City Attorney Kingsberry Set To Become City Manager Jan. 13

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The City of Henderson will have a new city manager effective Jan. 13, 2025, following the appointment of Hassan Kingsberry to the position. In a 4-3 vote, the City Council voted last week to extend the offer to Kingsberry, who has served as interim city attorney since early December.

“As one who grew up on 520 Whitten Avenue, I am honored to serve as City Manager for the City of Henderson,” Kingsberry said in a press statement issued by the city received at WIZS on Friday.

“I look forward to collaborating with the City Council, staff, and community to achieve our shared goals and create opportunities for peace, prosperity, and progress.”

The city manager will oversee the day-to-day operations of Henderson’s government, manage its budget, and work closely with the City Council to implement strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of life for all Henderson residents.

Mayor Melissa Elliott called the second special called meeting in as many weeks to go into closed session to discuss a personnel matter.

When the group returned from the closed session, Council member Tami Walker made a motion to make Kingsberry the city manager.

Voting in favor were Walker, Geraldine Champion, Ola Thorpe-Cooper and Michael Venable. Council members Garry Daeke, Lamont Noel and Seifert voted against. Council member Sara Coffey was not present.

Following the first special called meeting on Sunday, Dec. 15, it was announced that City Manager Terrell Blackmon had resigned, effective Jan. 10.

Kingsberry was announced as the interim city attorney at the regular December Council meeting.

Blackmon submitted his letter of resignation on Wednesday, Dec. 11 – two days after the regular monthly Council meeting. He didn’t elaborate on any reason for his decision to resign. Blackmon told WIZS that his last day as manager will be Jan. 10. He came to work as manager in 2020.

He will go next to be one of two assistant city managers in Jacksonville, NC.

Vance Taxpayers Have Until Jan. 6 To Pay Tax Before Penalty Period Begins

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Vance County residents and taxpayers have until Jan. 6, 2025 to pay their property tax bills before getting hit with a 2 percent interest penalty. That may add insult to injury this year, when many taxpayers are facing higher bills as a result of the recent revaluation.

Vance County is among a handful of counties across the state that waits eight years – the state’s mandatory maximum interval to conduct revaluation – and some county leaders have said it needs to be done more often to reduce the sting and surprise of pricey tax bills.

Neither Vance County nor Henderson stayed with a revenue neutral rate, meaning an increase in value and an increase in the rate charged by each entity went up, combining in a way that nearly all parcel owners have had to pay more.

One issue that county officials said they will explore is splitting the tax bill to show the breakdown between city tax and county tax for those city residents who must pay both. This hasn’t been done in more than a decade, and a change could come as soon as the 2025 tax bill.

County commissioners adopted the 2024-25 budget on June 24, which included a 10-cent tax increase per $100 valuation. The basic breakdown of that 10-cent increase is $.01 for salary increases to help attract and retain county employees and $.09 for future capital projects.

As the county faces more opportunities for growth, be they commercial, industrial or residential, there also is a demand for adequate infrastructure to support that growth.

The question that municipalities and counties face is how to balance that growth – providing more services for residents, creating a better and bigger tax base that ultimately may reduce an undue burden on homeowners.

The Vance County budget was approved 4-2, with then-Board Chair Dan Brummitt and Tommy Hester casting votes of no. Commissioner Yolanda Feimster was not present. The motion was made by Commissioner Sean Alston and seconded by Commissioner Leo Kelly and rounding out the affirmative votes were Commissioner Carolyn Faines and then-Commissioner Archie Taylor.

It was not a unanimous decision, but the Henderson City Council voted to increase the property tax rate per $100 valuation to 65 cents, just before adopting the FY 2024-25 budget totaling more than $47 million.

In the budget recommended by City Manager Terrell Blackmon, the tax rate was 55 cents per $100 valuation, which was 10 cents above the revenue-neutral rate. The new property tax rate adopted, though, is 20 cents above the revenue-neutral rate.

