The departments and offices that constitute County Administration include the County Administrator’s Office, CountyAttorney’s Office, Budget and Management, Clerk to the Board of Supervisors, Human Resource Management, Chesterfield University, Intergovernmental Relations, Public Affairs and the Quality Office. In 2008, these departments continued to perform at very high levels and made progress on a number of critical initiatives. 

A major focus for the  County Administrator’s Office  was the County Administrator’s  Top 40 list, which identifies more than 40 critical projects in various stages of development that require the attention of the county’s senior leaders. Significant progress was made on many items on the list, including completing major projects such as the Business Climate Survey, the Board of Supervisors’ new appointments process, establishment of the Multicultural Advisory Commission and others. Particular emphasis focused on effective communications, support for the new board members and effective management of the county’s financial resources in a slow economy. 

The  Committee on the Future  reached a noteworthy milestone with its 20th anniversary. This citizen committee was established under the county’s charter to address long-range issues. The Board of Supervisors recognized past and current members for their years of dedicated service. Another highlight was recognizing the James River Advisory Council, a regional partner, with the Scenic Virginia’s Local Anti-Litter Award for the Annual James River Regional Cleanup.

The  County Attorney's Office  has defended a wide array of constitutional, employment, taxation, civil rights and personal injury cases in the past year. This office continues to compile a noteworthy record of successes and to have the lowest per-capita cost for providing legal services of any large jurisdiction in Virginia.

Dramatic decline in revenue growth created challenges for the  Department of Budget and Management   in guiding the development of the $1.3 billon fiscal 2009 budget. This budget balances expenses within available revenues, provides tax relief in both real property taxes and for the elderly, and responds to the dramatically different economy. Priorities remained on public safety and education, as well as economic development necessary to grow the commercial and industrial tax base.

Recognizing the importance of expanding the business tax base to provide revenues for needed services, the department worked closely with CountyAdministration and the  Economic Development Department   to focus on public and private investments to improve our community. Work continued on development projects such as Meadowville TechnologyPark, Watkins Centre and the former Cloverleaf Mall site; see information about revitalization.  Other budget activities included the development of a five-year  capital improvement program  totaling $818.1 million and the sale of the fourth series of general obligation bonds approved during the 2004 referendum for school, transportation, public safety, library and park projects. 

The Clerk to the  Board of Supervisors’ Office  assisted with new board transitions and worked on initiatives to support the board’s open government policy. Many residents expressed interest in serving on board committees, so the application was placed on the county’s Web site. A number of these residents have been appointed and are serving on various committees. Information regarding board committee appointments is available; see  Boards and Commissions . Residents now can view live video of board meetings on their home computers. They also can research specific actions taken by the board by viewing  past video clips of the meetings .

Human Resource Management  had numerous accomplishments last year, including the implementation of a common merit date for all county employees, regardless of start date. This improvement also eliminated the need for personnel action forms to be processed for every employee. The EmployeeMedical Center expanded services to include nonoccupational wellness visits. HRM also reduced the county's Other Post-Employment-Benefit liability by implementing changes to the 65-plus retiree medical coverage and successfully negotiating with the Virginia Municipal League and Virginia Association of Counties to join their existing trust. An evaluation of new employee orientation was completed and improvements were made based on feedback from focus groups.

Chesterfield University brought  international recognition to the county again this year by placing 45th in Training Magazine’s Top 125 Chesterfield County is the only local government to make this list for the past three years. This is an important accomplishment, since these rankings are based on how an organization fosters employee learning, development and relationship-building. The county also became the first and only local government to receive the Corporate University Exchange Best Practice Award for Alignment. This award recognizes the county’s progressive alignment of learning to its seven strategic goals, eight core competencies and nine values. Total learning hours increased in 2008 to 276,604, with almost 40,000 learners accessing 5,600 delivered classes. Additional statistics regarding learning efforts may be accessed through  Chesterfield University’s annual report.  The annual Chesterfield University graduation ceremony was held last May at John TylerCommunity College where more than 200 employees received certificates for completing course work from four of the six schools of learning.

