.

DIGITS OF WHAT IS A 15 DIGIT IDENTIFIER FOR EACH CENSUS BLOCK.

AND JUST TO ORIENT YOU, NOT THAT IT MATTERS BECAUSE THIS IS EVERYWHERE IN THE COUNTY, BUT THAT TAN IS PART OF DISTRICT FOUR.

THE BLUE HERE IS PART OF PROPOSED DISTRICT THREE, EXCUSE ME.

THESE ARE THE PROPOSED DISTRICTS AND THE SALMON ARE ORANGE DOWN HERE IS PROPOSED DISTRICT FIVE.

AND THAT GREEN LINE IS WHERE THE STATE HOUSE OF DELEGATES, UH, BOUNDARY IS CUTTING THROUGH GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

SO THE BLACK LINES SHOW YOU THE CENSUS BLOCK CREATE, AND YOU'LL SEE A REALLY LARGE CENSUS BLOCK LIKE THIS ONE.

AND THEN RIGHT NEXT TO IT IS THIS TEENY SMALL, MUCH SMALLER ONE.

AND YOU'LL SEE SOME OTHER SMALLER ONES THROUGH HERE.

WE HAD NO SAY IN HOW BIG THOSE ARE, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THEM.

THERE ARE CENSUS BLOCKS THAT HAVE ZERO RESIDENTS IN THEM, BUT I WILL EXPLAIN THAT EACH CENSUS BLOCK HAS THIS LITTLE DATA SET OF INFORMATION.

AND THE TOP, UM, LIST OF THOSE THREE NUMBERS IS A FOUR DIGIT IDENTIFIER.

IT IS THE LAST FOUR

[02:30:01]

SO WE COULDN'T PUT 15 DIGITS IN ALL OF OUR CENSUS BLOCKS, BUT WE HAVE THE LAST FOUR LISTED THERE.

THE NEXT NUMBER IS SOMETHING THE ADJUSTED POPULATION IN THAT CENSUS BLOCK, ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS DATA.

AND THEN THE THIRD LISTING, THERE IS DATA THAT WE ACTUALLY ENTERED.

IT'S NOT PROVIDED BY THE CENSUS BUREAU.

THAT IS THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS IN THAT CENSUS BLOCK.

AND THAT IS THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS PER, PER OUR GENERAL REGISTRAR'S DATABASE IN NOVEMBER OF 2020 S EXCUSE ME, 2021.

SO IT'S DATA THAT CAME IN A YEAR, POTENTIALLY A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER THE CENSUS DATA WAS ATTRIBUTED BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU CAN SEE SOME ANOMALIES IN THOSE NUMBERS.

AND THAT, THAT MAY GENERALLY EXPLAIN WHY THERE'S SOME ANOMALIES THERE AND WE NEED THE REGISTERED VOTERS DATA FOR EACH CENSUS BLOCK.

WHEN WE DEAL WITH PUTTING TOGETHER THE PRECINCTS.

THEN IF YOU HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THESE MAPS BEFORE THOUGH, UM, THEY ARE NOT ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE ROOM AND THEY'LL BE HERE FOR A COMMUNITY MEETING LATER TONIGHT.

THEY'RE ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE COUNTY'S REDISTRICTING WEBSITE, BUT THESE SMALLER AREAS THAT ARE SLIGHTLY SHADED, THOSE ARE SUBDIVISIONS.

AND WE JUST HAD ALL THE SUBDIVISION PLATS SHOWN ON THE MAP, BECAUSE ONE OF THE CRITERIA AS YOU ALL WELL KNOW THAT YOU DIRECTED US TO TAKE A LOOK AT WAS TRYING NOT TO SPLIT UP SUBDIVISIONS BETWEEN TWO DISTRICTS.

SO THAT'S WHY THERE'S SOME OF THOSE SMALLER SHADED AREAS.

SO DRAWING THE BROWN NEWS WAS NOT REALLY ABOUT US WORRYING ABOUT CLEARLY OBSERVABLE BOUNDARIES.

IT WAS BUNDLING TOGETHER CENSUS BLOCKS TO CREATE DISTRICTS AND EACH CENSUS BLOCK HAS ITS OWN CLEARLY OBSERVABLE BOUNDARY.

THE ONLY OTHER THING I'LL THEN SAY IS THE PRECINCTS IN POLAND PLACE, LEGAL REQUIREMENTS.

AND I'VE PRESENTED THIS TO YOU, UH, IN TWO PRIOR PRESENTATIONS BECAUSE IN VIRGINIA, YOUR PRECINCTS HAVE TO BE DRAWN BASED ON RESIDENT REGISTERED VOTERS.

UM, THAT'S WHY WE HAD TO PUT IN THAT DATA INTO THE CENSUS, UH, BLOCK INFORMATION WHEN CREATED IS WHEN A PRECINCT IS REQUIRED TO HAVE BETWEEN 105,000 REGISTERED VOTERS.

AND THEN NUMBER EIGHT HERE ABOUT NO SPLIT PRECINCTS BECOMES IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE DO HAVE ONE LINE, UH, FOR THE STATE, UH, HOUSE OF DELEGATES THAT CROSSES THROUGH GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

IT IS THE DISTRICT LINE BETWEEN DISTRICTS 56 AND 57.

AND WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE ANY PRECINCT THAT IS SPLIT BETWEEN, UM, UH, FEDERAL OR STATE, UH, DISTRICT LINES.

THE FINAL THING THAT I HAVE GONE THROUGH WITH THE, UM, UH, CITIZENS AND PRESENTATIONS, THOSE WERE ALL LEGAL REQUIREMENTS.

THESE ARE ALL REQUIREMENTS THAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO USE, BUT WHICH THIS BOARD SELECTED AND CHOSE, UH, TO DIRECT STAFF TO USE THAT IS OF COURSE, TO MOVE THE FEWEST NUMBER OF VOTERS TO TRY AND RESPECT THAT PEOPLE MAY HAVE VOTED IN A DISTRICT FOR YEARS.

AND SO BY RETAINING THE SAME BASIC SHAPE OF THE CURRENT DISTRICTS, WE HAD A GUIDELINE AS TO WHERE TO START.

AND THEN AS I MENTIONED, SUBDIVISIONS ARE SHOWN BECAUSE WE SAID TO YOU, WE KNOW WHERE THEY, WHAT NEIGHBORS ARE IN A SUBDIVISION, BECAUSE THOSE ARE PLANTED.

AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE KEPT, IT DECREASES VOTER CONFUSION.

AND THE LAST THING THAT I'VE BEEN SHOWING OUR CITIZENS IS A CRITERIA NUMBER 13 STRUCK THROUGH BECAUSE WHEN I STOOD BEFORE THIS BOARD AND ASKED YOU WHETHER OR NOT I SHOULD IN THE DRAWING OR THE TEAM SHOULD IN THE DRAWING OF THE MAPS, CONSIDER YOUR OWN ADDRESSES AND PROTECT FOR YOU, THE DISTRICTS IN WHICH YOU LIVED, YOU SAID THAT YOU DIRECTED US NOT TO DO THAT, TO TAKE THE POLITICS OUT OF IT, AND TO SIMPLY DRAW THE MAPS AND LET IT, THAT BLINDS FALL, WHERE THEY MAY, WE APPRECIATE THAT THAT OCCURRED.

THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT OCCURRED, AND WE MAKE SURE THE CITIZENS ARE AWARE THAT THAT'S WHAT'S OCCURRED.

