Tag Archive for: #cityofhenderson

The Local Skinny! Henderson City Manager/City Attorney Hassan Kingsberry Resigns

Henderson City Manager/City Attorney Hassan T. Kingsberry tendered his resignation Monday.

Kingsberry has held the dual roles of city manager and city attorney for less than a year.

About 10 minutes into Monday’s regular monthly City Council meeting, Kingsberry distributed sheets of paper to members of the Council and to Mayor Melissa Elliott.

Kingsberry shared the contents of the letter to WIZS Monday night.

Following is the text Kingsberry sent:

August 11th, 2025

This letter is written to inform you of my resignation from the positions for City Manager and City Attorney.  One contract requires 30 days notice and the other requires a month.  For the sake of peace for myself and my family and for the City, this is the best decision.  I’ve shared with you my issues with the Mayor and you’ve seen them unfold publicly so I encourage you to protect staff and abide by the Charter.  I will remain available for any investigation on my actions for I have not done anything wrong.  Thank you for this opportunity.  God bless the City of Henderson.  

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City Of Henderson Awarded $10.7M For Water Projects

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The City of Henderson is getting $10.7 million from the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund for its Sandy Creek Pump Station and Force Main projects.

The announcement came last week, when Gov. Josh Stein and the Department of Environmental Quality said that 48 projects in 27 counties would receive more than $204 million in funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

The awards will improve drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, address PFAS and other forever chemicals, identify and replace lead pipes and improve resiliency after future storms, according to information on the DEQ website.

“When you turn on the faucet in your home, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether that water is safe for your family,” said Governor Josh Stein. “These investments will help ensure North Carolinians have access to clean drinking water and will help keep people safe when disaster strikes.”

“At DEQ, we’re committed to ensuring everyone in North Carolina has access to clean water,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “This funding will address aging infrastructure and improve public health for communities large and small.”

The town of Warrenton also is set to receive $10 million for its Phase IV Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements project.

Perry Memorial Library

Community ‘Read-In’ Event Kicks Off Wednesday, June 25

Calling all readers to join in a community “Read-In” that will be held this summer on the last Wednesdays of the months of June, July and August. The last Wednesday in June is June 25.

Bring a chair or a blanket and a book, magazine or newspaper and spend an hour on the lawn across from Perry Memorial Library. The events begin at 4 p.m. and last for an hour.

Participants are requested to silence all electronics during this time to create a quiet space as readers do what they love to do – READ!

In case of inclement weather, the “read-in” will take place in the gallery between McGregor Hall and the library.

Visit www.perrylibrary.org or call the library at 252.438.3316/ext. 225 to learn more.

The event is being sponsored by the City of Henderson, Perry Memorial Library, Pathways 2 Peace and Vance County Tourism.

City Launches “Love-Henderson-Period” Campaign

 

The City of Henderson has launched a campaign “to inspire unconditional love” for the place that Henderson residents call home.

The outline of a heart, followed by the word “Henderson,” ending with a period. Put into words, it’s “Love-Henderson-Period.” And City Manager/City Attorney Hassan T. Kingsberry told WIZS News that it’s a campaign that’s being revived now “to instill love, unity and pride in our city because it’s vital to progress.”

The idea has been around awhile, and Kingsberry credits Police Chief Marcus Barrow with its creation.  It’s one that Kingsberry said he likes, and he’s getting behind its hopeful resurgence.

He said the city’s department heads support it, too. The City Council heard some details about the campaign at a recent meeting, during which Kingsberry said he recommended bringing back the idea to them at that time.

The text below is a press release, dated June 1, from the City of Henderson:

“A heart and a period. That’s the symbol and the statement at the center of Henderson’s newest community-wide movement: This bold and heartfelt campaign invites every resident, business, and organization to join in a renewed commitment to love Henderson unconditionally.

The campaign’s message is clear:

‘To love our city unconditionally, where peace prevails in our hearts, progress drives our collective efforts, and pride in our shared vision fuels unity. If we simply love our city without condition, prosperity is no longer just a goal but a promise to each other to uphold a set of values, ensuring a future where everyone thrives together in harmony’

What It Means:

At its core, the campaign celebrates:

  • Peace– creating a community where respect, kindness, and safety flourish.
  • Progress– working together toward innovation, inclusion, and opportunity.
  • Pride– recognizing that our differences are a strength, not a divide.
  • Prosperity– building a thriving future for all who call Henderson home.

Love-Henderson-Period is more than a slogan; it’s a call to action. It asks us to show up for our city, to love it without conditions or exceptions, and to take ownership of the future we all want to see.

