TownTalk: Henderson City Council To Meet
A look at the upcoming Henderson city council meeting this evening (01-09-2023).
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TownTalk: Signs of Positive Growth
King’s Daughters Park is not the largest park in the area, and it doesn’t have all the amenities as other recreation areas, but what it does have is what is known in the real estate world as a critical asset: Location, location, location.
City officials are looking at ways to increase the park’s boundaries as plans continue to progress for the West End Urban Redevelopment Area (URA).
The Henderson City Council approved a recommendation from city staff to acquire three vacant properties near the park that, if successful, would add to the overall footprint of the park, located on Montgomery Street. Having access to green space promotes public health while preserving the characteristics of the park.
“We’ve got some negotiating to do,” City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS News Tuesday. But the council gave staff permission to move forward to try to buy the vacant properties and refurbish the park as part of the overall redevelopment plan, Blackmon explained.
One of the three property owners has been contacted, but Blackmon said the city is still in the process of contacting the other two.
As plans for the West End URA continue to take shape, the idea is to bring a mixture of rental homes and private residences to the area, while developing business and recreation opportunities within walking distance of where people live.
The URA and other opportunities for redevelopment are part of the city’s overall strategic plan, as well as employee retention.
Blackmon said succession planning plays a role in recruiting and retaining city employees, and it’s one of the points contained in the strategic plan.
The city also approved a new entry-level planning technician position in the development services division, made necessary when the current zoning administrator was promoted to the vacant position of community development manager.
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The Local Skinny! City Council Making City Employment More Attractive
Good news for current and future employees of the city of Henderson: The Henderson City Council adopted a city-wide minimum hourly rate of $15 per hour for all employees at its Nov. 14 meeting,
City Manager Terrell Blackmon made the request, which is in line with the most recent strategic plan strategies to attract and retain city workers.
According to information from the meeting agenda, 19 out of the city’s 200 employees currently earn less than $15 an hour, but the council’s adoption of the $15/hour rate changes that. It will cost an extra $1,173.47 per pay period – $30,510.18 a year – to make this change.
In his recommendation to the council, Blackmon stated that it was necessary “due to increasing wages and the competitive hiring environment in Vance County and the surrounding area.”
New employees will receive an hourly rate of not less than $15 per hour, and existing employees’ pay will be adjusted to reflect the pay raise. Employees hired before July 1, 2022 will have their salaries adjusted upon completion of their probationary period, he explained.
In other action from the council, city employees will get a bump in their pay if they are called back in to work. This changes will cost the city about $48,300 annually.
This “call-back” pay is for employees who are scheduled to be on call throughout the year. Blackmon proposed, and the council adopted, that the number of hours change to ten hours, up from two hours’ guaranteed pay for being called back to work outside of normal working hours.
Employees would receive 10 hours for being on-call plus time worked as already outlined in the existing policy. The city currently has three employees, usually one primary (Crew Leader) and two secondaries, on-call at all times. Each employee will be on-call five or six times a year.
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Henderson City Clerk Retiring After 12 Years
Henderson City Clerk Esther McCrackin is retiring effective Monday, Oct. 31 after 12 years of service to the city in that role.
Mayor Eddie Ellington called her a “mother figure” to all who work at City Hall who, with “grit and grace” showed her passion for the city. She kept everyone on the right track, “sometimes being tough but always from the heart, never losing sight of the ‘mission at hand,’” he said.
Ellington reflected on the first day he met McCrackin. “I knew right away her devotion and the expectations of me,” he said in a statement to WIZS News Monday. “Back in 2015, coming in as a new mayor of the city and still to this day being no different, she has always been a voice of reason, offering encouragement and guidance, while keeping the wheels turning. She was the calm in many storms and in times of much needed support. She believed in me and reminded me not to govern on emotion but by policy and procedure,” he said.
Now, seven years later, Ellington said McCrackin is “a remarkable lady and I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to her.”
City Manager Terrell Blackmon said Monday that McCrackin was a valuable staff member. “I was honored to work with her my first three years here as manager,” Blackmon said in an email.
Blackmon said since the clerk is appointed by the City Council, he has been directed by the mayor and council to advertise the position for 30 days to both internal and external candidates. “After the job closing date, the HR director and I will vet those applications and make recommendations of two to three finalists that the council will interview and then ultimately make an appointment,” Blackmon explained.
Discolored Water? Simple Fix For City Customers
– Courtesy of the City of Henderson:
City crews have repaired a water leak on Ruin Creek Road which may result in some households and businesses experiencing a discoloration of water from taps and spigots.