Council Member Tami Walker made the motion to increase the tax, which she said would bring in more than $2.5 million in additional tax revenue. Council Member Ola Thorpe-Cooper seconded the motion. Council members Sam Seifert and Garry Daeke cast votes of no, and Council members Lamont Noel, Michael Venable, Geraldine Champion, Sara Coffey voted yes with Walker and Thorpe-Cooper.

Vance County Logo

County Commissioners Called To Special Meeting Monday, Dec. 30

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Update December 30, 2024 at 12:30 p.m.

Vance County Board of Commissioners Chair Sean A. Alston, Sr. is resigning to become a magistrate in Warren County.

County Manager C. Renee Perry said last week that Alston had called for a special called meeting for 10 a.m. today with the purpose stated as reorganization. No details were given when the meeting was announced.

Alston said he will step away from the commission tomorrow and will be sworn in as a magistrate on Wednesday, Jan. 1.

“It was a pleasure to be on this board for two years – I don’t want to go,” he said during the meeting. In an interview after the meeting, Alston told WIZS News that he had applied for a job as a magistrate before he became a county commissioner; as someone who has been self-employed, he said the opportunity to have state benefits and retirement was an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.

He said he had “to disconnect” himself from politics before taking the magistrate position.

The board nominated Commissioner Carolyn Faines to be the new board chair, and in her first act as chair she asked to table the election of a vice chair until the regular board meeting on Jan. 6.

Commissioner Tommy Hester, however, asked to make a nomination during the special called meeting. Hester nominated Leo Kelly to be vice-chair. Although properly moved and seconded, the full board couldn’t agree when to elect the vice chair. That’s when county attorney Jonathan Care said the two motions on the floor needed to be acted upon. Although not unanimous, the board voted to table the election of the vice chair until its Jan. 6 meeting by approving the second motion on the table.

The next step is to appoint a qualified individual to assume Alston’s seat on the commission. The new commissioner should be from the same political and the same district as Alston.

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Update December 27, 2024 at 3:45 p.m.

Sean A. Alston, Sr., chair of the Vance County board of commissioners, has scheduled a special called meeting of the board for Monday, Dec. 30 at 10 a.m.

According to information from Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry, the purpose of the meeting is for a reorganization of the board and other items as needed.

The meeting will be held in the commissioners’ conference room in the Vance County Administration Building, 122 Young St.

Perry said the commissioners are meeting to address some recent changes.

In 4-3 Vote, City Council Votes To Make Kingsberry City Manager

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In a 4-3 vote, the Henderson City Council Monday selected Hassan Kingsberry – the interim city attorney – to be the new city manager.

Mayor Melissa Elliott called the second special called meeting in as many weeks to go into closed session to discuss a personnel matter.

When the group returned from the closed session, Council member Tami Walker made a motion to make Kingsberry the city manager.

Voting in favor were Walker, Geraldine Champion, Ola Thorpe-Cooper and Michael Venable. Council members Garry Daeke, Lamont Noel and Seifert voted against. Council member Sara Coffey was not present.

Following the first special called meeting on Sunday, Dec. 15, it was announced that City Manager Terrell Blackmon had resigned, effective Jan. 10.

Kingsberry was announced as the interim city attorney at the December Council meeting.

Apparently, the City Council will extend the job offer of city manager to Kingsberry. If he accepts the position, the City will need to locate another attorney.

The Public Notice for the Dec. 23 called meeting went out Dec. 16 the day after the first called meeting.

Blackmon submitted his letter of resignation on Wednesday, Dec. 11 – two days after the regular monthly Council meeting. He didn’t elaborate on any reason for his decision to resign. Blackmon told WIZS that his last day as manager will be Jan. 10. He came to work as manager in 2020.

He will go next to be one of two assistant city managers in Jacksonville, NC.

IRS Reminder About Deadlines For RMDs From Certain Retirement Accounts

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If you’re 73 years or older, the Internal Revenue Service reminds you of important deadlines regarding required minimum distributions for those with certain retirement accounts.