We encourage everyone to use #lovehendersonperiod whenever they post positive and encouraging posts that embodies this message.”

 

UPDATED-JUNE 6 AT 12 NOON

The City of Henderson has launched a campaign to encourage the community to Love Henderson. Period.

In a press release dated June 1, 2025, the campaign is a simple message with a bold promise. One word, one symbol and one punctuation mark designed “to inspire unconditional love” for the city. Our city.

The press release reads as follows:

“A heart and a period. That’s the symbol and the statement at the center of Henderson’s newest community-wide movement: This bold and heartfelt campaign invites every resident, business, and organization to join in a renewed commitment to love Henderson unconditionally.

“The campaign’s message is clear:

“To love our city unconditionally, where peace prevails in our hearts, progress drives our collective efforts, and pride in our shared vision fuels unity. If we simply love our city without condition, prosperity is no longer just a goal but a promise to each other to uphold a set of values, ensuring a future where everyone thrives together in harmony.’

“What It Means:

“At its core, the campaign celebrates:

  • Peace – creating a community where respect, kindness, and safety flourish.
  • Progress – working together toward innovation, inclusion, and opportunity.
  • Pride – recognizing that our differences are a strength, not a divide.
  • Prosperity – building a thriving future for all who call Henderson home.

“Love-Henderson-Period is more than a slogan; it’s a call to action. It asks us to show up for our city, to love it without conditions or exceptions, and to take ownership of the future we all want to see.

“We encourage everyone to use #lovehendersonperiod whenever they post positive and encouraging posts that embodies this message.”

City Utility Customers’ Water Meters Being Read Again Following Cyber “Event”

UPDATED May 27, 2025 at 6:30 P.M.

Henderson’s utility customers have gotten a notification about water meters being read again in the wake of what city officials are calling a cyber “event” that created a massive disruption in the billing process.

“We would like to inform our utility customers that we have begun reading meters for the first billing cycle to be processed since the cyber event,” the notice stated.

It’s a good first step toward returning to normal since the city got hit by a cyber attack that affected the way it generates bills for utilities customers. Another bit of good news: customers who had their bills set up on bank draft should see that draft process resume, unless the customer has requested to have their account removed from the bank draft option, according to information from the city’s Customer Service Director Sharon “Shay” Bennett.

The city normally processes three billing cycles per month and bills are normally mailed on the 10th, 20th and 30th of each month depending on the customer’s service address.

The next bill customers receive will include usage from the meter’s previous reading prior to the cyber event through the date the meter is read over the next month.

“We would like to thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to recover from this issue,” the notification read.

Although the city was unable to issue bills for several months following the time the problem was discovered, it was recommended that customers continue to pay their bills based on their last billing statement and to keep receipts for payments made until the system was back on line.

The Local Skinny! Working Conditions for City Employees

City of Henderson employees will receive a survey in a few weeks to give feedback about working conditions.

As City Manager/City Attorney Hassan T. Kingsberry explained to Council members at the April 14 meeting, the survey will be anonymous – employees will not be asked to give their names. Kingsberry told Council members that some employees and some directors had shared some concerns with him, so he suggested a survey would be in order.

Kingsberry told WIZS News Wednesday that a working conditions survey is standard practice in other places where he has worked. “I want to make sure staff is comfortable and thriving as we work together for the betterment of the City.”

He said the specific statements or questions that will make up the survey are still being worked on, but he expects that department heads will receive their surveys next week and the rest of the staff will be receive theirs around the mid-May mark.

As for what actions may result, Kingsberry said, “We will see how staff responds and address the issues that need to be addressed to ensure a healthy climate and work culture.”

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Local Airport Authority Role Is To Manage, Protect Land, Flight Patterns

Although Henderson gets top billing in the name, the Henderson-Oxford Airport is actually located in Granville County, and the Airport Authority that oversees its operation is owned by both Vance and Granville counties and by both cities.

David Thomas of Henderson is the current chair of the Airport Authority and Jon Carver of Oxford is vice chair.

Carver and District 2 Granville County Commissioner Rob Williford explained the authority’s role and the value of having a regional, public airport as counties and municipalities compete for industry, manufacturing and other types of economic development.

Anyone interested in developing property within a 5-mile radius of the airport is supposed to file a form with the Federal Aviation Administration – Form 7460 – which allows the FAA to provide feedback about the proposals as well as point out any effects that development could have on the airport.

There are height restrictions for structures that may be in a plane’s flight path or gliding pattern near the airport, for example, Williford pointed out.

“All the owners of the airport have to be good stewards of the airport,” Carver said, adding that if the form isn’t submitted, the airport authority could be found in violation of grant assurances. And worse still, the FAA could ask for money back. In the case of the local airport, that would be about $9.5 million.

