Tag Archive for: #towntalk

TownTalk: Gateway CDC April 12 “Social” To Discuss What’s Next For Henderson Revitalization Efforts

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Any type of social gathering is likely to create opportunities for folks to take part in conversations on a variety of topics and to share their unique and collective perspectives. Heather Joi Kenney, president and CEO of Gateway CDC in Henderson, wants the entire community to come out to what she’s calling a community social on April 12.

Southern Charm Event Venue is the gathering spot, and Kenney said on TownTalk that the social will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“We’re hoping to see everyone come out and talk about Henderson,” Kenney said. Of course, it’s always good to hear what’s great about a community, but Kenney said it’s important to know what’s not so great, too. If the community can observe problems and look at them as opportunities to improve, that’s half the battle.

Kenney is a real “glass half full” person, and she and her organization are interested in revitalization – of properties, of mindsets, of attitudes – that have a real impact on Henderson and its future.

“The Henderson Vision” is one tangible facet of this revitalization. Established through $25,000 in grant funds from Duke Energy’s Hometown Revitalization program, Gateway was able to help downtown businesses with microgrants to pay for façade improvements, as well as some interior renovations, Kenney said.

That money is long gone, but Kenney said she expects more money will be coming in, through grantors like Duke Energy, but also from local government support and from collaboration with other community partners.

Downtown revitalization has been a recent focus, but Kenney said it’s important to include areas near the city’s heart as well – William Street, Chestnut Street, as well as areas like Flint Hill and West End.

“We are working to raise some more funds so we can help additional businesses,” she said.

Kenney challenged city and county officials – as well as absentee landlords – to step up to show support for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

“It’s important to get our act together…when we support these businesses, it shows them that we care.”

She applauds local governments for the support they’ve given. “They are doing great work,” but she’d like to see them give “a little bit more” in more tangible ways to promote building ownership and pride in the community.

Gateway’s Small Business Development program helps aspiring entrepreneurs and existing small business owners learn about and access resources that could prove helpful to them.

Providing support and a desirable atmosphere to encourage small business owners goes a long way toward giving the community places to eat, shop and relax. But it also is a way to attract visitors. Visitors, tourists and guests who spend money here, adding to the local tax coffers.

“Henderson IS the destination,” Kenney said, an upbeat note in her voice. “We just have to make sure that other folks know that as well.”

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TownTalk: Bailey Is A Downtown Champion

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Maria Bailey is a champion for downtown Henderson. Folks who work, visit and shop in the downtown area no doubt enjoy the result of countless hours she has spent to make the heart of the city more beautiful. Whether serving on boards and committees or getting out and volunteering, Bailey is dedicated to making her community better.

She was recognized for her efforts at the recent statewide Main Street Conference with an official designation of North Carolina Main Street Champion. She is the first person from Henderson to receive this honor.

Downtown Development Director Tracy Madigan, along with City Manager Terrell Blackmon and Mayor Eddie Ellington, issued a joint press release announcing Bailey’s award, presented during the annual conference held in Statesville Mar. 13-17.

She said Monday she didn’t really know what was going to happen at the conference – all she knew was that she and a friend visiting for Bailey’s birthday left early for Statesville to arrive in time to receive the award.

Back in 2014, Bailey accepted an invitation to join the board of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission. Once on the downtown design committee, she zeroed in on the parking lot beside Sadie’s Coffee Corner and said, “I’d like to design that parking lot and see if we can do something with it,” Bailey recalled on Monday’s TownTalk. There were about a dozen Bradford pears languishing in planters and buckling the nearby sidewalk, and branches were known to fall on parked cars. It was a mess.

Bailey described the collaboration required for the project. Vance-Granville Community College created a 3D rendering. The city agreed to remove trees and replace damaged sidewalks. Civic groups donated money. Schoolchildren helped create the mural on the side of the building.  And Bailey may have been the energy behind the project – planning, designing, raising money, getting volunteers to help keep the garden beds planted and weeded – but she also wanted to create sustainability.

For her, involving young people was the key ingredient. She wanted to schedule different youth groups to come once a month for a botany lesson before turning their new-found knowledge into action by cleaning the gardens, removing weeds and trash.