An RMD is an amount that an account owner must withdraw annually. The withdrawals are considered taxable income and may incur penalties if they aren’t taken on time, according to information from IRS officials.

The IRS.gov Retirement Plan and IRA Required Minimum Distributions FAQs webpage provides detailed information regarding the new provisions in the law.

If you turned 73 in 2024:

  • Your first RMD is due by April 1, 2025, based on your account balance on Dec. 31, 2023, and
  • Your second RMD is due by Dec. 31, 2025, based on your account balance on Dec. 31, 2024.

 

A new law called the Secure 2.0 Act raised the age that account owners must begin taking RMDs, while eliminating RMDs for Designated Roth accounts in 401(k) and 403(b) retirement plans.

The minimum distribution rules generally apply to original account holders and their beneficiaries in these types of plans:

 

  • IRAs: IRA withdrawals from traditional IRAs and IRA-based plans occur every year once people reach age 73, even if they’re still employed.
  • Retirement plans:The RMD rules apply to employer-sponsored plans, with delays allowed until retirement unless the participants own more than 5% of the sponsoring business.
  • Roth IRAs:Roth IRA owners are not required to take withdrawals during their lifetime, however beneficiaries are subject to the RMD rules after the account owner’s death.

 

Designated Roth accounts in a 401(k) or 403(b) plan will not be subject to the RMD rules while the account owner is still alive for 2024. The RMD Comparison Chart outlines key RMD rules for IRAs and defined contribution plans.

 

Taxpayers can find easy-to-use tools such as forms, instructions and publications at IRS.gov.

Project-Based Learning Charter School Starting In Vance County; Sledge Institute

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Sledge Institute is a new charter school opening in Vance County in August 2025, with a focus on project-based learning that links students with the community to put into action what they’re learning in the classroom.

Chandra Sledge Mathias, Ed.D, founder and chief executive officer, said the enrollment period is open now through Feb. 28, 2025 for students who will be in kindergarten, first, second and sixth grades.

The school will have 125 students in the first year, but once all 13 grades are in place, the school could have a maximum enrollment of 800, Sledge Mathias said on Monday’s TownTalk.

Construction is underway now to get the former Dabney Elementary School ready for its new occupants, and school leaders are scheduling info sessions across the area to help parents decide whether Sledge Institute is a good fit for them and their children.

Sledge Mathias said the school is for students who live in the Kerr-Tar region, which includes the counties in the WIZS listening area.

“Our model is allowing students to use what they’re learning in schools, project-based, hands on activities,” Sledge Mathias said, “and work alongside professionals in the community.” The plan is to offer mentorships to students and involve the community in the school.

“We want communities to feel like they can be a part of the school and engage with the school,” she said. Each project will have a community partner associated with it.

As students are learning concepts, however, they’re also going to be learning so-called “soft skills” that future employers are looking for in employees.

“We also want them to learn habits so that they’re living their lives well,” she added. “We’re integrating both the academics and the social emotional learning” into school programming.

There are several successful charter schools in the area, Sledge Mathias said, but Sledge Institute will offer something a little bit different.

“We want to make sure that all students have an option that serves them well, Sledge Mathias said. “We’re bringing an option that currently doesn’t exist in the region.”

Board President Dr. Wykia Macon said the school’s core values – ECHO – are excellence, community, heart and opportunity. The board’s role is to ensure the school remains consistent to its mission as it moves closer to its 2025 opening.

In addition to supporting students learn who they are and where their passion and talent lies, Sledge Mathias said the school will emphasize the students as global citizens and members of the global community.

“We want them to know what’s happening in the world,” she said, and how to thrive in the global environment. The school is establishing partnerships with other education leaders in Scotland, Ghana, Japan and Chile to create a network to extend its network across continents.

“They’re ready to visit us, they’re opening their doors to our students to travel and visit them,” Sledge Mathias said.

“These opportunities are really exciting because it allows our student to not only work through project-based learning in their own communities but collaborate with their peers across oceans…and problem solve together.”