SO THOSE ARE ALL OF THE CRITERIA THAT WE USED.

THIS MAP IS WHAT WE STARTED WITH AND WHAT IT SHOWS IS THE 2010, OUR CURRENT ELECTION DISTRICT BOUNDARIES WITH OUR 2020 POPULATION NUMBERS, THE, UH, GENERAL, EXCUSE ME, THE ADJUSTED POPULATION THAT I PROVIDED YOU EARLIER WOULD RE WOULD, EXCUSE ME, WOULD RESULT IN FIVE EQUAL DISTRICTS OF ABOUT 48 30 RESIDENTS.

EACH, THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE POPULATION AS IT SITS IN TODAY'S DISTRICTS, AS THEY STAND.

AND IT STARTS OFF WITH THE ADJUSTED POPULATION THAN THE TARGET.

AND THEN IT SHOWS YOU THAT DIFFERENCE FROM THAT TARGET POPULATION, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAD THE MOST SIGNIFICANT, UH, POPULATION AWAY FROM TARGET, BOTH IN THE CENTRAL AND THEN THE EASTERN PARTS OF THE COUNTY.

BEFORE I MOVE INTO THE MAPS, LET ME JUST TELL YOU HOW WE TOOK THE MAP WE JUST STARTED WITH AND ENDED UP WITH A PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP FOR PRESENTATION TO YOU AND THE PUBLIC.

AND THAT IS, WE ACTUALLY ASKED OUR SOFTWARE TO CREATE THE FIRST MAP BASED ON THAT SLIDE OF FIVE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS.

SO, UM, ONES FROM THE FEDERAL LAW, AS WELL AS THE ONE TO PROTECT STATE ELECTION DISTRICTS, THEN WE SAT DOWN

[02:35:01]

WITH THAT MAP AND STAFF LOOKED AT THE ADDITIONAL CRITERIA THAT YOU HAD PROVIDED.

WE LOOKED AT WHERE SUBDIVISIONS WERE SPLIT, AND WE CHOSE TO MOVE CENSUS BLOCKS TO TRY AND KEEP SUBDIVISIONS TOGETHER.

UM, WE THEN REVIEW THE PRECINCTS LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, DREW PRECINCT LINES AND PICKED POLAND PLACES.

AND ALL OF THAT RESULTED IN THE PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP, WHICH WE REVEAL TO, UH, YOURSELVES AND THE PUBLIC ON DECEMBER 17TH, JUST OVER A MONTH AGO, GOT POSTED ON THE REDISTRICTING WEBSITE, UM, AND HAS REMAINED THERE.

THIS PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP.

AND THEN WE HAVE THE DEVIATION BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, I TOLD YOU, YOU HAD TO BE WITHIN PLUS OR MINUS 5% TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT EACH OF THESE DISTRICTS AS PROPOSED IS WITHIN THAT DEVIATION.

LET ME GO THROUGH EACH DISTRICT AND SHOW YOU A SPECIFIC MAP THAT BREAKS IT DOWN INTO PRECINCTS.

AND AGAIN, HAS THESE DATA.

AND OF COURSE IN THE ROOM, WE HAVE INDIVIDUAL DISTRICT MAPS AS WE DO ON THE WEBSITE.

AND BECAUSE THE BIGGEST AMOUNT OF CHANGE WAS IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE COUNTY.

WE ACTUALLY STARTED WITH PROPOSED DISTRICT FIVE HERE, YOU SEE THE SHADING WITH A DARKER AREA ON THE LEFT WOULD BE PRECINCT 5 0 1.

AND THE LIGHTER SHADING ON THE RIGHT WOULD BE PRECINCT 5 0 2 DISTRICT FIVE NEEDED TO DECREASE ITS POPULATION BY 768 RESIDENTS.

NOW IT'S SOUTHERN AND EASTERN BOUNDARIES FOLLOW THE COUNTY BORDERS, THE WESTERN BOUNDARY.

YOU SEE THAT GREEN LINE THAT LAYS OVER THE WESTERN BOUNDARY WITH DISTRICT THREE.

THAT IS THE STATE HOUSE OF DELEGATES, A BORDER BETWEEN DISTRICTS 56 AND 57.

SO IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE WE DIDN'T SPLIT A PRECINCT, WE CHOSE TO KEEP THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN DISTRICT THREE AND DISTRICT FIVE, THE SAME.

AND THAT WAY WE WOULD ENSURE THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE A SPLIT PRECINCT IN THIS AREA OF THE COUNTY, BUT THAT MEANT THAT WE THEN HAD TO MAKE ALL THE CHANGES WE WERE GOING TO MAKE ON THE BORDER BETWEEN FOUR AND FIVE.

AND LET ME TELL YOU WHAT, UH, GROUPINGS WE MADE TO CHANGE THE POPULATIONS BETWEEN FOUR AND FIVE.

THERE WERE SOME CENSUS BLOCKS THAT WE MOVED INTO D FOUR, AND THAT WAS TO KEEP THE KINLOCK SUBDIVISION TOGETHER.

THE GROWTH IN THAT SUBDIVISION SINCE OUR LAST MAP HAD NOW CAUSED THAT SUBDIVISION TO BE SPLIT INTO THE TWO DISTRICTS.

AND WE WANTED TO MOVE THOSE TOGETHER.

WE ALSO MOVED TO CENSUS BLOCKS FROM D FOUR INTO D FIVE BECAUSE OF THE NEW MOSAIC SUBDIVISION TO KEEP ALL THE PROPERTY IN THAT SUBDIVISION TOGETHER IN ONE DISTRICT AS WAS A GOAL THAT YOU ALL, UH, DIRECTED US TO USE.

AND THEN THERE IS ONE BLOCK ON THE FAR EASTERN PART OF ONE CENSUS BLOCK ON THE FAR EASTERN PART OF THE BORDER THAT WE TRANSFERRED FROM D FIVE INTO D FOUR.

AND THAT WAS FRANKLY, JUST TO END UP WITH THE RIGHT NUMBER FOR THE POPULATION THAT WE NEEDED IN BETWEEN THE TWO DISTRICTS.

SO HERE'S A SUMMARY OF THE DATA FOR PROPOSED DISTRICT FIVE, THE POPULATION AND THAT DEVIATION WITHIN TARGET THE PRECINCTS, SHOWING THAT THEY ARE ROUGHLY EQUAL NUMBER OF VOTERS THAT YOU REMEMBER, I DIDN'T SAY EQUAL VOTERS WAS A LEGAL REQUIREMENTS.

HOWEVER, YOU HAVE A BETTER, UH, ELECTION PROCESS AND IT'S BE EASIER ON YOUR VOTERS IF YOUR PRECINCTS HAVE MORE EQUAL NUMBERS OF PEOPLE GOING TO THEIR POLLING PLACE.

SO THAT WAS THE GOAL OF THE COMMITTEE, AGAIN FOR CONVENIENCE AND A BETTER PROCESS.

UM, WE DIDN'T, WE, WE MET THAT IN EVERY DISTRICT EXCEPT FOR ONE AS I'LL EXPLAIN.

AND THEN WE HAVE ONLY WHAT I WILL CALL PROPOSED POLLING PLACES, BECAUSE NOW THAT THEY'VE BEEN IDENTIFIED OUR REGISTRAR AND ELECTORAL BORDER CHECKING TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE PLACES ARE WILLING TO SERVE AS POLLING PLACES.

