German delegation visits Henrico

A delegation from Henrico County’s German sister city came to visit and learn about the current state of Henrico, as part of the localities’ two-decade-long partnership.

The partnership between Henrico and the German county of Saarpfalz-Kreis (population of about 150,000) began in 1997 for economic development reasons – specifically as a way for Henrico to connect with the German semiconductor industry.

The delegation that visited Henrico from Oct. 4 to 12 included elected officials from Saarpfalz-Kreis and Saarpfalz-Kreis’ director of the Red Cross. The county is located in the southwestern part of Germany, near its border with France.

In the years since the relationship began, officials from both localities have sought to share information and build connections so that they can learn how their counterparts do business and apply some lessons to their own jurisdictions, Henrico Deputy County Manager for Community Services Anthony Romanello said.

“This trip in particular, they focused on public safety and seeing some of our school and library facilities,” Romanello said. “It’s really an opportunity for them to learn how [Henrico] does business, and we’ve done the same when we’ve gone to visit them.”

Henrico officials have made eight trips to Saarpfalz-Kreis in the last two decades, Romanello said.

Another piece of the partnership, Romanello explained, is that Henrico is hosting 20 exchange students from the German county at Godwin High School. Henrico students have spent time in Saarpfalz-Kreis, as well.

The only costs associated with the partnership for Henrico are those incurred when the county sends a delegation to Germany and when it provides food and transportation for its German guests here, Romanello said.

Last week’s visit by the delegation included various tours of Henrico facilities, such as Godwin High School, Libbie Mill Library, the Henrico Police Administration building (where they saw a police vehicle display and canine demonstration), the Richmond SPCA, the Virginia State Fair, Fire Stations 21 and 19, Henrico courts, Hermitage High School’s ACE Center and the Richmond Folk Festival.

The group saw the wide variety of programs offered in each classroom at the ACE Center, including EMT training, nursing, cosmetology, web development and programming, automotive mechanics and graphic communications, among others.

German officials, who come to Henrico almost every other year, have been impressed by the way Henrico operates, they told the Citizen.

“The income [Henrico] County generates is spent in a very smart way,” a delegation member said through a translator (Henrico Residential Plan Reviewer Corina Liddle). “They don’t waste it; they spend it on building libraries, very good schools, having very functional police, fire department. They take very good care of the citizens of Henrico County.”

The Germans termed Henrico’s county manager form of government “very clever and efficient.”

Though the localities share some commonalities, there are also significant differences.

“The country/state laws dictate us,” one German official said through the translator. “In Henrico, they can raise a food tax. We can’t say that we want a food tax.  We can’t raise real estate tax, or property tax, etc. We don’t have that power. We can’t increase our budget.”

Unlike Henrico, Saarpfalz-Kreis doesn’t have a jail; the state operates one instead. The county’s hospital also is state-operated.

But the German county operates its own bus system, and officials considered it to be more effective than the service available here.