Tag Archive for: #cityofhenderson

City of Henderson Calls For Immediate Water Conservation Due To Critically Low Lake Levels

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— From the City of Henderson
The City of Henderson is requesting all water customers to immediately conserve water due to critically low water levels in Kerr Lake, the City and County’s primary water source.
Effective immediately, all residents, customers, and businesses are required to limit water use and avoid unnecessary consumption.
Individuals and organizations are asked to refrain from activities such as watering lawns and gardens, washing vehicles, filling swimming pools, and all other non-essential uses of water.
All residents, customers, and businesses are encouraged to take additional steps to reduce water usage, including taking shorter showers, repairing leaks promptly, and only running dishwashers and washing machines when full.
This mandatory conservation measure will remain in effect until water levels in Kerr Lake improve and conditions allow the system to lift the restrictions.
The City of Henderson appreciates the cooperation of all residents and businesses as we work together to protect our community’s water supply.
A copy of the City of Henderson’s Water Shortage Response Ordinance is available on the Kerr Lake Regional Water System and Customer Services webpage for those who wish to review the policy in detail.
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The Local Skinny! Henderson City Council Agrees on Granite Benches for Veterans Memorial

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American Legion Post #60’s Hartwell Wright appeared before the Henderson City Council and was almost apologetic about it, prefacing his request with a comment along the lines of “you’re probably tired of seeing me here.”

But it was Council Member Garry Daeke who spoke up first, making a motion that was seconded by Council Member Michael Venable to approve Wright’s request: permission to purchase and install eight 5-foot long polished granite benches, putting the finishing touches on the newly installed Veterans Memorial on Breckenridge Street outside the Henderson Police Department.

“We’re prepared to order them,” Wright said, keeping good on Post 60’s plan to first create the memorial and then install benches that will provide visitors a comfortable spot to view the monument and reflect on what it represents.

Interim City Manager Kendrick Vann said Kelley Wade Perdue proposed the addition of a POW/MIA flag on the Purple Heart flagpole, recently dedicated in honor of former City Council Member Sara Coffey.

Perdue was not at the Council meeting, Vann said, because she was at the Vance County Board of Commissioners’ meeting making a similar request of county leaders.

In a statement to WIZS News Tuesday, Perdue provided an update on the project.

An event is being planned for Veterans Day – Nov. 11 – to celebrate, honor and recognize Vance County as a POW*MIA County, with the hope that a flag will be permanently displayed at the Veterans Memorial. The ceremony will begin at 8 a.m.

The commissioners approved a resolution presented by Perdue at its Sept. 14 meeting and Friday, Sept. 18, the POW/MIA flag replaced the Purple Heart flag for the National Day of Recognition, Perdue said.

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TownTalk: City of Henderson Water Rate Study

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The Henderson City Council voted to approve a water rate study that could mean higher water costs for city customers – from bulk users and commercial all the way to individual households.

Regional water rates have increased over the past couple of years, but the city rates haven’t, which translates into the city losing money because its rates were lower than the regional rates it pays.

The city is the managing partner in the Kerr Lake Regional Water System with a 60 percent ownership; the city of Oxford and Warren County each have 20 percent ownership in the regional water system.

During a discussion of the recommendation at the Sept. 14 City Council meeting, Council Member Catherine “Kitty” Gill said, “People are still fussing about the increases they have now.” The current rates are for FY 2027 to correspond with the July 1-June 30 fiscal year.

Assistant City Manager Christy Lipscomb said the study would look at the next five years – FY 2028 through FY 2033.

The study will cost between $55,000 and $56,000. Lipscomb said Raftelis was selected because it is familiar with the city’s water system and financials and performed the most recent rate studies.

Council Member Garry Daeke made the motion to approve the rate study with a second by Council Member Tami Walker. Gill voted against the motion and Council Member Lamont Noel was not present for the vote.