As its president, Macon said the board’s role is to make sure everyone has what they need – and right now, that focus is on enrollment and recruitment. Parents interested in learning more can come to an info session at Warren Memorial Library on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 5:30 p.m. Additional sessions are being planned in Granville County.

Visit sledgeinstitute.org/ to learn more, email info@sledgeinstitute.org or find the school on Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin.

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S-Line Rail Corridor

The Local Skinny! City Council To Hear Train Station Recommendations

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The city’s Land Planning Committee is set to recommend to the full City Council that the former First National Bank building on Garnett Street be used as the S-Line train station.

Council Member Garry Daeke is a member of the land planning committee, and he attended a meeting of the committee held Thursday, Dec. 19. Daeke told WIZS that a couple of options were discussed, and ultimately, the committee decided to get behind the former bank building over the Garnett Street Station.

But that decision comes with a hefty price tag – Daeke said development of the bank building location and mobility hub concept would cost five to seven times the cost of the Garnett Street Station option. The price is between $15 million and $25 million for developing the bank building idea and $3 million to $4 million for the Garnett Street Station option.

“The bank building is such a central part of downtown,” Daeke said. “We’d like to put it to good use.”

Estimated costs of getting the bank building itself ready for its new use are about $10 million, Daeke said, compared with $7.2 million for the Garnett Street Station. The city owns the bank building, but not the Garnett Street Station, so there would be extra costs involved to purchase that property.

Daeke said N.C. Dept. of Transportation officials would like to have the city’s answer by January so plans can continue for the S-Line development. There’s still a lot of legwork to do to secure various federal grants and other funding options, he said, but NCDOT officials have said that if all goes well, the project could take between five and eight years to complete. “If funding takes a while, it could be 10 to 15 years,” Daeke said.

“I’m really looking forward to this occurring,” he said, adding that figuring out the grants and other financing is a necessary part of the process to create a mobility hub for the whole community to use and enjoy.

The bank building has lain vacant for a number of years, but it hasn’t been a bank for decades.

“There’s just so much structural work to do,” he said, including the possibility of creating a second-floor walkway from the William Street side of the building.

According to Daeke, assistant city manager Paylor Spruill has noted that the building is “overbuilt” to support the weight involved, but there remain questions about upgrades to the substructure.

Then there’s the question of the access road located between the rear of the buildings parallel to William Street, which is presently used by existing businesses for loading and unloading.

There would still be a need to have some type of access road back there, he said.

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Wallace Vaughan Receives Order Of The Long Leaf Pine

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Wallace T. Vaughan recently was presented The Order of the Long Leaf Pine for 45 years of exemplary service to Granville Vance Public Health.

GVPH Health Director Lisa Macon Harrison made the presentation on Nov. 26. “We are so proud of Wallace’s 45 years of service to public health as an Environmental Health Specialist. When he began his career with the Granville-Vance District Health Department on July 16, 1979, no one could have foreseen that his career with our agency would span over 40 years, with growth and development along the way. Thankfully, even as a retired member of our team, he returns to assist part-time with the important work of Environmental Health at GVPH.”

Vaughan began his career with the Granville-Vance District Health Department as a Sanitarian I, focusing exclusively on wastewater disposal. His position changed to Sanitarian II and then Environmental Health Specialist as duties and responsibilities increased through the years. When the environmental health supervisor retired in 2002, Vaughan took over, and was responsible for overseeing all environmental health duties and the professional development of eight employees in both counties. In 2007, his position was reclassified to Environmental Health Supervisor III to accurately reflect the complex duties of managing a district program.

Vaughan was presented the award at a luncheon in Oxford, NC – his lifelong home. In attendance were his wife, Brenda Vaughan, three children and four grandchildren. Also on hand for the presentation were several GVPH staff who have worked with him over his noteworthy career.

Vaughan is a lifetime member of Tungsten Baptist Church, serving as a deacon and Sunday School teacher, and he also trains Tennessee Walker horses.