TownTalk: Community Information Series To Feature Mayor Elliott

/by

Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott can be found at the city building on Rose Avenue for monthly Council meetings, but you’re also likely to spot her most anywhere across town in any number of places promoting the city and supporting its residents.

Elliott was at the Senior Center Thursday morning to help senior adults create “vision boards.”

And on Tuesday, Feb. 11, she’ll be the speaker at the Community Information Series at Baskerville Funeral Home.

The title of the program, which runs from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., is “Understanding City Government.”

“There are a lot of things that people don’t understand about city government,” Elliott said on Thursday’s TownTalk. She wants everyone to understand that no one person makes all the decisions or all the rules.

“We work as a team,” she said of herself, Council members and city staff, “and that’s how we pass law…(and) govern the city.

She said the elected officials need to be available to their constituents. “We want to hear what people have to say,” she added.

The business of government is about people, Elliott emphasized. The whole business of governing IS people, she said, and it’s important for the city to invest in its people.

“We are in the business of helping people and moving a community forward,” she said, even when resources are scarce.

The vision board activity is part of the mayor’s health and wellness initiative, and it’s one way to invest in people.

Today, it’s senior adults, and a month ago, she spent time with a bunch of teens as they created their own vision boards. It’s a way to focus on positive mental health practices, she noted. Participants create a collage of how they want to “see” themselves – healthy and happy and secure.

Spending time with folks as they create these boards is also a way Elliott gets to interact with constituents

“You put on your board what you want to look like and what you want your city to look like,” she said.

She said she welcomes people’s comments because their voice matters – whether it’s a complaint or praise.

Reach out to Elliott at 252.425.5220 or call the city clerk at 252.430.5705 to learn more.

CLICK PLAY!

 

The Local Skinny! Free Health Clinic Returning To Henderson

/by

Free medical, dental and vision services are returning to Henderson for a third year in early March when the Duke Remote Area Medical clinic sets up shop at Vance Charter School.

The two-day clinic is scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 1 and Sunday, Mar. 2.

The clinic doors open at 6 a.m. each morning and will operate on a first come, first served basis.

Because of possible time constraints, clients can choose either dental or vision services, but are welcome to get one service on one day and the second service on the second day.

Clients can arrive in the parking lot of the school, located at 2090 Ross Mill Rd., as early as midnight on Friday, Feb. 28. Once in the parking lot, clients will receive additional information about the services that are available.

RAM clinics provide these services free of charge; clients will not be asked to show identification or proof of insurance.

Visit www.ramusa.org to learn more.

CLICK PLAY!

 

H-V Chamber Seeks Nominations For Annual Awards; Deadline Feb. 28

/by

The Citizen of the Year and Small Business of the Year are annual awards presented by the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce at the annual meeting and banquet. This year’s banquet will be held Thursday, April 3.

Nominations for both these awards are available now. The deadline to submit nomination forms is 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, according to H-V Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson.

Anonymous selection committees will review all nominations and will select one winner for each award.

Nominees for the Small Business of the Year must be located in Vance County and have been established for three or more years, is experiencing growth or has demonstrated stability over its business life, along with other criteria listed on the nomination form.

Submit nominations to show support for local businesses.

Both awards are sponsored by Duke Energy.

Nominations can be submitted by email to sandra@hendersonvance.org, dropped by the Chamber Office at 414 S. Garnett St., or mailed to P.O. Box 1302, Henderson, NC  27536.

Auto Owners, Brace Yourselves For Possible Insurance Rate Increase

/by

North Carolina insurance companies have requested a statewide average 22.6 percent increase in automobile insurance rates.

The North Carolina Rate Bureau, which represents the automobile insurance companies in the state and is not a part of the Department of Insurance, filed the request with the Department on Monday. The insurance companies requested that the rates take effect on Oct. 1.

State law gives the Commissioner of Insurance 60 days to review the rate request to determine if the increase is justified based on the data submitted.

If Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey does not agree with the requested increase, he and the Department of Insurance can negotiate a settlement or call for a hearing.

Settlements have been reached on automobile rate filings in the past. If the case goes to a hearing, a hearing officer would make a ruling on the request.

This rate filing follows a February 2023 filing in which the insurance companies requested a statewide 28.4 percent increase. That filing resulted in a settlement of an overall average 4.5 percent increase per year for two years.

Vance County Logo

TownTalk: Vance County Commissioners Vote To Accept Audit Report

/by

The Vance County Board of Commissioners received and accepted the most recent audit report as part of its Feb. 3 meeting.

It’s a routine matter for the board, but County Attorney Jonathan Care asked a few questions of Alan Thompson, who presented the report to the board and reviewed highlights.

Care wasn’t so much concerned numbers or findings – he simply wanted to know the auditor’s opinion about the level of cooperation his firm had received from current staff.

In the previous audit presentation in June 2024, commissioners heard a number of concerns ranging from a lack of training and cross-training of staff to lack of oversight by the previous finance director.

“Do you have the same concerns that you had about some of our staff this year that you had in previous years?” Care asked Thompson.

“No,” Thompson replied.

Care continued, saying “You made it sound like you had a lot more concerns than any of us sitting around this dais understood or gathered from your previous presentations. So, rather than relying on your reports and presentations, I’m asking you specifically: Do you still have those concerns about any of our staff and the findings that you found during this audit process?

Again, Thompson’s answer was “No.”

He added to his answer and explained that he had contacted Finance Director Stephanie Wiliams and County Manager C. Renee Perry on a regular basis during the most recent audit and got “positive responses.”