“The main idea with youth groups was to get them involved,” Bailey said, which means they’re “more likely to stay in Henderson and do other things to make Henderson better.”

Young adults seem to have turned their attention to the leisurely vibe in downtown areas, whether it’s strolling the sidewalks to visit shops or enjoying the slower pace often not experienced in shopping malls.

“As we’re building businesses, little stores are opening,” Bailey said. “A lot of young people are coming in and starting these businesses.”

Bailey was recognized for her commitment to downtown improvements and developing a strong community. Along with the other Champion award recipients, she was honored for contributions to the Main Street program and to downtown. She has been a volunteer and served downtown Henderson for many years.

Over the years, Bailey has been instrumental in getting volunteers to take part in downtown beautification projects. In the past five years she has personally contributed more volunteer hours to downtown than any other volunteer.

The North Carolina conference is recognized as the largest Main Street conference in the country. The Champions Recognition Ceremony celebrated the 2022 Honor Roll of Main Street Champions took place in the Statesville Civic Center in the historic downtown.

Liz Parham, director of the N.C. Main Street & Rural Planning Center at the N.C. Department of Commerce, issued a welcome to the invitation-only group of several hundred in attendance.

“Main Street Champions are the key to success in downtown revitalization,” Parham stated. “They possess courage to move downtown forward; they fight for positive change and do that with creativity and innovation; and they actively get things done, while staying focused on the downtown’s economic development strategies.”

According to Kenny Flowers, assistant secretary of Rural Economic Development at the N.C. Department of Commerce, “There are three common elements that are found in successful communities.  These elements are asset based economic development strategies, public and private partnerships, and local champions.”

Keynote speaker for the event was N.C. Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker-Sanders, who spoke of growing up in small town North Carolina. The downtown area was the focal point of the community, she said. She cited the national trend of towns and cities revitalizing their downtowns and how once again they are serving as the center for community activities.

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TownTalk: The History Of Montmorenci

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Montmorenci is the name of a plantation home in Warren County that was, by all accounts, over-the-top. It had the basics that many homes of the day had – porches, staircases, mantels. But skilled artisans – probably enslaved members of the Williams family – created lavish features that were admired by many, near and far.

One of those admirers was Henry Francis Du Pont, who bought the mantels, façade and that fabulous freestanding circular staircase when the home was being deconstructed in the early 1900’s for his own home, Winterthur.

Visitors to the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Delaware can see that gravity-defying staircase, two of the mantels and the façade, according to Carrie Greif, the museum’s estate historian.

Greif spoke with Bill Harris and co-host Mark Pace on the tri-weekly history segment of TownTalk about how pieces of a Warren County home came to be part of the Du Pont estate, a 175-room mansion-turned museum that houses more than 90,000 examples of American decorative art.

Montmorenci was located on what is now known as Lickskillet Road, the home of William “Pretty Boy” Williams. It was truly a remarkable example of the Federal style, Pace said, which was so popular in the Warren County, Halifax and Roanoke Valley area between 1810 and, say, 1850.

The mantels weren’t just constructed to be put in front of fireplaces; one had the Battle of Lake Erie carved into it; the porch wasn’t just where people could get out of the weather on their way into the home, it went all the way across the front of the house. And that staircase? It wasn’t just a way to get from one floor to another – it was a freestanding, spiral case that was a focal point of the interior.

“The staircase is a focal point for visitors at Winterthur,” Greif said, but it bears little resemblance to how it was installed at Montmorenci. And when workers were taking it apart to prepare it for the trip to its new home, they learned about how it was originally installed, she said.

But just how did a piece of architecture from North Carolina catch the attention of a wealthy Delaware industrialist?

To be sure, Montmorenci was a noteworthy house in its day; and there was one particular collector who contacted one of Du Pont’s entourage that set the deal in motion. She bought it for $6,300 and sold it to Du Pont for $12,000.

Greif said the staircase has a “unique vernacular expression” and displays a balance of ornamentation and historic significance. She posits that enslaved artisans owned by Williams created the staircase.

She said the staircase was sold in 1930, and the additional items were purchased later when it was discovered that more wood – yellow pine – was needed to complete the installation.

Pace said the house was built in 1820, one of five associated with the Williams family. And it was gone by the 1940s, shortly after all the interior architecture was removed.