YOU MIGHT NOTE THOUGH, THESE TWO IDENTIFIED POLLING PLACES HAVE BEEN POLLING PLACES FOR THE COUNTY IN THE PAST.

SO THERE'S NO CHANGE THERE.

THEN I MOVE ON TO DISTRICT FOUR.

UM, THE TWO PRECINCT SHAPES SHOWN AGAIN WITH THE SHADING TO THE LEFT BEING 4 0 1 TO THE RIGHT 4 0 2.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT GREEN LINE THAT IS ACTUALLY THAT STATE HOUSE OF DELEGATES BORDER.

AND IT BECOMES THE BORDER BETWEEN OUR TWO PRECINCTS.

AND IN THAT WAY, WE MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE A SPLIT PRECINCT.

THE POPULATION THAT DISTRICT FOUR NEEDED TO ADJUST WAS TO DECREASE BY 1009 RESIDENTS, THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN BOUNDARIES ARE ON THE COUNTY BORDER.

AND I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU HOW WE CHANGED THE BOUNDARY WITH DISTRICT FIVE.

SO THE MACE MAJOR CHANGE THAT HAPPENED TO DISTRICT FOUR IS THAT IT'S WESTERN BOUNDARY MOVED EAST CONSIDERABLY.

WHY IS IT USED TO BE WEST OF OIL VILLE? IT'S NOW GOING DOWN SHALLOW WELL ROAD, THAT'S PRINCIPALLY, AND NOT ONLY TO MAKE THE RIGHT NUMBERS HERE IN DISTRICT FOUR, BUT BECAUSE DISTRICT THREE HAD THE HIGHEST NEED FOR POPULATION IN IT, IT NEEDED OVER 1200 RESIDENTS.

PLUS IT NEEDED TO MAKE ANOTHER 500 RESIDENTS

[02:40:01]

AVAILABLE FOR ADJUSTMENTS IN DISTRICTS, ONE A DISTRICT TWO.

SO I'VE TOLD YOU HOW BETWEEN FOUR AND FIVE, WE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE SUBDIVISIONS CAN LOCK MOSAIC AND SO FORTH.

THE, UM, THE, UM, AND THEN DESCRIBE THE WESTERN BOUNDARY CHANGE.

THE LAST THING I'LL TELL YOU IS THAT, UM, WAS WE LOOK AT THE DATA FOR DISTRICT FOUR.

HERE'S WHERE YOU CAN SEE, UH, THAT WE DID NOT MEET OUR GOAL OF HAVING ROUGHLY EQUAL REGISTERED VOTERS IN EACH PRECINCT.

AND THAT IS BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF THAT STATE HOUSE OF DELEGATES LINE.

WE HAVE OVER 3000 REGISTERED VOTERS IN 4 0 2.

NOW THAT IS LEGALLY ACCEPTABLE, BUT IT WOULD NOT BE A SURPRISE TO THE COMMITTEE IF THE GENERAL REGISTRAR OR THE ELECTORAL BOARD ASKS TO PERHAPS DO SOMETHING, UM, PERHAPS CREATE ANOTHER DISTRICT, EVEN IN THAT AREA, ANOTHER PRECINCT, EXCUSE ME, TO TRY AND MAKE THAT MORE EQUITABLE.

TYPICALLY OUR ELECTORAL BOARD, WHEN THEY HAVE MORE THAN 3000 VOTERS IN A PRECINCT TODAY, THEY LOOK TO TRY AND SPLIT IT TO, UM, JUST MAKE FOR A BETTER ELECTION PROCESS.

AND THEN THESE TWO PROPOSED POLLING PLACES ALSO ARE ONES THAT HAVE SERVED IN THAT CAPACITY FOR THE COUNTY.

IN THE PAST, WHEN WE GET TO PROPOSE DISTRICT THREE, AS WE DO MOVING EAST ACROSS, I MEAN, WEST ACROSS THE COUNTY, IT ACTUALLY HAD THE MOST NEED FOR CHANGE.

IT NEEDED TO GAIN 1,231 RESIDENTS.

AND AS I SAID, MAKE ABOUT 500 RESIDENTS AVAILABLE TO ITS NEIGHBORS IN THE WESTERN DISTRICTS.

HERE, YOU HAVE THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN BOUNDARIES GO ON THE COUNTY BORDERS, UM, TO MEET THE APPROPRIATE POPULATION, BOTH THE EASTERN AND WESTERN BORDERS OF DISTRICT THREE CHANGED PRETTY SUBSTANTIALLY.

I DESCRIBED HOW THE, UH, THE WATER WITH DISTRICT FOUR NOW MOVED OVER TO A SHALLOW WELL ROAD.

AND THEN ALSO YOU'VE HEARD ME TELL YOU THAT I DIDN'T CHANGE THE, THE BORDER WITH DISTRICT FIVE.

WASN'T CHANGED BECAUSE OF THE STATE HOUSE OF DELEGATES, UH, ELECTION DISTRICT THAT GOES THROUGH THEIR DISTRICT THREE WESTERN BORDER NOW FOLLOWS COURTHOUSE CREEK, AND THAT CAUSES THE CORE OF COURTHOUSE VILLAGE TO MOVE INTO DISTRICT TWO.

UM, COURTHOUSE CREEK WAS USED BECAUSE ALL OF THE CENSUS BLOCKS THAT GO DOWN THAT AREA USE COURTHOUSE CREEK AS THEIR BOUNDARY.

SO IT'S NOT THAT WE THOUGHT THAT WAS A BETTER IDENTIFIER FOR RESIDENTS.

THAT'S JUST HOW THE CENSUS BLOCKS WERE CREATED IN THAT AREA.

I WILL LET YOU KNOW THAT THE NORTHWEST CORNER UP IN THIS AREA OF DISTRICT THREE, WE ACTUALLY MOVE THESE BLOCKS FROM DISTRICT TWO AND INTO DISTRICT THREE.

AND THE REASONING IS THIS THAT'S WHERE THE OLD HOUSE OF DELEGATES, UH, BOUNDARY WENT THROUGH.

AND SO WE ALLOWED THAT TO BE A DISTRICT BOUNDARY, BECAUSE AGAIN, THEN WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SPLIT PRECINCTS, BUT SINCE THAT IS NO LONGER A STATE HOUSE OF DELEGATES BOUNDARY, WE WERE ABLE TO SIMPLY CREATE A MORE COMPACT AND CONTIGUOUS DISTRICT BY MOVING THOSE BACK INTO, INTO DISTRICT THREE.

SO THAT IS THE PROPOSAL.

THE DATA FOR THIS DISTRICT TELLS YOU THAT THE REGISTERED VOTERS ARE MORE EQUAL IN TERMS OF HALF, AND THAT THERE ARE TWO NEW PROPOSED POLLING PLACES, UH, BOTH OWNED FACILITIES.

THE GOOCHLAND COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER COULD BE ONE OF THE, UH, PROPOSED POLLING PLACES.

UH, PUBLIC BUILDINGS ARE PREFERRED FOR POLLING LOCATIONS AND THEN RANDOLPH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BECAUSE WE WERE TOLD, UH, PRIOR TO STARTING THE PROCESS THAT WE COULD IN FACT USE SCHOOLS AND THAT STUDENTS WOULD NOT BE IN SCHOOL ON ELECTION DAY.