Carver said he explained this procedure to Oxford city commissioners at a recent meeting during which there was discussion of a rezoning request for 527 acres of land located within that 5-mile radius of the airport.

The FAA is not going to stop the development, Carver said, but without that Form 7460, the FAA could come back to the airport authority and say it isn’t being a good steward.

“They don’t have the jurisdiction to stop the development,” he continued, but added that the authority could incur a penalty and face further consequences.

The airport is in Williford’s district, and he said he has learned a great deal about the airport since he’s been on the county board of commissioners. He said the authority is doing all the proper things for the airport, which relies on FAA funding. “We can’t afford to have that cut out,” he said.

He said he is confident that the city and the county “will come together and work things out and we will be fine.”

Williford said the airport is an asset to both Granville and Vance counties and said as the counties continue to grow and attract business and industry, the airport will play a vital role.

“When we can (say that) we have an airport that can handle corporate jets, that’s a plus,” Williford said.

People coming to check out the area for locating their business or industry are going to fly in, he said. They want something even closer than RDU – and the Henderson-Oxford Airport fits that bill.

But others use the airport for recreational purposes – a lot of people now enjoy flying in for hunting, he said, and even keep a vehicle on the airport grounds for their comings and goings.

In fact, the wait list for hangar space is 49-people long. The airport authority is in a holding pattern waiting for the water lines to extend to the airport that will accommodate the required sprinkler system for fire suppression.

And then the Henderson-Oxford Airport will be ready for takeoff.

Cyber “Event” Disrupts Water Bill Payment Process For City Customers

City officials are blaming a recent “cyber event” for a disruption in the way residents’ water bills are generated. The problem was brought to light three weeks ago – on Feb. 20 – and, as a result, some computer systems the city uses had to be taken offline.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, City Manager/Attorney Hassan T. Kingsberry told Council members that the city has “gotten rid of” the previous IT provider, whom he did not name, and said “we’re going to keep the city safe and this will not happen again.”

Details of exactly what happened are limited, but what is known is that people are still responsible for paying their water bills.

A recorded message sent to city residents stated that until the issues are resolved, “customers will not receive a utility bill or have pre-authorized payments deducted from their account.”

The city will not impose late fees or penalties while they work through the computer challenges created by the cyber “event,” it doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay your bill.

The recorded message provides information about how residents can pay water bills.

“While we are still able to collect payments, we cannot provide accurate account balances. The balances shown on MyGovhub are not correct, but you can still make payments through that platform. When making payments in person, please bring your utility bill and ensure you keep  your receipts for your records.

Appropriate legal notices will be sent to all impacted customers and employees regarding the cyber event.”

Kingsberry said he is working to get in-house IT support and announced at the Monday meeting that Leo Mata is the city’s new IT manager. Kingsberry said he hopes to get one – and possibly two additional employees to work specifically with network issues.

TownTalk: Fuqua Receives Recognition from City Council

Henderson’s Finance Director Joey Fuqua received some special recognition at Monday’s City Council meeting for excellence in financial reporting.

And though it was more a formality than anything else, Fuqua was officially sworn in as finance director – before Council Member Tami Walker read a proclamation expressing gratitude on behalf of the Council for the work done by Fuqua and his staff. He’s been the city’s finance director for about 10 years.

“Thank you for your financial leadership and your excellence in financial reporting for the last eight years,” Walker said in remarks before she read the proclamation.

The 2023 budget marks the 8th year that Fuqua and his department have received a certificate of excellence in financial reporting from the Government Financial Officers Association.

In addition to preparing the city’s annual budget, Fuqua and his team provide financial services and support city departments, manage revenue collections and disbursements and oversee purchasing functions, Walker noted.

Fuqua also has “emphasized commitment to addressing budget constraints,” Walker said, and helps the city by planning with long-term financial responsibility in mind.

Fuqua accepted a certificate, a bouquet of cut flowers and a standing ovation from the City Council members, Mayor Melissa Elliott and city staff at the meeting.

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City Council Chambers To Get Extra Screening Devices To Improve Security

The city of Henderson is installing advanced screening devices at the entrance of the Council meeting chambers, adding one more layer of protection to all who attend Council meetings.

Public Information Officer Salonia Saxton did not indicate when the devices would be in place, but she said they are designed to improve security by detecting and preventing unauthorized weapons and potentially dangerous items from being brought into the building.

“These new measures demonstrate the city’s commitment to ensuring a safe and secure environment for all attendees,” Saxton said, “allowing them to participate in council meetings with peace of mind.”