Goochland County expands resident engagement with new advisory groups

Goochland County is trying to move public input upstream, before decisions harden into plans, permits, and construction. The county says County Administrator Dr. Jeremy Raley has held more than 200 conversations with residents, employees, and partners since June 2025, and it is now using three channels to formalize that outreach: a Community Engagement Advisory Group, regular Community Roundtable Discussions, and a citizen advisory group tied to the Valley Link transmission project.

The advisory group is the broadest of the three. County officials describe it as a 26-member panel drawing from different backgrounds and districts, including the business community and Goochland County Public Schools. Its first meeting was held April 8 at the Central High Cultural and Education Complex. Future meetings are planned monthly and will rotate around the county, a setup that could matter in a spread-out county where access often depends on where a meeting is held. The county says meeting notes will be posted online, and Paul Drumwright, the community affairs manager, is the contact for the group.

The smaller roundtables are meant to be more direct and less formal. Each session is capped at 25 attendees and requires registration, giving residents, businesses, and community partners a tighter setting to raise concerns or suggest ideas. The first roundtable was held April 24 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the central part of the county. A second session, originally planned for May 8, was rescheduled for May 20 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. because of a scheduling conflict. Organizations can ask to host future roundtables if they submit a request at least three weeks in advance.

The Valley Link panel shows the county is also trying to separate broad civic conversation from project-specific controversy. Goochland describes Valley Link as a joint venture of Dominion Energy, FirstEnergy, and Transource, and says the Joshua Falls-to-Yeat project could run from Campbell County to Culpeper County, with route scenarios that could cut through western Goochland in District 1. The county says it has no role in routing or permitting, which remains with project developers and the Virginia State Corporation Commission, but it is still urging public participation. More than 360 residents attended a recent open house.

That utility fight is already moving through county government. The Goochland County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution opposing Valley Link on April 7 and then unanimously approved $250,000 in advocacy funding on April 14 to support opposition efforts. A special Board of Supervisors meeting on the proposed 765-kV line is scheduled for May 28 at the Goochland High School auditorium. Together, the new engagement structure and the Valley Link dispute test the same question: whether Goochland residents will get real influence before growth, land use, and infrastructure decisions are locked in.