The Henderson City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve a resolution to oppose specific wording in Senate Bill 214 that would
allow Franklin County to take property from Vance and two other counties named in the Section 5 portion of the draft legislation.
N.C. District 32 Rep. Bryan Cohn updated Council members during a 1 p.m. meeting on the status of the bill. He said he was optimistic that the bill wouldn’t come back to the House this week.
Cohn paused his remarks to Council to check his phone at 1:19 p.m. to see if the matter, known as a “conference report,” had been removed, and while it had not been removed at that time, it was removed a short time later Monday afternoon. At this publication, the matter is not on the House calendar but does remain on the Senate calendar.
Seven Council members were present for the special called meeting, scheduled on Apr. 23 by Mayor Melissa Elliott; Council Member Lamont Noel was not present but joined electronically. Council Member Garry Daeke made the motion, which was seconded by Council Member Michael Venable.
Last week, the conference report, which you can continue to think of as Senate Bill 214, was put on the calendar for discussion on Tuesday, Apr. 28; Cohn told the Council Section 5 language was inserted sometime between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.
What Cohn said he was expecting to be an uneventful week back in session turned into a frenzied reaction from local government leaders and elected officials across Vance, Warren, Granville and Halifax counties who called special meetings and adopted resolutions in opposition to the idea that Cohn described to Council as “egregious” in his remarks at the 1 p.m. meeting on Monday.
“It’s un-democratic, it’s un-American, and frankly it’s likely unconstitutional,” he said. Furthermore, if the legislation passes, he
said it would open a Pandora’s box for future attempts by other counties to do the same.
“I think we made a case on the House floor,” Cohn said of remarks he and colleague N.C. Rep. Rodney Pierce, who represents Halifax and Warren counties, made last week. “I’m extremely optimistic that we are headed in the right direction,” Cohn said, adding that he feels a lot better about things now than he did last week.
“We’re talking now about what it is that Franklin County needs, what is it that the region needs, what are the issues that are continuing to
come up and affect the city of Henderson, the water plants and its partners – those are positive things, and it’s a much better place to be.”
Elliott said a bus will leave the Henderson Police Department parking lot at 7 a.m. Tuesday to take interested individuals to the Legislative
Building in Raleigh to voice their opposition to legislators.
Cohn was at the Council meeting to provide an update, but he also asked for the council to remain open to possibilities and “have discussions in good faith” regarding the future of the Kerr Lake Regional Water System and the needs of both its partners and of its customers.
As majority partner in the regional water system, the City of Henderson has a 60 percent interest in the way the water plant is currently
structured.
“We’re 2 and 0 in stopping shenanigans with the water plant, but I can’t guarantee that we’ll be 3 and 0. I say that with confidence. I can’t
guarantee that.” Decisions need to be made about how this water plant is going to continue.
But Cohn reminded Council members that the state has the authority to remove that ownership through a variety of means. “We don’t ever want to get to that point,” he said. “This city has worked hard to make sure that this plant is operated and has continued to serve the people of Henderson, Warren County, the City of Oxford and all the bulk water customers throughout the region for many, many decades. That needs to be honored and respected and Henderson absolutely must have a seat at the table.”
He urged Council members to work with the city manager, consulting partners as well as the other entities with an ownership stake to
discuss what the future looks like and what it means for the city of Henderson.
Although he did not file for re-election to represent House District 32, Cohn said he would continue to work for a resolution to the issue.
“I will be with you every step of the way,” he said, “so you’ll have my undivided attention until January – and beyond.”
Cohn responded to questions and comments from several Council members, including Council Member Garry Daeke, who mentioned the current water plant expansion project that is nearing completion.
Daeke cited several factors that he said could have had an adverse effect on fruitful conversations in the past, including disruptions
caused by COVID, as well as having new leadership in key roles, both in Franklin County as well as the city of Henderson. The city has had several city managers in the recent past, as well as city attorneys; similarly, Franklin County has had changes in its leadership as well.
A recent study of the water plant is something that Daeke and Cohn point to that can help inform future discussions about KLRWS.
Reading from a prepared statement, Council Member Kenia Gómez-Jimenez said the regional water system is “not just a pipeline. It is a regional partnership built over time, led in large part by the city of Henderson. We are not just a participant, we are the primary steward and Franklin County, they are not outsiders to the system – they are already a customer.”
She said new infrastructure would be redundant, and “not the most efficient option, not the most collaborative option and certainly not
the most responsible use of Franklin County taxpayer dollars.”