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The Local Skinny! City of Henderson Continues Search To Fill Opioid Advisory Board

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The City of Henderson continues to accept applications for membership on the Opioid Settlement Advisory Board. The original deadline to submit applications had been July 31, and Interim City Manager Kendrick Vann shared seven applications with City Council at the August meeting for the 8-member board.

But some Council members expressed concern at that Aug. 10 meeting about not having representation from each of the city’s four wards, so Vann and staff set about amending the CAF to include wording that says two advisory board members would be selected from each ward.

It was originally stated that prospective advisory board members include individuals with professional backgrounds in drug addiction/treatment, health care and mental health and public health fields.

Council member Geraldine Champion said there should be a representative from each of the city’s four wards and also said she’d like to see individuals with “life experience” with overcoming opioid use.

Mayor Melissa Elliott agreed. “I think it’s imperative that we have at least one person on that board who has overcome” opioid addiction.

The council tabled a vote on individual applicants because they didn’t know which wards some of them live in. One applicant lives in the county.

Vann said the call for advisory board members would go back out into the community; the wording of the CAF will need to be changed to reflect the council’s desire to have balanced ward representation, since that was not originally specified.

The City Council approved the change to the CAF as part of its emergency called meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 12.

The deadline to apply is Mon, Aug 24 at 5 p.m.  Submit your application to Tracey Kimbrell by  email or give her a call at 252.430.5705. traceykimbrell@henderson.nc.gov. For more information, contact Brandi Dukes at 252.430.5702 or email brandidukes@henderson.nc.gov

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The Local Skinny! City to Provide Cooling Stations to Beat the Heat

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The Henderson City Council voted Monday to provide emergency cooling stations that will allow vulnerable residents to seek refuge – at least during the daytime hours – from the extreme heat.

When temperatures top 94 degrees, the mayor and city manager have the authority to choose to activate and operate cooling stations.

Council Member Michael Venable made the motion to approve adoption of the emergency facility policy, which was seconded by Council Member Tami Walker. The motion passed unanimously; Council Member Garry Daeke was not present at the meeting.

Interim City Manager Kendrick Vann explained that the cooling station would operate at the municipal building site at 110 Young St., in much the same way that “white flag” nights in winter provide shelter in extremely cold conditions.

The cooling station hours will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Vann said, and would not include any overnight stays.

In addition, he said the Henderson Fire Department is going to have bottles of water on hand for anyone who may need something to drink during periods of extreme heat like the recent stretch when temperatures were in the upper 90’s.

In a written explanation in the agenda packet, Vann stated that adoption of the policy “strengthens the City’s emergency preparedness and ensures staff and volunteers have clear guidance during hazardous heat conditions.”

 

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Special Called City Council Meeting June 17; Budget and Closed Session Personnel Matter

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Public Notice — from the City of Henderson

The Henderson City Council will hold a Special Called Meeting on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. The purpose of this meeting is to consider and discuss the adoption of the FY 27 budget and to enter into closed session pursuant to NCGS § 143-318.11(a)(6) a Personnel Matter.

The meeting will take place at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall in Council Chambers, 134 Rose Avenue. This meeting is open to the public.

(The text of this public notice was originally published on WIZS.com and broadcast on WIZS Radio on June 12, 2026.)

(If you would like to learn more click play for the 6-15-26 “The Local Skinny!” broadcast and continue reading below.)

A big question heading into Wednesday afternoon’s meeting is what has shifted since last week? Since Interim City Manager Kendrick Vann was the assistant to now terminated City Manager Paylor Spruill, what have Vann and Henderson Finance Director Joey Fuqua talked about since last week?  At the June 8 regular meeting, it was left that the city manager and the finance director would come back with recommendations of things to cut and would be prepared to have a discussion with the council.  Will there be cuts and/or additions or adjustments?  As previously reported, the main cuts so far had been giving the departments fewer of the items on their budget wish lists.  Will more now be taken including salaried or part-time worker positions?  Could training and travel lines be added back?  The assistant to the mayor position, which was previously cut, could it be added back?  After the meeting, WIZS will report details and let you know if a City budget is passed?