AND IN FUTURE CALENDARS, THEN MOVING ON TO PROPOSED DISTRICT TWO, AGAIN, YOU SEE THE PRECINCTS WITH THE SHADING SHOWN HERE.

UH, DISTRICT TWO PRECINCTS WERE, UM, THE MOST UNEQUAL IN THE PAST.

AND WE WERE ABLE TO EQUALIZE THAT IN TERMS OF THE OVERALL DISTRICT, IT NEEDED TO GAIN APPROXIMATELY 415 RESIDENTS AND TO PROVIDE DISTRICT ONE WITH ANOTHER 132 RESIDENTS, THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN BOUNDARIES ARE ON THE COUNTY BORDERS.

AND I JUST EXPLAINED HOW NOW THE DISTRICT TWO BORDER WITH DISTRICT THREE FOLLOWS COURTHOUSE CREEK, UM, AND HOW I CHOSE THE NORTH, HOW THE DISTRICT CHANGED IN THE NORTH EASTERN AREA, BECAUSE IT NO LONGER FOLLOWS, UH, FORMER STATE ELECTION DISTRICT BOUNDARY.

SO THAT LEAVES ME THE WESTERN DISTRICT TO DESCRIBE TO YOU THE WESTERN BOUNDARY UP IN THIS AREA.

WHAT I'LL TELL YOU IS NEAR CEDAR PLAINS ROAD.

THERE WERE A NUMBER OF DISTRICTS THAT WE MOVED BETWEEN DISTRICTS ONE AND TWO NUMBER OF CENSUS BLOCKS.

AND IT WAS TO TRY AND KEEP, UH, SUBDIVISIONS TOGETHER THAT INVOLVED IN MEREDITH FARMS, SUBDIVISION, BEING ABLE TO PUT ALL OF THE CENSUS BLOCKS WITH MEREDITH FARM ADDRESSES INTO DISTRICT ONE, BUT THEN TO HAVE RED EYE BLUFF SUBDIVISION AND BOWLING LANE PLACE, TRY TO TRY AND KEEP ALL THOSE RESIDENTS INTO DISTRICT TWO.

AND, UM, I THINK THERE MAY BE TWO ADDRESSES THAT AREN'T STILL

[02:45:01]

IN THE DISTRICT TWO FROM ONE OF THOSE SUBDIVISIONS BECAUSE THE CENSUS BLOCKS SPLIT THOSE OFF, BUT WE TRIED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO KEEP ALL THREE OF THOSE SUBDIVISIONS UNIFIED AND TO WHERE THEY VOTED TO DO THEN OBTAIN THE APPROPRIATE POPULATION.

THERE WAS ONE CENSUS BLOCK FURTHER DOWN THE WESTERN BOUNDARY HERE THAT MOVED FROM A DISTRICT TWO INTO DISTRICT ONE.

SO HERE'S THE SUMMARY FORM OF DATA ABOUT PROPOSED DISTRICT TWO.

I WILL SHOW YOU SEE THERE, HOW VERY CLOSE THE VOTERS HAVE BEEN EQUALIZED BETWEEN THE TWO PRECINCTS THAT SHOULD LEAD TO MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE ELECTION PROCESS IN DISTRICT TWO.

UM, AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, ONE NEW PROPOSED POLLING PLACE THAT CHIEF CORNERSTONE BAPTIST CHURCH, AND THEN, UH, CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL HAS ALSO NOT BEEN A POLLING PLACE.

UM, SO THEY'RE BOTH NEW, BUT, UM, THE COUNTY OWNED BUILDING, IT WOULD BE A, UM, UH, A HIGHER CHOICE IN THE PRECINCT CATEGORIES, PULLING PLACE CATEGORIES.

THEN WE HAVE PROPOSED DISTRICT ONE, WE ACQUIRE THE ABSOLUTE LEAST AMOUNT OF CHANGE IN POPULATION TO ADD 132 RESIDENTS.

NOW IT'S NORTHERN EASTERN AND WESTERN, EXCUSE ME, NORTHERN SOUTHERN AND WESTERN BOUNDARIES ARE ON THE COUNTY BORDERS.

AND I'VE DESCRIBED TO YOU THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE WITH DISTRICT TWO, THAT WE HAD THREE SUBDIVISIONS.

WE MADE SOME CENSUS BLOCK CHANGES TO KEEP TOGETHER.

AND THEN THAT THERE WAS ONE MORE BLOCK THAT CHANGED TO GET THE RIGHT POPULATION.

AND THIS IS THE DATA ON PROPOSED DISTRICT ONE OR WITHIN THE ADJUSTED POPULATION.

AND THE DEVIATION HERE IT IS WHERE GOOSE AND FIRE STATION SIX CONTINUES TO BE A POLLING PLACE, BUT BIRD ELEMENTARY WOULD BE A NEW POLLING PLACE, PROPOSED POLLING PLACE FOR RESIDENTS, UM, AND A RELATIVELY EQUAL, UH, DIVISION OF REGISTERED VOTERS.

NOW THAT WE'VE COVERED THE DISTRICTS, LET ME GO THROUGH SOME OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FROM THE CENSUS.

IT WAS ONLY AFTER WE COMPLETED THE PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP THAT STAFF REVIEWED THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA AS COMPARED THE COUNTY POPULATION FROM 2010 TO 2020.

I WILL TELL YOU THAT WHILE WE HAD TO THROW THE TOTAL POPULATION OUT THE WINDOW IN TERMS OF DOING REDISTRICTING, THE ONLY ACCURATE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA RELATES TO THE TOTAL POPULATION OF GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

AND THAT'S BECAUSE WHEN THE PRISONERS WERE REALLOCATED BY THE DIVISION OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES, THEY DIDN'T IDENTIFY THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION OF EACH PERSON.

THEY REALLOCATE IT.

HOWEVER, THAT WAS LESS THAN IT WAS ABOUT 500 PEOPLE FOR GOOCHLAND COUNTY.

SO THE HOLDS TRUE WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE DEMOGRAPHICS THAT YOU WOULD COMPARE THE DATA.

THIS ONE WAS START WITH THE 2010 CENSUS DATA FOR GOOCHLAND COUNTY, THE CENSUS IN 2010 ONLY COLLECTED INFORMATION WITH RESPECT TO WHITE, BLACK, OR OTHER FOR RACES THAT WERE BEING REPORTED BY CITIZENS.

AT THAT TIME, THE COUNTY HAD ALMOST 17,000, UH, RESIDENTS WHO REPORTED AS WHITE AT ABOUT 77.5%.

AND THE POPULATION WHO REPORTED AS BLACK WAS ABOUT 19.2%.

I ALSO HAVE OUT THERE IN RED ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, A NUMBER THAT ENDS UP BEING A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPARABLE WITH TODAY'S DATA.

AND THAT IS THE TOTAL OF NONWHITE POPULATION THAT WAS REPORTED IN THIS CENSUS.

AND AT 22.5%, WHICH WE CAN THEN COMPARE TO THE 2020 DATA IN 2020.

THE CENSUS WAS VERY DIFFERENT FOR DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION.

THE CENSUS TWOS TO ASK CITIZENS TO REPORT NOT ONLY BY THEIR RACE AS EITHER WHITE, BLACK, ASIAN, AMERICAN, INDIAN, OR HAWAIIAN, IT THEN INCLUDED ANOTHER 50 MULTI-RACIAL CATEGORIES SO THAT SOMEONE COULD REPORT THEMSELVES AS BOTH WHITE AND AN AMERICAN INDIAN OR BLACK AND, UH, HAWAIIAN.