Perry began her job as county manager in November 2023; Williams came on board in April 2024.

Board Chair Carolyn Faines commended Perry and her administrative staff for their work on the most recent audit. “They have done a wonderful job and they have worked very hard to put this audit together. I commend you all and thank you all for a job well done.”

Perry accepted Faines’s remarks, adding her own thanks to Williams and the finance staff because “she inherited a mess and I think we all know that.

“For us to have turned it around in the short period that we have, I’m very proud of my staff.”

CLICK PLAY!

TownTalk: Community Partners For Pets Grant Approved By Vance County Commissioners

/by

The Vance County Board of Commissioners approved spending $10,000 to satisfy a matching grant to spay and neuter dogs and cats waiting to be adopted at the animal shelter as well as pets of county residents.

The grant comes from Community Partnership For Pets, Inc. through the Ruin Creek Animal Protection Society. The county match will come from fund balance.

“My top priority … is to this community and to the citizens in this community,” said Animal Services Manager William Coker, adding that this grant program would provide spay/neuter services to residents regardless of income level.

An existing spay/neuter program provides assistance for residents who qualify because they receive state or other government assistance. “A lot of people could use the help…but I can’t give it to them,” Coker explained, because they don’t qualify. This $20,000 infusion of funds to get pets spayed and neutered will help in the constant battle to control the unwanted pet population.

Coker said the Animal Services staff spends much of its time picking up stray dogs and feral cats. When he spoke to the board on Feb. 3, Coker said the shelter had five litters of pups and were expecting two additional litters to be surrendered before the week was over.

The funds can be used for spay and neuter services only, but in addition to dogs and cats being adopted from the shelter and for people’s pets, it includes feral cats and colonies as well as free spay/neuter for pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

CLICK PLAY!

Vance County Logo

Commissioners Approves Food Truck Policy On County-Owned Property

/by

County commissioners approved a policy Monday to regulate food trucks – where they can be, and for how long – on county-owned property.

The Properties Committee – commissioners Dan Brummitt, Leo Kelly and Valencia Perry – met on Jan. 27 to review the policy that was recommended for approval by the full board at the Feb. 3 monthly meeting.

Food trucks – or Mobile Food Service businesses as the policy states – increase foot traffic to public spaces and foster “a vibrant and inclusive community environment.”

The policy defines Mobile Food Service as “a readily movable cart, trailer, motorized wheeled vehicle” that is used and equipped to serve food.

Food trucks offer customers additional dining options and can also support “the incubation and growth of entrepreneurial/start-up businesses,” the policy states.

Food truck operators still have to comply with all the state regulations, including having a valid health permit that has to be prominently displayed.

They also have to follow any city zoning ordinances, provide their own trash receptacles and be at least 100 feet away from the customer entrance of an existing restaurant during its hours of operation, unless the restaurant owner says it’s ok to be closer.

TownTalk: Commissioners Will Continue Jail Discussion At Special Called Meeting Feb. 10 At 4 P.M.

/by

The Vance County Board of Commissioners will hold a special called meeting on Monday, Feb. 10 to focus on short-term and long-term steps concerning conditions at the county detention center.

Sheriff Curtis Brame and Maj. William Mitchell spoke to commissioners at their regular monthly meeting Monday night and emphasized the need to reach some decision about addressing the needs at the jail and to develop a plan of action.

After a lengthy discussion of needs – ranging from repairs to extra space to how and where to house current detainees while repairs are taking place, Board Chair Carolyn Faines said she’d like to schedule a special called meeting to focus on next steps for the jail. That special called meeting will begin at 4 p.m. in the commissioners’ meeting room, according to information received Tuesday morning from County Manager C. Renee Perry.

Following its most recent inspection in December, state inspectors have extended until Feb. 21 the deadline for Brame and staff to address 88 deficiencies outlined in the inspection report.

CLICK PLAY! STORY CONTINUES BELOW.

“We have a serious problem at our detention center,” Brame told commissioners.

Mitchell said he’s been working on the jail situation for just the past two weeks, and implored commissioners to “pic a direction that we’re going to go in – sooner rather than later.”

Brame and Mitchell said they’ve been in contact with District Attorney Mike Waters, and are developing a plan that targets the “depopulation” of about 20 detainees over the next few weeks.

The idea is to identify low-level offenders currently in jail and either get their bonds reduced or get a plea entered and get them out of jail.

Monday’s census was 161 detainees – 20 or 22 over capacity.

Whether the county decides to make costly repairs to the 50+ year old jail or to build a new one, Mitchell said there’s no two ways about it: “We’re going to have to empty the facility.”

That will mean making arrangements with nearby jails who are willing to house the detainees – for a price. Mitchell said he believes it’ll cost roughly about $70 per detainee per day, but Vance County would still be responsible for all associated costs – from bed frames to canteen items.

“The more we can get out through adjudication,” he said, “it’ll be cheaper on the citizens of Vance County.”

With figures of $5 million for repairs to $40 million-plus for a new jail, commissioners have a lot to think about.

Repairs do not include any expansion of the current facility, and building a new jail could take several years, in County Manager C. Renee Perry’s estimation.

Commissioner Dan Brummitt said the county can’t afford to house inmates elsewhere for five years while a new jail is being built. “We’ve got to make repairs now,” he said.

Perry suggested that the county re-engage with Moseley Architects, a Raleigh firm that has worked with the county in 2022 to provide estimates.