City Manager: Regional Water System Committed To Customers, Finding Solution For Franklin County Supply

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Henderson City Clerk Tracey Kimbrell sent the following press release to WIZS News Wednesday afternoon from the office of City Manager Paylor Spruill. The information appears below in its entirety:

KERR LAKE REGIONAL WATER PARTNERSHP / FRANKLIN COUNTY  

The formation of the Kerr Lake Regional Water Partnership can be traced back to 1972 when discussions among Floyd McKissick, Developer of Soul City; Mayor Hugh Currin and City Manager Tom Ragland of Oxford; Mayor George Boyd, City Manager Melvin Holmes and City Attorney John Zollicoffer, Jr. of Henderson took place. They traveled many times to Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA to meet with federal officials of the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that was administering grant and loan guarantees approved in the New Communities Act of July 1972. Mr. McKissick envisioned a community in Warren County of 50,000 residents by the year 2000 with a health clinic, industrial park, fire station, recreational areas and water treatment facilities. At a crucial time in the discussions with HUD in Washington, D.C., Mr. McKissick asked for a telephone. (No cell phones then.) That was brought to the meeting table and plugged into the wall. He brought a piece of paper from his wallet and dialed a number. Then President Richard Nixon personally answered the call.

Warren County would eventually become successor to Floyd B. McKissick Enterprises, Inc. with a 20% partnership position. The City of Oxford also has a 20% position and the City of Henderson 60%. The original regional water supply system had an estimated cost of $9 million ($75 million today.) And the City of Henderson has successfully managed and operated the system since then for over half a century!

The City of Henderson purchases water from the partnership and sells it directly to Franklin County. This began under a 1998 agreement which has been successfully amended many times to accommodate the relationship. The City of Henderson through the Kerr Lake Regional Water Partnership is committed to helping Franklin County solve its water supply problems. However, our first responsibility is to our residents, customers and taxpayers. We will not enter into an agreement with Franklin County, or anyone else, until we know we can satisfy our own obligations – now and in the future.

The Partnership has identified several ways in which we might be able to help Franklin County. We are completing our analysis of those options and expect to propose a solution before the end of this month.

The Kerr Lake Regional Water Partnership encourages Franklin County to direct future communications solely to us. Negotiating in public does not build trust and is rarely successful.

CITY OF HENDERSON

Office of the City Manager

Paylor Spruill, City Manager

 

TownTalk: City Council FY 2027 Budget Work Session Creates As Many Questions As Answers

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City of Henderson Finance Director Joey Fuqua stood and answered questions from City Council for the better part of 90 minutes during the City Council’s budget work session on Thursday.

Council members reviewed the $51.7 budget department by department, with questioning led mainly by Mayor Pro Tem Tami Walker, Catherine “Kitty” Gill and Geraldine Champion.

When he presented the proposed budget in May, Fuqua told Council members that this budget – as several previous budgets – required an infusion from fund balance. The FY 2027 budget must be passed by June 30.

Fuqua said, in closing remarks just before the work session ended, that FY 2027 is going to be a “savings effort on steroids.” He further stated to Council that city staff had already been told that the month of June would see a total shutdown on expenses as one last measure to get every last penny out of the expense category to preserve a dwindling fund balance.

The FY 2027 budget is using $5 million to bridge the gap between revenues and expenses.

The work session was, at times, contentious, as Council members and the mayor interacted with city staff, asking questions that ranged from how many cell phones the recreation and parks staff needs to whether funding the Henderson-Oxford Airport is necessary.

At one point, Mayor Melissa Elliott admonished City Manager Paylor Spruill for not letting her know ahead of time that the budget didn’t include funding her assistant’s position. “I’m not a department head – I’m just the mayor of the city,” Elliott said somewhat sarcastically.

