At its March meeting Monday evening, the Henderson City Council voted 6-2 to adopt a policy concerning attendance at council meetings. At issue, among other things, was what constitutes an excused absence versus an unexcused absence and just how – and who – would decide which was which.

The proposed wording didn’t include “work” in the excused list, and it did include the 12 set monthly meeting dates – already on the calendar – as well as any “special called meetings,” which aren’t on the calendar ahead of time.

After a lot of back-and-forth discussion, Council member Ola Thorpe-Cooper made a motion, seconded by Council member Michael Venable to approve the attendance policy, with a revision that excludes the special called meeting wording.

Joining Cooper and Venable with yes votes were Council members Geraldine Champion, Garry Daeke, Sam Seifert and Tami Walker; Council members Lamont Noel and Sara Coffey voted against the motion.

According to City Manager Terrell Blackmon, the policy review came out of the council’s recent strategic planning session. As it stands now, council members aren’t supposed to miss four meetings in a single calendar year.

However, if they are unable to attend a meeting in person, they can join virtually and cast votes remotely, as long as their absence is considered an “excused” absence.

Noel did not agree that fellow council members be the deciding body to determine whether an absence is excused or unexcused; individual council members are supposed to inform the clerk when they know they will be absent.

Mayor Melissa Elliott offered an example to the group, saying that she had been able to vote when she was out of town for work, but she was not able to vote when she joined virtually while on vacation.

The council agreed to fall back to Robert’s Rules of Order and handle the absences procedurally when the roll is called at each council meeting, at which time the clerk would inform the council of the reason for a member’s absence.

Discussion about special called meetings included comments from Council member Noel, who said those meetings, usually held during normal business hours, shouldn’t be part of the attendance policy.

“Some of us are working,” he said.

Daeke acknowledged that daytime meetings “may be a bit much for some folks.” He said he used 42 hours of vacation time last year alone to satisfy council attendance policies. “Not everybody has that capability,” he said.

 

 

Henderson Mayor pro tem Garry Daeke reflected on the City Council’s annual planning retreat, which took place Monday. Six of the eight council members were in attendance, as well as Mayor Melissa Elliott and city staff.

Daeke was a guest on Tuesday’s TownTalk, and praised Elliott for the comfortable atmosphere of the retreat.

“She had this set up in a way that was focused, but casual,” Daeke said. “The conversations were really good,” he said, and the less formal atmosphere was conducive to sharing of ideas and listening to others’ observations.

It gave new City Council members Geraldine Champion, Sam Seifert, Tami Walker and Michael Venable a chance to take a deeper look at issues and challenges the city faces away from formal meetings held in Council chambers.

Perennial issues include housing, water, recruiting and retaining employees and the city’s overall appearance and perception, to name a few.

Connected to all those issues is the critical component of money – revenue, salaries for firefighters and police officers, and how to pay for projects that will enhance the city.

“We need some revenue to get some things done,” Daeke said. “If we get additional revenue, it will be well spent.”

Money could be used for redevelopment within the city, he said. Creating more housing in existing neighborhoods gets more properties back on the tax rolls, adding “value to the city and to the quality of life,” he said.

New development is certainly afoot, too, and Daeke said the new Dabney Village near Lowe’s Home Improvement on Dabney Road is waiting on a transportation impact study before it breaks ground.

Once DOT comes back with projections about how the development will impact the 158/Dabney Drive intersection, things can get moving.

“They’re ready to go,” Daeke said of the developers, “which is really exciting.”

Promoting and supporting economic development involves many moving parts, and it can get complicated, Daeke said, but he added that the city’s role is providing water and sewer.

The water project expansion is well underway and he predicted its completion by the end of the year, or the beginning of 2025.

That type of infrastructure is a critical piece for prospective businesses and industry who are considering Henderson or areas just outside the city limits where water and sewer lines can be run.

What began years ago as a $25 million expansion has now swelled to $80 or $90 million, thanks to COVID and increased construction costs.

But thanks to help from legislators and others, Daeke said a combination of grants, loans and revenue bonds has propped up the project and the city has what it needs to complete it.

Once complete, the water system will be able to provide 20 million gallons of water a day to consumers.

Another topic the group discussed involved sprucing up the entryways to the city, especially along Andrews Avenue and Dabney Drive near Beckford Drive, where City of Henderson signs are located.

The signs themselves have gotten a new coat of paint, but perhaps a school or civic group could take on the task of landscaping around those signs. Daeke said the group talked about having two or three projects as a start to make those entryways more attractive.

As city leaders plan for more growth – think future S Line rail corridor and the Dabney Drive expansion – it’s important for everyone to figure out ways to face challenges while focusing on the many positive things about Henderson.

Take downtown, for example, Daeke said.

“We’ve got some wonderful buildings down there,” he said. There are steps that city officials can take to improve the general appearance, from replacing some damaged windows to enforcing ordinances and cutting down on code violations.

It’s probably time for another salary study as the city looks to fill vacancies, especially among fire departments and the police department.

The city needs to be competitive with salary packages to attract and retain staff, who are regularly lured away to nearby communities because they pay more.

Daeke said he tries to think between two to five years in the future as he contemplates projects that will be beneficial to the city.

They aren’t issues that can be solved in one budget cycle, but by thinking about them as longer-range goals, the city’s leaders can work to make progress.

CLICK PLAY!

 

The Henderson City Council gave the green light Monday to fire department officials to apply for a $2.5 million FEMA grant to purchase a new ladder truck.

The department’s ladder truck has been out of commission since April 2023 and isn’t expected to come back into service for several more months.

The Council voted unanimously to provide the 5 percent match – roughly $119,000 – required by FEMA grant.

The fire department’s ISO rating could be in jeopardy if there’s no ladder truck available to answer calls or provide mutual aid when needed.

Direct quote from agenda:

“This grant will enable the fire department to purfhase a new aerial apparatus to provide adequate fire protection coverage for areas within the municipality and mutual aid districts when necessary.

Council members also voted to amend the Sanitation Ordinance in an effort to cut down on excess garbage and litter.

Customers are supposed to put all their refuse inside the rolling container provided through GFL – they’re not supposed to pile up extra bags beside the container for pickup.

Following Monday’s action, customers will be warned when they are out of compliance. After the third warning, the city will “provide” them with a second container – at the resident’s expense, which they’ll see in their monthly bill.

This had been discussed at the November 2023 Public Works Committee meeting, and it was brought back to Council Monday for review.

Listen back to Tuesday’s TownTalk to learn about other topics of discussion at the Feb. 12 City Council meeting.

CLICK PLAY!