A major focus of the  Intergovernmental Relations Office during the 2008 General Assembly session was to defeat Senate Bill 768, which would have negatively impacted the county’s cash proffer program. The financial impact on the county’s capital improvement program would have been substantial had the bill not been defeated. Staff continue to keep the Board of Supervisors and key county officials informed on legislative proposals under consideration.

Timely, accurate and effective communications continue to be priorities in the Department of Public Affairs. The main focus is on developing a family of public-information products, including television programming, citizen newsletters, press releases, Board of Supervisors and employee newsletters, brochures and other communications tools. These help inform and educate the public about a variety of issues in the county. Because communication must be two-way in order to be most effective, many of these products include contact information to enable our residents to provide input directly to the county's elected and appointed officials and county staff. Working together, all of us can share ideas and knowledge, and help maintain the outstanding quality of life we have come to expect in ChesterfieldCounty.

Significant projects for Public Affairs this year included Black History Month marketing products and publicity; research on new technology including e-newsletters and social networking sites; an award-winning series of environmental-awareness posters; and outreach to the Latino community through support at regional events, translated materials, television and radio programming and print products. The department director also worked with Youth Planning and Development to collect information from other departments and agencies to complete the application to America’s Promise, the Alliance for Youth that resulted in the county receiving its third award as one of the “100 Best Communities for Young People in America.” The department received eight awards from the National Association of County Information Officers, NACIO, recognizing its achievements in writing, graphic design and other communication products.  See all awards .

This year, the county conducted its biannual Citizen Satisfaction and Business Climate surveys, both of which showed numerous improvements. The feedback from businesses and residents is closely evaluated so that the county can continue to improve the products and services it provides. The county uses this valuable input, in addition to its customer service standards and established measures, as tools to measure the achievement of its strategic plan and business goals.

County Administrator’s Top 40’s List 

Critical Projects/Activities

• Airport Master Plan
• Amelia Reservoir Project
• Capital Improvement Program
• Capital Regional Collaborative Focus Group
• Cash Proffers
• Chippenham Place  (formerly Cloverleaf Mall)
• Citizen Budget Advisory Committee
• Citizen Satisfaction Survey
• Countywide Comprehensive Plan
• Efficiency Studies - Countywide                  
• Emergency Preparedness Steering Committee
• Financial/Budget Issues
• Fort Lee Expansion
• In-Focus Implementation – Phase II (Payroll/HR)
• Irrigation Policies/Demand Management for Water Use
• Insurance Service Upgrade (ISO) for Fire Department
• 2009 Legislative Program
• Potential Legislation – Impact Fees/Cash Proffers
• Magnolia Green
• Meadowville Interchange
• Midlothian Turnpike/Courthouse Road Streetscape Improvements
• Minor League Baseball
• Planning Fees
• Postal Zip Codes
• Property Maintenance and Neighborhood Preservation (countywide)
• Public Facilities Plan
• RRPDC Large Jurisdiction Committee
• RRPDC Transportation Funding Strategies Work Group
• Private Sewer Treatment Facility
• Ukrop’s Kicker Complex/Poseidon Swimming – Stratton Property
• Upper Swift Creek Water Quality Ordinances
• VDOT Subdivision Street Acceptance Requirements
• Utilities Policies and Managed Growth
• Watkins Centre
• Web site Redesign
• Completed Projects/Activities
• Board’s Appointments Process
• Business Climate Survey
• Efficiency Studies – Fire Department and Fleet Management
• Employee Health Benefits – Contract Renewal
• 2007 Impact Fees for Roads
• Multicultural Advisory Commission (Quarterly reports due to board)
• 2011 Redistricting Calendar/Process Report
• Regional Workforce Investment Initiative
• Southwest Corridor Water Line
• Sports Tourism Program with Metropolitan Richmond Sportsbackers
• Wireless Internet Access in CountyFacilities