UH, THEN THEY ALSO REPORTED A NUMBER OF FOLKS WHO IDENTIFIED BY THE ETHNICITY OF HISPANIC.

AND IT WENT THROUGH ALL THE RACIAL CATEGORIES FOR HISPANIC AS WELL.

ULTIMATELY THERE ARE MORE THAN 150 DIFFERENT CATEGORIES, BUT LET ME TELL YOU WHAT WE TO DO IN REPORTING OUT THE INFORMATION TO YOU AND TO THE PUBLIC FOR GOOCHLAND WE'RE REPORTING THE DEMOGRAPHIC CATEGORIES THAT REPRESENT AT LEAST 2% OF GOOCHLAND RESIDENTS.

UM, AND THOSE ARE WHITE, BLACK, HISPANIC, AND ASIAN, AND THEN ALL THE OTHER RACIAL CATEGORIES ARE INCLUDED IN OUR CATEGORY OF OTHER WHILE A COUNTY'S WHITE POPULATION GREW IN NUMBER THE PERCENTAGE AT 78.1% IS STILL FAIRLY CLOSE TO WHAT WE HAD IN 2010.

THAT NUMBER WAS 77.5 AND OVERALL THE COUNTY'S POPULATION OF RESIDENTS IDENTIFYING AS BLACK DECREASED BY, UM, JUST UNDER A THOUSAND.

THE PERCENTAGE ALSO DECREASED FROM WHAT WAS IN 2010 AND 19% TO IN 2020, JUST OVER 13%.

BUT I WILL LET YOU KNOW THAT IN REVIEWING ALL

[02:50:01]

THE OTHER CATEGORIES, THERE WERE ANOTHER 312 RESIDENTS WHO REPORTED IN A MULTI-RACIAL CATEGORY THAT INCLUDED BLACK.

SO THAT DECREASE IN NUMBER IS NOT A STRAIGHT DECREASE IN BODIES.

SOME OF IT IS JUST IN HOW IT'S BEING REPORTED TODAY.

SO THERE'S ABOUT ANOTHER 1% OF RESIDENTS WHO REPORT IN A MULTI-RACIAL CATEGORY AS BLACK, BUT GIVEN THE DIFFERENCE IN HOW THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA HAS BEEN REPORTED THESE TWO DECADES, AGAIN, I POINT OUT TO YOU THAT WHAT IS PERHAPS EASIEST TO COMPARE IS THIS NUMBER RIGHT HERE THAT 21.9% IS THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF GOOCHLAND POPULATION THAT REPORTED INTO NONWHITE CATEGORY IN 2020.

AND THAT'S VERY CLOSE TO WHAT REPORTED IN 2010 IN A CATEGORY OF NONWHITE.

SO THOSE NUMBERS REMAIN VERY SIMILAR, SAME SIMILAR, THE SINGLE LARGEST MINORITY THAT IS IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY ARE THE RESIDENTS WHO IDENTIFY AS BLACK, BUT LET'S LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS THEN FOR INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS.

THIS IS THE CURRENT AGAIN, CURRENT ELECTION DISTRICTS DATA BEFORE WE REDISTRICT.

AND WHILE THERE ARE A LOT OF NUMBERS ON THAT SCREEN, THE DISTRICT WITH THE HIGHEST POPULATION OF BLACK DIS RESIDENTS BEFORE WE STARTED, REDISTRICTING IS DISTRICT TWO WITH JUST OVER A THOUSAND OR 23.4% OF ITS POPULATION.

AND THE DISTRICT WITH THE LOWEST PERCENT OF RESIDENTS WHO IDENTIFY AS BLACK IS DISTRICT FIVE, WITH 371 RESIDENTS OR SIX AND A HALF, ROUGHLY SIX AND A HALF PERCENT OF ITS POPULATION.

I WANT TO NOTE FOR THE BOARD AND THE PUBLIC, THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN ELECTION DISTRICT IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY THAT HAS A MAJORITY OF MINORITY RESIDENTS IN ABOUT 30 YEARS.

THAT'S SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE HASN'T BEEN A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF MINORITY RESIDENTS IN GOOCHLAND TO CREATE A MAJORITY WITHIN A CERTAIN DISTRICT.

THE LAST TIME THAT OCCURRED WAS IN 1991, ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION I'VE REVIEWED IN OUR OFFICE FILES ABOUT PRIOR REDISTRICTINGS, HERE'S THAT SAME INFORMATION ABOUT PROPOSED ELECTION DISTRICTS.

AND AGAIN, LET ME HELP YOU PULL OUT SOME NUMBERS AGAIN IN RED DISTRICT, TWO STILL HAS THE HIGHEST NUMBER AND HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF RESIDENTS WHO IDENTIFY IN OUR HIGHEST, A MINORITY THAT IS BLACK, JUST OVER 20%.

DISTRICT FIVE STILL HAS THE LOWEST NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE OF RESIDENTS WHO IDENTIFY AS BLACK, JUST OVER 5%.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OTHER DISTRICTS, YOU'LL SEE THAT DISTRICT ONE AND THREE HAVE AN INCREASE IN BOTH THEIR NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE OF BLACK RESIDENTS.

WHEREAS THE OTHER DISTRICTS REFLECT A DECLINE IN RESIDENTS THAT REPORT AS BLACK, BOTH IN TERMS OF NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES OF POPULATIONS, ALL OF THIS DATA IS AVAILABLE ON GOSHEN COUNTY'S WEBSITE, AS WELL AS IN A N IN TABLE FORM, AS WELL AS IN A NARRATIVE THAT EXPLAINS TAKES YOU THROUGH THE DATA.

THE POSTING OF THE PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP A MONTH AGO ON DECEMBER 17TH WAS JUST THE START OF THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS.

THE TWO GOALS THAT WE SERVE THAT WE HAVE IN THAT THE GOOCHLAND HAS FOR THIS PROCESS ARE PUBLIC INPUT AND TRANSPARENCY.

SO WE HAVE BEEN ENGAGED IN MAKING SURE THAT WE GET INPUT FROM OUR PUBLIC, CERTAINLY PROVIDE THEM EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE INPUT.

IT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO HEAR FROM OUR RESIDENTS IN ANY MEANS POSSIBLE.

SO OUR REDISTRICTING WEBSITE WAS LAUNCHED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENTS PUT RIGHT IN A EXCEL SPREADSHEET.

IN THE CHART ON THE WEBSITE.

WE ALSO HAVE A SPECIFIC EMAIL ADDRESS FOR EMAIL COMMENTS, AND WE HAVE A MAP, UM, CURRENTLY AVAILABLE THAT WHERE RESIDENTS CAN SEARCH THEIR ADDRESSES, RANDY BUZZARD, OUR IT, DIRECTOR'S GONNA STEP IN AND SHOW YOU THE USEFULNESS OF THAT MAP FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND FOR YOURSELVES, RANDY.

GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MR. ALVAREZ.

SO WE DO HAVE, UH, RGS DEPARTMENT WORK HARD ON THE WHOLE RESISTING RE-DISTRICTING PROCESS, BUT SPECIFICALLY THEY CREATED A INTERACTIVE MAP WEB APP.