“It just wasn’t around for very long,” he added. But several key parts remain. In a museum in Delaware.

Visit https://www.winterthur.org/ to learn more and to see a photograph of the Montmorenci staircase.

 

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TownTalk: Pickin’ And Grinnin’ At MerleFest

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The musicians who play at MerleFest cut across many genres, but when they take the stage at the annual music festival up in Wilkes County, North Carolina next month, they will all fall into the category that Doc Watson called “traditional ‘plus.’”

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the festival, which grew from a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College to an iconic event that attracts big-time audiences and big-time musicians. Musicians and music-lovers will travel to Wilkesboro for the festival, which takes place April 27-30.

Wes Whitson joined Bill Harris on Wednesday’s TownTalk to talk about the upcoming festival and how things have been going during his first year of directing the event.

“I’m having a ton of fun here behind the scenes,” Whitson said.

“We always like to bring something for everybody at MerleFest,” he said, adding that legendary musician Doc Watson’s idea of “traditional ‘plus’” is always top of mind when making decisions on which musicians to book.

The event’s website describes the music that MerleFest is known for as “a unique mix of music based on the traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music, and expanded to include Americana, country, blues, rock and many other styles.”

So whether you like Tanya Tucker or Nickel Creek, Little Feat or the Avett Brothers, you’re in for a treat this year. These are just a few of the performers scheduled for the 2023 edition of MerleFest.

“Doc (Watson) would have been 100 this year,” Whitson noted, and predicts that there will be several renditions of Doc’s tunes filling the air on one of the dozen stages at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro.

Visit merlefest.org or call 800.343.7857 for details on tickets, day passes and to see the complete lineup of more than 90 artists who are scheduled to perform.

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TownTalk: Henderson Rotary Scholarships For High School Seniors In Vance County

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The Henderson Rotary Club invites high school seniors in Vance County to apply for one of three $2,500 scholarships that will be awarded in mid-May.

Seniors, take note: spend a few minutes filling out a little background information and then focus on the all-important essay. The application package is due no later than 12 noon on Friday, May 5 and can be dropped off or emailed to D. Rix Edwards, who is overseeing the scholarship process for the local club.

High school seniors interested in taking part should contact their guidance counselors or other school administrators to get details; home schoolers also are welcome to submit applications, Edwards said.

Rotary Clubs across the world adhere to the motto “Service Above Self” and that is the focus of the essay, said Edwards, who joined John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

Specifically, the question reads: “How is the motto of the Rotary Club, ‘Service above Self,’ evident in your life, and how will you continue to uphold this motto through college and beyond?”

The essay should include the applicant’s interpretation of the motto, as well as specific examples that demonstrate how he or she already has put service before self and how they plan to continue do so in the future.

There is no minimum or maximum length for the essay, but Edwards said clarity of writing, good spelling and punctuation are critical components.

A panel of Rotary Club members will review the essays and will select the three winners, Edwards said.

“I gather all the applications and redact names, school names – anything that could be used as a personal identifier,” Edwards explained, “to ensure there is no preference or appearance of preference given to anyone” and to have all applicants on a level playing field.

The Henderson Rotary Club celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, and it prides itself in being a good community partner. The club sponsors a raffle during the annual Show, Shine, Shag and Dine festival each year, which serves as a major fundraiser for programs, including the scholarships.

Edwards invites anyone interested in learning more about Rotary to contact him at 252.438.4134. The group meets each Tuesday at 6 p.m. for dinner at the Henderson Country Club. The current president is Greg Etheridge of Gupton Services.

The scholarship applications can be emailed to redwards@sszlaw.net,mailed or delivered to Edwards’s law office, Stainback, Satterwhite & Zollicoffer, PLLC, 115 N. Garnett St., Henderson, NC 27536.

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TownTalk: Versatrim To Hold Job Fair Saturday

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Versatrim, a manufacturer of various moldings for residential installation, is sponsoring a job fair this Saturday, Mar. 25 at their facility on Eastern Minerals Road, located just off U.S. 1, south of Henderson.

