01.26.00

By Elana Simms
For the Goochland Gazette

Gov. Jim Gilmore's State of the Commonwealth speech to the General Assembly may have lasted only 43 minutes, but its implications for the future of the Virginia, including Goochland County, are abundant and far-reaching.

The speech, delivered at the halfway point of his four-year term, addressed a spectrum of issues, from tax relief and technological advancement to mental health standards and a call for a separate holiday to honor slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

"This is the dawn of a dynamic new age, with the opportunity to set out on new paths, in new ways," Gilmore said. "Change is everywhere around us, but it is not our enemy; it is our ally as we build on our strengths. The commonwealth has accomplished much and has much of which to be proud. But I assure you now, Virginia's best years lie ahead."

For the next two years, the Republican governor proposed an unprecedented $48 billion state budget notable perhaps not so much for what it spends but for what it returns to taxpayers. Gilmore's plan would continue phasing out the state's car tax and reduce the sales tax on groceries by 2 percentage points.

"We must resist the temptation to incessantly increase taxes, which is typical of the old way of thinking," Gilmore said in the Jan. 12 address. "The financial struggles of everyday living are hard enough without the tax collector reaching deeper into people's pockets."

The food tax cut, which Democrats had long championed, would be carried out over four years, according to Delegate Earl V. Dickinson, D-Goochland. Under the proposal, each year the tax would drop by one-half percentage point.

Sen. Walter A. Stosch, R-Goochland, said the proposal would help all Virginians, including those in Goochland.

"What we're looking at here is over $1.6 billion dollars in tax relief. With the elimination of the personal property tax and the food tax, citizens are able to reap those benefits," said Stosch, a member of the Senate Finance Committee.

Stosch was less enthusiastic about another proposal by Gilmore: to split the state holiday that now honors King and Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Gilmore said the current holiday "creates confusion among our citizens." He proposed having one holiday for King and a separate one for the Confederate leaders.

"The time has come to enhance these holidays and give them each their due recognition," the governor said. He proposed that King be honored on the third Monday of January and that Lee and Jackson be honored on the preceding Friday, thus giving state employees a four-day weekend.

State officials estimated that the extra holiday would cost about $900,000 in overtime pay for state troopers and other employees of agencies that must operate every day.

Delegate Dickinson said he was wary of the costs that another holiday would entail.

"I have no objection to giving recognition," he said. "But I don't know what the costs will be. With state employees, you have to worry about staff for hospitals, and that means overtime pay. I'm waiting for these people (who want the new holiday) to answer and say what the costs will be. It's an issue of how much it's going to cost the commonwealth and local governments."

In his address, made for the first time to a General Assembly completely controlled by Republicans, Gilmore challenged high-tech leaders to help close the "digital divide" between rich and poor localities.

Stosch said Goochland has a vital interest in economic development – and technology is a key component.

Another Gilmore proposal that had people talking was his budget to reform the state's mental health system. The governor proposed spending an additional $36 million in this area. Advocates for mentally disabled people were disappointed, saying the money wouldn't be enough.

Even in localities such as Goochland, there are gaps in mental health services, especially the placement of mentally disabled or mentally ill individuals, advocates said.

Sens. Stosch and R. Edward Houck, D-Goochland, met with officials from mental health services and a community service board to discuss the county's needs.

"The problem is that it's hard to place children, especially those who are emotionally disturbed," Stosch said. "We're dealing with limited facilities. There needs to be more options and more funding. It's really not a problem of dollars, but where to place a behavioral-based child. We expressed to the community that we'll try to do what we can."