Goochland supervisors set 2026 tax rates, advance county budget plan

A Goochland homeowner with a $300,000 assessment now faces $1,590 in county real-estate tax at the county’s 53-cent rate, while a $25,000 car carries a $937.50 personal property bill and $1 million in taxable data-center equipment would cost $4,000 at the county’s listed 40-cent rate. Those numbers were set in motion when the Board of Supervisors adopted the 2026 calendar-year tax rates, locking in the revenue framework for the proposed $170,997,815 FY2027 budget.

The budget remains on a short fuse. Public hearings on the spending plan and tax rates were held April 7, and final adoption is scheduled for May 5. County budget materials say general property taxes are expected to bring in $78.8 million, about 73 percent of projected general-fund revenue, with public safety identified as the top priority for new personnel. That makes the tax vote more than bookkeeping: it is the base that will support schools, emergency response, county administration and other core services over the next year.

The county’s fiscal choices also show how much pressure Goochland is under to balance rural preservation with growth. The current tax schedule still separates real estate, personal property, business personal property, machinery and tools, boats and aircraft, and a special business personal property category for data centers. County materials from the March budget-advertising step indicated that the advertised 2026 data-center personal property rate climbed from 40 cents to $3.00 per $100 of assessed value. At that level, $1 million in taxable equipment would carry a $30,000 county tax bill, a jump that captures how sharply the county is trying to tap a fast-growing sector.

Supervisors also moved on the fee side of the ledger. The April 14 agenda included an ordinance to raise water and sewer volume, service and connection fees and to add a building-code appeals fee, shifting more of the cost of county services onto direct users. Residents packed the Goochland County Administration Building so heavily that overflow rooms were opened, a sign of how closely people are watching every dollar the board puts in play.

The same meeting also sharpened the county’s fight over Valley Link. Supervisors unanimously approved a $250,000 budget amendment from the Unassigned General Fund for advocacy against the proposed transmission project, which Goochland describes as a joint venture of Dominion Energy, FirstEnergy and Transource that would move electricity from Joshua Falls in Campbell County to Yeat in Culpeper County. With tax rates set, fees advancing and the Valley Link battle funded, the May 5 budget vote will decide how much of Goochland’s next year is devoted to homes, roads, emergency service and the infrastructure fights still ahead.