According to information Monday from the City of Henderson, simply allowing the water to run for a period should clear up any discoloration.
If this does not correct the problem, city water customers should call 252.431.6030 to make a report.
For more information, contact the Public Services Department at 252.431.6030.
The Local Skinny! Zoning And Coding In The City Of Henderson
About 5 p.m. on Monday afternoon, a group of interested business and community were leaders invited to gather at a local downtown restaurant for a quick bite before walking over to the Henderson City Council meeting that began at 6 p.m.
It’s just one way that this group – participants in a business roundtable group created by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce – can show support and encouragement to city staff and elected leaders and to be more visible partners in helping to grow the local economy.
They plan to meet again in a few weeks, in advance of the November City Council meeting.
The most recent business roundtable discussion occurred Friday, when Corey Williams, the city’s director of code compliance and City Manager Terrell Blackmon shared information about code enforcement and the proper way to go about resolving issues around code violations and nuisance abatement.
Brian Boyd spoke with John C. Rose on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny! and he said Williams did a great job “guiding us through and educatying us on code and nuisance abatement.”
The group also discussed a long history of concern for the local area, as business or industry dried up, with little success in recruiting new businesses.
Boyd said it was a case of “if we don’t do something about ‘this,’ it is going to lead to ‘that,’ and ‘that’ is a bad outcome,” he said.
Over the years, as elections bring different faces to the City Council, Boyd said priorities also changed for Henderson.
“I want to compliment the city and the council members for being so actively engaged right now and for working together on things” that affect the well-being of the city, he said.
The process of enforcing city codes is a legal process, Boyd said. There’s a certain way to go about lodging a complaint or voicing an opinion – it’s “not a text message to a council member or to a city official,” he said.
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City’s Leaf Collection “Season” Oct. 24-Jan. 20
City workers will begin the annual job of collecting those piles of fallen leaves and pine needles the week of October 24. Remember that residents could face a $75 charge to their sanitation bills if they pile loose leaves or pine straw at the curb before Oct. 24 or after the leaf collection season ends on Jan. 20, 2023.
Between Oct. 24 and Jan. 20, however, it is permitted to place rows or piles of loose leaves or pine straw at the roadside for the city’s Public Works Department to collect, according to a statement from the city. During the leaf collection period, residents may continue to bag the leaves and pine straw or put them in containers, but it is not required.
The rows or piles of loose leaves or pine straw shall:
- Be placed behind the curb not to interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
- Not be placed in an open ditch, gutter or street area as this can interfere with the city’s storm drainage system.
- Be free of trash and debris such as glass, cans, rocks, limb cuttings, etc. as this may damage collection equipment.
- Not be placed on top of a water meter.
Generally speaking, city crews will pick up the leaves and pine straw on a two- or three-week rotation, but that schedule is dependent on weather conditions.
Contact the Public Works Department at 252.431.6115 or 252.431.6030.
TownTalk: Blackmon And Ellington Attend Chamber Business Meeting
It’s a well-used analogy, but one appropriate for the situation that Henderson and the surrounding community finds itself in, according to City Manager Terrell Blackmon: The seeds for growth and improvement have been planted, and now the area is beginning to see those seeds sprout. But some onlookers may not be convinced until the flowers bloom.
Blackmon was a guest on Monday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose and he said he was among a group of local city and business leaders to come together to late last week to discuss ways to cultivate and nurture those tender sprouts as they continue to grow.
“They’ve been in progress,” he said. “It just doesn’t happen immediately…you have to plant seeds and allow them to grow.”
Blackmon used the analogy to describe the various projects that the city is a part of, as well as the 4-point strategic plan endorsed by the City Council at its 2022 planning retreat.
The meeting was one way for business leaders to hear about progress being made to make Henderson and the surrounding area more inviting – from its physical appearance to attract new residents, to the regional water expansion necessary to provide the infrastructure needed to attract new industry.
They gathered at Clearview Church in Henderson and speakers included Mayor Eddie Ellington, Ronald Bennett, president of the local Chamber of Commerce, Greg Etheridge, president of the local Rotary Club, Tony Mills with Henderson Police Department and Brian Boyd, who acted as facilitator for the meeting, which lasted about an hour.
“I was sitting in a room with a group of people that have a vested interest in this community,” Blackmon said of the gathering, a follow-up action from the recent letter presented to the City Council from concerned business about the negative image of the city.
That letter, Blackmon said, underscored some concerns that the city already was in process of addressing, but it also served to heighten expectations and showed that the business community was interested in improvements that were being done around the city.