AND IF YOU GO TO OUR REDISTRICTING PAGE, THERE'S A LINK TO REDISTRICTING MAPS RIGHT HERE ON THE LEFT, AND IT BRINGS UP THIS PAGE AND IT HAS A LITTLE DISCLAIMER ON IT.

YOU HAVE TO AGREE TO THAT.

AND THAT'S A SMALLER VERSION OF THE MAP.

I'VE OPENED THE BIGGER VERSION.

IT GOES TO THE LINK RIGHT HERE TO THE BIGGER VERSION LIKE THE RESIDENTS CAN SEE IT A LITTLE BETTER, UM, THROUGH THE STREAMING PLATFORM.

SO WHEN YOU FIRST OPENED THE MAP, IT'S CLICK DISCLAIMER, AND IT HAS A LITTLE ABOUT OVER HERE, BUT AT FIRST, WHEN IT FIRST COMES UP, IT'LL COME UP AND YOU'LL HAVE THIS

[02:55:01]

ABOUT OVER HERE.

AND YOU CAN CLICK THIS LITTLE BUTTON UP HERE IN A TOP, RIGHT? AND IT'S A SLIDER BUTTON.

AND WHAT IT IS IS IT ALLOWS YOU TO TURN ON AND OFF THE LAYERS THAT THEY CREATED ON THE MAP AND THE LAYERS.

UH, LET'S SEE, THESE ARE THE LAYERS.

YES, HERE'S THE LAYERS, UH, INCLUDE IN THE LEGEND HERE, PROPOSED BOWLING LOCATION, STATE HOUSE LINES, THE EXISTING STATE HOUSE LINES, EXISTING DISTRICTS, POLLING LOCATIONS, AND THE PROPOSED DISTRICTS BY, BY COLORS.

IF YOU GO BACK TO THE SLIDER, I, IF YOU PULL IT UP ALL THE WAY OVER HERE TO THE LEFT, THAT BASICALLY JUST SHOWS YOU THE PROPOSED NEW PROPOSED DISTRICTS.

AND IF HE'S GRABBED THIS SLIDER IN THE MIDDLE AND START SLIDING IT OVER, YOU CAN SEE THE OLD 2010 DISTRICT CLIENTS SHOW UP AS YOU SLIDE IT OVER.

UM, AND IT TURNS ON ALL THE OTHER LAYERS TOO, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHAT MOST PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN.

ALSO ANOTHER COOL FEATURE IS THE SEARCH BUTTON SO THAT YOU CAN SEARCH FOR AN ADDRESS.

AND I FOUND THE BEST WAY IS JUST START TYPING YOUR ROAD NAME IN.

SO I'M JUST GOING TO USE SANDY HOOK AS AN EXAMPLE, AND IT'LL START POPULATING JUST LIKE OUR GIS SITE DOES, AND YOU CAN CLICK ON THE ADDRESS AND IT'LL ZOOM TO IT, AND IT POPS UP SOME INFORMATION FOR YOU HERE.

SO IT TELLS YOU, YOU KNOW, HAS THE ADDRESS.

IT SHOWS YOUR PROPOSED DISTRICT AND YOUR PROPOSED PRECINCT AND YOUR EXISTING DISTRICT.

SO IN THIS CASE, THIS PARTICULAR ADDRESS WAS IN HER, IS CURRENTLY IN DISTRICT THREE AND IS PROPOSED TO MOVE TO DISTRICT TWO.

UM, SO THAT'S ABOUT IT.

UM, WE HOPE IT'S A COOL LITTLE WEB APP THAT OUR CITIZENS WILL BE ABLE TO USE.

AND AGAIN, YOU CAN REFRESH IT AND IT'LL BRING BACK UP TO DISCLAIMER AGAIN AND, UH, TAKE YOU BACK TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE ZOOM.

YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I'LL BE HAPPY TO TRY TO ANSWER.

SO THAT WE'RE NOT MAKING THAT PUBLIC ARE SCANNED AND POSTED, AND THE PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE THERE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE THIS PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD GOES THROUGH FEBRUARY 1ST.

YES, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO THIS SLIDE.

YOU CAN DOUBLE CLICK ON THE, ON THE MAP AND THEN IT FOCUSES IN, UH, ZOOMS IN, UH, TO LOOK TO A LOCATION.

AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE ROAD NAMES.

I KNOW ON THE BIG MAP, ON THE FIRST MAP, YOU REALLY CAN SEE ALL THE ROAD NAMES, BUT ON THIS MAP YOU CAN, YEAH.

IT TURNS THOSE LAYERS ON AND OFF AS YOU ZOOM IN AND OUT.

GOOD POINT, MR. ALVAREZ THINKING WHEN YOU'RE READY.

YUP.

THANKS, RANDY.

AND I DO THINK AGAIN, GIVEN THAT THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THAT WE CAN PUT ON THE PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP IS LIMITED WITH EVERYTHING WE'RE TRYING TO PUT ON IT.

THAT'S JUST A GREAT RESOURCE THAT IT CAME UP WITH.

SO CITIZENS COULD LOOK FOR THEIR ADDRESS IN PARTICULAR AND FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING.

UM, SO WITH COMMUNITY INPUT, UM, WE BEGAN WITH THIS SCHEDULE OF COMMUNITY MEETINGS.

UH, WE PLANNED AN ADVERTISE THESE FIVE COMMUNITY MEETINGS.

OUR FIRST TWO MEETINGS ON JANUARY 5TH WERE THE WEDNESDAY OF SNOW ARMAGEDDON.

AND ALTHOUGH WE HAD RESIDENTS HERE, THANK YOU, JONATHAN LYLE, AND A COUPLE OF OTHERS.

AND ALTHOUGH WE HAD ZOOM FOR BOTH OF THOSE MEETINGS AS WELL, WE HAVE DECIDED TO ADD TWO MORE MEETINGS.

SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IN THAT WEEK, WHEN PEOPLE WERE, WERE MORE WORRIED ABOUT WHETHER THEIR HEAT WAS ON AND WHETHER THEY COULD GET TO A PHARMACY THAT DIDN'T ALSO HAVE TO WORRY THAT THEY'RE MISSING OUT ON REDISTRICTING.

UM, ONE OF THE ADDITIONAL MEETINGS WE'VE ADDED TONIGHT AND THIS BUILDING AT SIX 30 AND WE ALSO HAD SCHEDULED, UH, THE ONE FOR TOMORROW NIGHT AT ST.

JOHN BAPTIST CHURCH, BUT IN LIGHT OF THE IMPENDING WEATHER FORECAST, HIS CHIEF, UM, FERGUSON TOLD US EARLIER, WE'RE DECIDING TO POSTPONE AND RESCHEDULE THAT MEETING RATHER THAN TRY AND HOLD THAT AT SIX 30 TOMORROW.

AND THE CHIEF SAID WE COULD VERY WELL BE HAVING A WEATHER EVENT, ALL THE MEETINGS THAT WE'VE HAD AND ARE ALL HOLDING, ARE NOT DISTRICT SPECIFIC.

I GO THROUGH EVERY DISTRICT IN THE COUNTY OVERALL, UM, TO DATE, I'D SAY WE HAVE, UM, MILD PARTICIPATION BY OUR RESIDENTS AT THE MEETING, ANYWHERE FROM THREE TO 10 RESIDENTS HAVE ATTENDED EACH OF THE BUILDINGS WE'VE HELD.