The job fair will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to company representatives who spoke Monday with John C. Rose on TownTalk. There will be onsite tours of the warehouse and customer service areas, which help prospective employees get a feel for the manufacturing facility, Brandi Parker, interim human resources manager, said.

Although Versatrim participates in job fairs sponsored by other groups like NC Works, Saturday’s onsite job fair is a first, Parker said.

People will “have the opportunity to come and see what Versatrim does,” agreed Viridiana Badillo, human resources assistant.

All of the 12 positions that Versatrim currently has available are full-time positions – that means a 40-hour workweek, with full benefits package including medical, dental and vision insurance.

In addition, Versatrim offers a couple of extras at no cost to the employee – $25,000 life insurance, and teledoc services that include urgent care and mental health services.

Parker said she’s proud of the employee development opportunities that the company has initiated; various community entities have come out to share information about such things as nutrition, fitness, homebuying and the importance of getting a GED.

“This is more than just where you come to work,” Parker said. Versatrim’s “team” concept provides support for employees, she said. They fully expect to double or triple their growth over the next few years, Parker added.

There are two shifts at the facility, and when all the lines are running, they can produce 10,000 pieces of molding each day.

Most of the open positions are for first-shift, which uses more workers than the second shift. The shifts can range from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., depending on the station.

Versatrim prioritizes quality, Badillo said. There are quality control checks throughout the manufacturing process, even “once it’s wrapped and ready to go out the door,” she said. “We take quality very serious here.”

Call 888.292.1146 to learn more or visit https://versatrim.com/ to learn more about employment opportunities and the Versatrim products.

 

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First Methodist Church

TownTalk: Addressing Food Insecurities

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A planning session will be held Tuesday, Mar. 21 in the fellowship hall of First United Methodist Church to discuss the upcoming Community Day of Service. Brian Daniel invites anyone interested in participating in the April 22 event to come to the planning meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the fellowship hall of First United Methodist Church, and the actual Day of Service will be held at South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church on Americal Road in April.

As it did back in January 2020, the 2023 Community Day of Giving will focus on food insecurity. Teams of volunteers will package a non-perishable mix of highly nutritious foods for Rise Against Hunger, an organization that sends across the world to help those in need.

Among the topics for discussion on Tuesday are volunteer shifts, numbers of volunteers needed and team fundraising, according to Daniel.

In 2020, more than 600 volunteers from 14 churches and various businesses and organizations in the community were responsible for making 63,000 meals that were then boxed up and sent to countries all over the world. Because of the strong turnout, the teams exceeded the day’s goal of 50,000 meals.

But the event also collected a large trailer load of food for ACTS of Henderson, which helped to feed hungry people right here in the community.

Teams will work between now and April 22 to raise money to defray food costs for Rise Against Hunger, as well as collect food and money for ACTS.

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TownTalk: Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day And Stay Safe

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St. Patrick’s Day has evolved from a religious holiday to a day of festivities and everything Irish. Revelers need not have ancestors from County Cork to enjoy all the fun and merriment that surrounds this holiday, and it’s a time when leprechauns, green beer and corned beef and cabbage take center stage.

Whether you choose to celebrate in family-friendly activities like Friday afternoon’s Shamrocks on Breckenridge event or in other ways, the State Highway Patrol wants to remind drivers to never drink and drive.

Law enforcement agencies statewide are increasing patrols to keep impaired drivers off the roads during the St. Patrick’s Day and through the weekend during a “Booze It & Lose It” enforcement campaign.

“St. Patrick’s Day is well established as a time for celebration, but people should do so responsibly,” said Mark Ezzell, director of the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program. “Never get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking alcohol. Drinking and driving can be deadly. Have a plan to get home safely so you don’t risk seriously injuring or killing yourself or someone else.”

During last year’s weeklong observation of St. Patrick’s Day, 225 alcohol-related crashes resulting in 11 deaths occurred on North Carolina roads.

“The most tragic thing about these deaths is that all of them could have been prevented and their impacts avoided, if people would just do their parts by planning ahead and ensuring they celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day responsibly,” said Col. Freddy Johnson, Jr., commander of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

 

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TownTalk: Inaugural Awards Honors Black-Owned Businesses, Nonprofits

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Entrepreneurship is a big word that certainly has gained traction and popularity in recent years in the business community. It’s not a new concept, though, and it’s something that many small business owners have experience with.

