Goochland County finance committee sets annual audit kickoff meeting

Goochland County’s annual audit kick-off put the county’s spending decisions, debt load and internal controls back in view Tuesday, with PBMares beginning the FY2026 review in Conference Room 270 at the County Administration Building on 1800 Sandy Hook Road. The 1:30 p.m. meeting was open to the public and streamed through the county’s video system, giving residents a front-row look at the finance committee’s first step in the audit cycle.

The Finance & Audit Committee exists to help the Board of Supervisors oversee financial reporting, internal control systems and audit processes. Its membership includes three Board of Supervisors members, the county administrator and the director of financial services, and it meets quarterly or as needed. The county meeting portal identified the session as the Board of Supervisors: Audit and Finance Committee, underscoring that the audit kickoff is part of the county’s regular accountability work rather than a standalone event.

Tuesday’s agenda listed PBMARES FY2026 AUDIT KICK-OFF, following a prior round of review that had already given county officials an early look at the books. PBMares presented the FY2025 audit report to the committee on Dec. 2, 2025. At an Aug. 5, 2025 audit introduction, Andrea Nichols told the committee there were no audit findings on the preliminary audit at that point, and that departments were cooperative and organized.

The new audit cycle begins against a fiscal backdrop that already includes storm recovery costs, debt capacity questions and a major courthouse project. At the March 3 committee meeting, county staff reported Storm Fern costs at $478,009, with $98,908 identified as the threshold that would not be reimbursable. The same meeting reviewed the county’s general obligation bond position, saying $46 million remained from an original $96 million authorization, including $18.2 million for school projects and $27.8 million for the new courthouse.

That meeting also drew resident concern about additional borrowing and annual debt service estimated at $5 million to $7 million, a reminder that the audit process is tied directly to the county’s next budget decisions. Goochland’s FY2026 adopted budget was approved on April 15, 2025, and the FY2027 budget was adopted on May 5, 2026, leaving PBMares to examine the numbers in a year when capital commitments, storm costs and debt pressure are all converging.