WE USUALLY HAVE ONE OR MAYBE A SEVERAL PEOPLE PARTICIPATING ON ZOOM.

UM, BUT IT'S NICE TO KNOW THAT AT LEAST THAT WE'RE GETTING SOME PARTICIPATION, UH, PERHAPS THIS IS WHAT MR. LYLE REFERRED TO EARLIER, IS THAT FOLKS TRUST WHAT WE'RE DOING? I, I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT'S THE CASE, BUT, UM, NONETHELESS, WE ARE HAPPY TO BE PRESENTING US OUT TO OUR RESIDENTS AND GLAD WHEN THEY BECOME ENGAGED WITH IT ON, ON US WITH THIS TOPIC.

AND IN TERMS OF ALL THE INPUT THAT WE ARE RECEIVING, WE'RE MAKING SURE TO BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE THAT ALL COMMENTS ARE POSTED.

SO IF SOMEBODY CAME UP TO THE MICROPHONE AND MADE A COMMENT OR A QUESTION AT A PUBLIC MEETING, THOSE ARE, UM, BEING TRANSCRIBED AND PUT INTO THE RECORD ON THE COUNTY WEBSITE, THE EMAILS, ONCE WE TRAN TAKE OFF SOMEBODY'S EMAIL ADDRESS

[03:00:01]

THAT'S SLIGHTLY LONGER THAN WHAT STATE LAW REQUIRES, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE THE STAFF IN GOOCHLAND WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS WHO SPENT TIME WITH THEIR FAMILY OVER THE HOLIDAYS, AGAIN, NOT WORRYING ABOUT GOSHEN'S REDISTRICTING STILL HAVE SUFFICIENT TIME, UM, TO ENGAGE ON THE RE-DISTRICTING.

SO WHEN ALL THESE COMMENTS ARE CONCLUDED AT FEBRUARY 1ST, THE NEXT STEP, WELL, WE, WE HAVE PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR, A SPECIAL MEETING AT WHICH WE WILL PRESENT YOU, NOT JUST THE COMMENTS, BECAUSE THOSE ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE, BUT TO THE EXTENT THEY SUGGEST ANY CHANGES OR PROPOSED REVISIONS, WE CAN PRESENT STAFF WILL HAVE REVIEWED THOSE.

AND WE'LL BE PRESENTING TO YOU IF THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION, OR IF A SUGGESTION CAME IN THAT WE ARE CHOOSING NOT TO RECOMMEND AN ANALYSIS OF WHY THAT IS, BUT WE INTEND TO PRESENT ALL OF THAT TO YOU AT YOUR SPECIAL MEETING ON FEBRUARY 22ND.

AND THEN WHAT WE WOULD ASK AT THAT MEETING IS IF THERE ARE REVISIONS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO ADOPT, THAT YOU WOULD GIVE US THAT GUIDANCE TAKE THAT VOTE, UM, THAT EVENING, BECAUSE IF WE MAKE ANY REVISIONS TO OUR PROPOSED MAP, IF YOU ASK FOR ANY, IF WE, UH, IF YOU TAKE ANY SUGGESTION TO DO SO, WE THEN WILL CREATE THE REVISED REDISTRICTING MAP AND POST THAT IN THE PUBLIC FOR ADDITIONAL 15 DAYS.

AND THAT IS REQUIRED UNDER THE VIRGINIA VOTING RIGHTS ACT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THAT FOLKS ARE AWARE IF THERE IS A CHANGE BEING PROPOSED AND SO THAT THEY CAN COMMENT AND PARTICIPATE ON THAT PROPOSED CHANGE.

BUT ULTIMATELY THE FINAL STEP IN THIS PROCESS IS AL GOLLY, ANOTHER SPECIAL MEETING BEFORE YOU, ALL THIS MEETING ON MARCH 15TH IS DEDICATED SOLELY TO THE CONSIDERATION, AND WE HOPE THE ADOPTION, NOT ONLY OF THE REDISTRICTING MAP, BUT THE ORDINANCE THAT ACCOMPANIES IT, JUST THE WORDS THAT DESCRIBES THE SAME THINGS YOU'RE SEEING ON THE MAP.

AND THE REASON THAT SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 15TH IS BECAUSE IT BECOMES FINALLY APPROVED 30 DAYS AFTER YOU HAVE VOTED TO ADOPT IT OR ON ABOUT MID APRIL, APRIL 15TH.

AND WHILE THAT MAY SOUND LIKE THERE'S PLENTY OF TIME BEFORE WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT VOTING OR ELECTIONS, UH, YOUR REGISTRAR, UM, RYAN MULLIGAN WOULD TELL YOU THAT ABSENTEE VOTING FOR THE JUNE 21ST PRIMARY WOULD START RIGHT NOW AS OF MAY 6TH.

NOW WE ARE AWARE THAT IN OTHER YEARS WHERE REDISTRICTING HAS OCCURRED, SOMETIMES THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY HAS MOVED THE JUNE PRIMARIES, BUT WE CAN'T COUNT ON THAT TODAY.

IT HASN'T HAPPENED.

SO WE HAVE A SCHEDULE BEFORE YOU THAT ALLOWS YOU TO CONSIDER, AND WE HOPE ADAPT A PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP IN TIME TO HAVE A FEW WEEKS BEFORE ABSENTEE VOTING COULD HAVE START ON THE EARLIEST DATE OF NEXT ELECTIONS, WHICH WOULD BE THE JUNE 21ST PRIMARIES.

IF THAT COMES THROUGH, I AM HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM YOU ABOUT WHAT IS A LOT OF INFORMATION.

I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE, UM, GOING THROUGH A LONG PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, UH, THE CHANGES IN THE GOOCHLAND COUNTY ELECTORIAL DISTRICT LINES AND THE, UH, HOUSE OF DELEGATES LEGISLATIVE LINES, AND THE PRECINCT CHANGES GO INTO EFFECT JANUARY 1ST, 2020 FOR NO MA'AM THEY GO INTO EFFECT 30 DAYS AFTER ADOPTION.

SO, UM, BUT NOW THE JUNE PRIMARY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS ONLY FEDERAL THAT'S THE CONGRESSIONAL, THERE ARE NO STATE RACES, I BELIEVE THAT'S CORRECT.

I RELY ON RYAN MULLIGAN TO KNOW THAT STUFF, BUT YES, MA'AM RIGHT.

SO IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE LINES ARE FOR THAT.

WELL, I MEAN, THE POLLING PLACES MATTER AND THE SO FORTH, BUT THERE'S NOT A LOCAL ELECTION.

I AGREE WITH THAT.

BUT OUR HOUSE OF DELEGATES RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN 56 AND 65.

THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THOSE STAY UNTIL JANUARY 1ST, 2020 FOR, I ACTUALLY CANNOT TELL YOU THE EFFECT OF THE, UH, STATE LINE.

THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE END OF THE TERM.

IT'S THE SAME WITH ALL OF US AND THE SCHOOL BOARD, CERTAINLY.

ANYWAY, 1 20 20 FOR YOU, YOU DO IN FACT, HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT AND ABILITY TO CONTINUE TO REPRESENT YOUR DISTRICTS THROUGH THE END OF YOUR TERM.

THESE PRECINCTS SHOULDN'T CHANGE WELL, WELL WOULD BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BECAUSE THEY ARE BASED ON THE NEW LINES THAT ARE STATE AND LOCAL, NOT FEDERAL.