“Don’t you think it would have been a great conversation to have with me that ‘hey, we’re not going to fund him this year.’ “I’m just wondering…,” Elliott said.

Recalling the pay raises the city used COVID-era federal ARPA funds to provide employees, Council Member Gill said the city is going to have to look at other places to cut.

“We’re going to have to cut the fat somewhere,” she said, adding that she would like to review salaries across the different city departments to look for ways to cross-train staff to possibly cover additional duties.

Council Member Garry Daeke offered several suggestions to get a jump start on next year’s budget, including calling city staff together on July 1 to get them thinking about where to make savings over the course of the fiscal year – one way to hopefully preserve services and positions.

Finding ways to tweak efficiency, he said, could be one way to do that.

“I don’t think we’re going to do a whole of changing with this budget – it’s tight as it can be.” He wants to begin FY 2028  budget discussions earlier in the year to try to get a handle on what is shaping up to be another stressful budget process.

Daeke said he doesn’t want to cut services to residents or cut positions, but he does want to investigate ways to give citizens the services they expect. “We’ve got to find a way to do it a little better,” he said.

“We can’t wait three months before the budget and say we need $4 million out of fund balance or we’re going to cut staff or we’re going to raise taxes,” Daeke said. “Let’s start now prepared not to do that and then see where we get. But we have to start early.”

Review of City of Henderson Public Hearing on Budget

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Three individuals signed up to speak at the Henderson City Council’s public hearing on the FY 26-27 budget that was held on Thursday, May 21 but it took more than 40 minutes for those speakers to address the Council members.

For the first half hour or more, several Council members had questions for City Manager Paylor Spruill and Finance Director Joey Fuqua that centered around how the city got itself into the undesirable situation of having to dip into fund balance in order to balance the budget.

In his response to Mayor Pro Tem Tami Walker’s question about the pay study implementation, Fuqua reminded Council members about how more than $4 million in federal ARPA funds had been used to help address employee turnover and retention rates.

About 80 percent of municipalities across the state offer a cost of living adjustment each year, he added, but Henderson has been able to offer a COLA only four out of the last 10 years.

It was FY 2025 that the salary increases started, and Fuqua said the city spent “an enormous amount of fund balance” to balance that budget.

“When those salaries hit the bottom line,” he said, “we’re on the hook for that every year.”

This year’s $51.7 million budget also earmarks $5 million from the fund balance to balance the budget. As Fuqua explained, that doesn’t mean that is the final number that will be needed, but represents a maximum amount from the unassigned fund balance that could be used.

The FY 26 budget audit has not been finalized yet, but Fuqua said if the city uses another $1.2 million or so as it needed for FY 25, then his prediction becomes clearer: the fund balance is set “to take another record-breaking hit. Without new revenue streams, next year at this time we’ll be in an even more challenging situation” because there won’t be enough money in fund balance to offset the shortfall.

The City Council will have another budget session on Thursday, May 28 at 5 p.m. in Council chambers.

The 2026-27 budget must be approved before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.

 

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TownTalk: Henderson City Budget Public Hearing Set For 6 P.M. Thursday, May 21

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Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott has scheduled a special called meeting of the City Council for Thursday, May 21 at 6 p.m. in order to hold a public hearing on the proposed FY 2027 budget.

The meeting will be held in City Council Chambers at 134 Rose Ave.

This is the time for the public to ask questions about the proposed budget, and there is no need to sign up ahead of time.

The meeting also will be livestreamed live on the city’s YouTube channel for viewing only. If you want to speak during the hearing, you’ll have to attend in person.

City Finance Director Joey Fuqua presented the proposed $51.7 million budget to Council at its May meeting; since then, the City Council has had a couple of budget workshops as it works through the approval process. The new fiscal year begins on July 1.

Find the livestream at https://www.youtube.com/@CityofHenderson-NC.

 

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