Blackmon provided an update on progress being made in the council’s four priorities of its strategic plan – improving the image of the city, recruitment and retention of employees, safe, affordable housing and revitalization and redevelopment.
“They see that the city is growing and they want to make sure we’re doing it in a way that improves the overall appearance of the community,” Blackmon said of those who attended the meeting.
Projects like the regional water expansion and housing codes are just a couple of current projects. “Those things don’t sound real sexy, but the provide the infrastructure for the growth that we’re about to see happen in the community,” Blackmon said.
In his remarks to the group, Mayor Ellington said he is most interested in his hometown being the best it can be.
“I’m happy to see this traction and momentum,” Ellington said in a follow-up interview with WIZS News on Monday. “The only way to get better is to address them,” he said of concerns from the community, “admit it, and hit them head-on.”
Ellington said one concern he has is code enforcement in housing. The city council’s recent adoption of revised minimum housing code will surely help in a couple of areas of the city’s strategic plan priorities.
Ellington said staff shortages across city departments – from police officers to street maintenance crews – makes a tough situation even more difficult.
Code enforcement is not an easy job, but Ellington said it’s a key component in making progress. “That’s what’s so desperately needed,” he said, adding that he advocates beefing up the code enforcement staff to be able to adequately address violations across the city.
Blackmon said he is pleased to see that business leaders seem to be more interested in what’s happening in the city and are attending council meetings. “I’m very appreciative of seeing involvement” at council meetings.
“It shows me that they care about this community,” Blackmon added.
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The Local Skinny! Ellington, City Leaders Assess Needs During Ride-Around
A contingent of city officials completed a ride-around through a couple of the city’s wards to view for themselves some of the concerns that residents have with the state of some properties in their neighborhoods.
Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington told John C. Rose on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny! that he was among those who hopped in cars and cruised some of the city’s streets in Wards 3 and 4. Code enforcement, he said, must be “at the forefront of our mission.”
Ride-arounds are just one way for city officials to get firsthand accounts of how properties are being maintained – or not maintained, as the case may be.
“I’ve been through these wards myself,” Ellington said, “to see what people are faced with. Just to see it firsthand, we’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said.
The mayor recalled a recent chat he had with a resident, who invited him off her porch to take a short walk.
“We walked down the street and around the corner,” he said, and what he saw was not good.
“A lot of it was gut-wrenching and disappointing,” he said of pockets of neighborhoods that are not maintained properly.
Some folks have beautiful yards and porches, yet “two houses down, they’re falling in, cars in the yard, abandoned.” City residents don’t deserve that kind of inattention, he said.
Others who participated in the ride-around included City Manager Terrell Blackmon, Police Chief Marcus Barrow, Recreation and Parks Director Kendrick Vann and City Attorney Rix Edwards.
The next ride-around will cover Wards 1 and 2, he said. It’s a good way for the city’s residents to be assured that their concerns are being heard and addressed.
“I just want the residents to keep the faith. We’re moving and we’re looking forward to a bright future,” Ellington said.
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Henderson Gets $5.4 Million For Water, Wastewater Projects
An additional $5.4 million is set to flow into the City of Henderson to target drinking water and wastewater projects, most of which will go to fund the Sandy Creek Basin Sewer Rehab project.
The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act and the state Water Infrastructure Authority approved funding for the local projects, according to information from the office of Rep. Terry Garrison, who serves District 32 – Vance, Granville and Warren counties.
In addition to $5 million designated for the Sandy Creek project, two allotments of $200,000 each were awarded to the city to conduct asset inventories and assessment planning for both water and wastewater.
“I am happy to see this critical funding come from the Department of Environmental Quality to Henderson,” Rep. Terry Garrison said. “Clean water is essential for every North Carolinian. This money is going to help Henderson ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe water.”
City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS News Friday that this money will be used to address excess water that flows into sewer pipes from groundwater and stormwater, known as “infiltration and overflow.”
The $5 million is added to $2.5 million, zero interest loan the city got last year from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, Blackmon said.
“The other $400,000 will be used to perform a water study centered around inspecting our water lines…(to) help us better map our system,” he added.
Granville and Warren counties also received chunks of money for improvements to their water systems, Garrison’s office noted.
The City of Oxford got more than $9.5 million to fund sewer system improvements and the South Granville Water and Sewer Authority was awarded $150,000.
Warren County got money for three projects totaling $745,000. The breakdown includes two planning grants: a $189,500 planning grant for a regional elevated storage tank and a $400,000 pre-construction planning grant for the Eatons Ferry sewer extension and $155,500 for the Pleasant Hill pump station replacement.