MA'AM AS TO THE LOCAL ELECTION DISTRICTS, I'M HARD AND FAST ON THAT, BUT MY EXPERTISE IN THE STATE AND FEDERAL IS NOT, NOT THERE BECAUSE THAT'S NOT OUR PROCESS MS. ROSS, BUT I THINK, I THINK PEOPLE WILL STILL VOTE FOR THOSE PRIMARIES IN THEIR NEW PRECINCTS.

UM, THAT MAKES NO SENSE THAT IS A FEDERAL ELECTION.

[03:05:01]

WE NEED TO CHECK ON THAT.

YES MA'AM BUT, UM, I'LL BE HAPPY TO HAVE RYAN MULLIGAN.

WASN'T ABLE TO BE WITH US THIS AFTERNOON.

HE HAS BEEN ATTENDING ALL THE OTHER COMMUNITY MEETINGS, BUT THIS ONE, UM, HE WAS UNABLE TO BE HERE, BUT, UM, IN TERMS OF WHERE YOU, I MEAN, WE DO THIS REDISTRICTING ONCE AND THAT IS, THIS IS NOW BECOMES WHERE WE VOTE AND WHERE OUR PRECINCTS ARE AND WHERE OUR LOCAL ELECTIONS OCCUR.

AND THOUGH OUR REPRESENTATIVES, WHETHER THAT'S YOU ALL OUR SCHOOL BOARD OR CITIZENS DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE UNTIL THE END OF YOUR TERM, THE ELECTION PROCESS AND THE LOCATIONS HAVE CHANGED EFFECTIVE.

UM, WHEN THIS ORDINANCE BECOMES EFFECTIVE, 30 DAYS AFTER ADOPTION, I MISS LAST GLAD IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, WE'LL BE VOTING FOR IN A DIFFERENT CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, CORRECT.

WE'LL BE VOTING IN THE NEW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.

UM, BUT THAT THAT'S NOT THE ENTIRE COUNTIES IN THE NEW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SO IT DOESN'T MATTER.

UM, BUT I, I THINK IT, UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE, IF, IF THE ENTIRE COUNTY WAS NOT IN THE NEW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, I MEAN, WE ARE, BUT WE WOULD HAVE TO FOLLOW THE NEW, UH, THE NEW PRECINCTS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE STATE LINE.

UM, I THINK THE DIFFERENCE MAY BE MS. LASKA, THAT THE ELECTION PROCESS IS CONSIDERED ONE PROCESS OR THE ELECT, OR PERHAPS IT'S JUST THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS IS CONSIDERED ONE PROCESS.

SO WE GO THROUGH IT ONCE WE DO EVERYTHING WE NEED TO DO ON THE LOCAL LEVEL WITH OUR PRECINCTS POLLING PLACES AND DISTRICTS, AND THEN ELECTIONS OCCUR AS THEY OCCUR.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I MEAN? WE GO THROUGH THIS ONLY ONCE WE CHANGE EVERYTHING WE NEED TO CHANGE AND THEN THE ELECTIONS GO FORWARD.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

UM, I HAD A QUESTION TO SPEED.

WE HAD, UM, I LOVE THE PRESENTATION WITH THE, YOU KNOW, THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE ALL INTERNET BASED.

HOW ARE YOU COMMUNICATING TO FOLKS THAT MAY NOT KNOW TO THE REST OF THE COUNTY, UH, ARE FOLKS HAD BEEN OUT IN BROADBAND THAT CAN ACCESS THESE MAPS? ARE THEY GOING TO BE NOTIFIED SOMEHOW? UM, WHILE POSTCARDS WERE SENT TO EVERY ADDRESS IN GOOCHLAND COUNTY ABOUT THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS? YES.

THEY WERE TOLD ABOUT THE ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND THEY WENT OUT IN DECEMBER BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS.

AS SOON AS YOU ADOPT THE MAPS, UH, THE REGISTRAR WILL BE SENDING OUT A LETTER.

EVERYBODY WILL RECEIVE A LETTER BECAUSE EVERYBODY IN GOSHEN IS GOING TO HAVE A NEW SENATE, NEW CONGRESS, NEW HOUSE OF DELEGATES, AND PERHAPS A NEW LOCAL, UH, PRECINCT AND DISTRICT.

SO, YEAH, EVEN IF YOU'RE SOMEBODY SAY IN DISTRICT ONE WHO DIDN'T CHANGE, UM, EITHER YOUR DISTRICT OR MAYBE EVEN YOUR PRECINCT, YOU'RE STILL GOING TO GET A NEW VOTING INFORMATION BECAUSE YOUR STATE AND FEDERAL NUMBERS HAVE CHANGED.

AGAIN, AT LEAST THE NUMBER, AT LEAST WHAT DISTRICT IS, IS NUMBERED IS, HAS CHANGED.

AND SO THAT INFORMATION WILL BE GOING OUT UPON OUR REDISTRICTING BEING APPROVED.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MS. MCGEE? VERY GOOD.

UM, THA THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT.

BOARD, WE'RE DOWN TO OUR LAST, UM, ORDER OF BUSINESS.

UM, AND I'LL JUST WALK THROUGH.

SO WE, EVERY YEAR WE LOOK AT THE COMMITTEES FOR WHICH WE SERVE, NOT JUST GOOCHLAND, BUT, UM, UH, THAT WE REPRESENT GOOCHLAND AND REGIONAL COMMITTEES.

AND WE HAD SOME CHANGES, UM, TO, UH, CONSIDER THIS EVENING.

SO E P CURRENT PROPOSED FOR THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE, THAT'S LOOKING PROPOSED TO BE THE SAME WITH MR. PETERSON, MR. SHARPEN, MYSELF, UH, PLAN RVA ARE LOOKING TO PROPOSE A SLIGHT CHANGE THERE.

UM, I'LL BE STEPPING DOWN AS THE MAIN MEMBER OF THAT POTENTIALLY.

AND MR. SHARP, UM, HAS PROPOSED TO, UH, TAKE THE HOME.

THERE ARE TPO STAYS THE SAME WITH MS. , MS. LUMPY, MR. LUMPKINS, UM, CBTA, I'LL MAINTAIN THAT.

AND WITH MS. LAST GLUT AS THE ALTERNATE, UH, THE CLEO CAPITAL REGION WORKFORCE, UM, WE'RE PROPOSING TO STAY THE SAME WITH MR. SHARP.

AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE, UM, AN ACTION ITEM TO REAPPOINT THE REAPPOINTMENT OF WENDY GRADY AND DWAYNE AS THE DELEGATE AND DUANE JONES IS THE ALTERNATE THROUGH, THROUGH TWO YEAR TERM, JANUARY 1ST, 2022 TO DECEMBER 31ST, 2023 FOR THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA WASTE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY.

THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROPOSED APPOINTMENTS? OH, I'M SORRY.

I DIDN'T SEE THAT.

[03:10:01]

UM, WE'RE LOOKING TO REAPPOINT MS. BETSY WHITE TO A TWO YEAR TERM, JANUARY 1ST OF THIS YEAR TO DECEMBER 31ST, 2023, MR. CHAIRMAN, I MOVE THAT.

WE APPROVE THE APPOINTMENTS AS PRESENTED.

I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.

ANY CONVERSATION, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE STATE BY SAYING, AYE, AYE, POSTS AND PASSES, GO FORTH AND DO GREAT WORK.