More than a dozen Black-owned businesses – many of which started small and have grown over time – were recognized for their contributions to the community during the inaugural Black Business & Non-Profit Organization Award Ceremony held in Henderson recently.

The luncheon event was the result of a partnership with Vance-Granville Community College and Gateway Community Development Corporation, and hosted the luncheon event at Southern Charm Event Center, which also happened to be one of the award winners during the Feb. 23 ceremony.

Dr. Jerry Edmonds, VGCC vice president of workforce & community engagement and Heather Joi Kenney, president and founder of Gateway CDC, joined John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk and offered their thoughts on the first of what they predict will become an annual event.

Edmonds and Kenney served as co-moderators for the awards ceremony. Throughout planning for the awards luncheon, Edmonds said Wednesday that the shared vision came to fruition.

“The event itself was well attended,” Edmonds said. “I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.” Not only Black-owned businesses were in attendance, but people across all demographics was what the organizers had in mind.

This ceremony focused on Vance County, but the idea is to rotate among the four counties that VGCC serves. Granville County, most likely, will be the focus of next year’s event, he said.

From left: Dr. Jerry Edmonds, Vice President of Workforce & Community Engagement at Vance-Granville Community College; Mary Davis Royster, owner of Davis-Royster Funeral Service, Inc.; Paul Crews Jr., director’s assistant at Davis-Royster Funeral Service, Inc.; and Heather Joi Kenney, president and CEO of Gateway CDC.

“We expect a large list of awardees worthy of this recognition,” Edmonds said.

The overwhelming response from this year’s honorees was one of gratitude, Edmonds and Kenney agreed.

“There was a lot of gratitude in their responses,” Kenney said, adding that this was the first time that many had been recognized in such an important way – being “seen” by the larger community for contributions was part of the purpose, she said.

Several awardees counted this award as one of the most significant accomplishments of their careers, Edmonds added.

This event is indicative of the many ways that VGCC and Gateway CDC work together to support small business, and, in this case, Black-owned businesses and nonprofits.

VGCC’s Small Business Center offers individual counseling, seminars and access to a resource center to support existing business owners and those who are testing the waters of entrepreneurship. Visit www.vgcc.edu/coned/small-business-center/ to learn more.

Similarly, Gateway CDC has a host of resources, including providing technical support for small business owners.

Kenney said the goal is to help people launch their business successfully and to make that business sustainable.

“We want to be known as a space where you can come and be supported,” she said. “We are working diligently to make sure all those resources are aligned and thoughtful.”

Find out more at thegatewaycdc.org/, call 252.492.6298 or email community@thegatewaycdc.org.

One award winner was Southern Charm Event Center, which just opened its doors in July 2022. It’s already made a big impression in downtown Henderson, and was the location for the awards luncheon.

“As a new business owner in Henderson, I was honored not only to be recognized but also in having the privilege to be amongst Black-owned businesses that have been operating in our community for years,” said Shanika Ragland, owner of Southern Charm. “The highest reward I received that day was watching everyone gather in a space that we created.”

Twelve award winners were recognized across three categories:

  • Legacy: institutions which have been in operation at least 10 years but often much longer;
  • Established, those in operation 5–10 years; and
  • New Start, organizations which are less than 5 years old.

The atmosphere was one of celebration and camaraderie as friends and neighbors gathered to reflect on the hard work behind each organization. Some honorees displayed visible emotion during their acceptance speeches. Chalis S. Henderson, executive director of Turning Point CDC, was moved to tears as she accepted the Legacy award; it was her parents’ vision that led to the creation of Turning Point and its founding church, Oasis of Hope Ministries.

“The ceremony was a beautiful reminder of the great impact Black-owned businesses and Black-led nonprofits have on our region,” Henderson said afterward. “There was a resounding commitment to continue to serve our communities with the same strength and love that the organizations were founded on decades ago.”

Black-owned organizations still face unique obstacles to their success. State Farm Insurance agent Margier White, who received the Established award, acknowledged those challenges as she spoke at the event. Even so, she chooses to focus on the potential of the future rather than the struggles of the past.

“Receiving this award has filled me with pride, and I am grateful that my business was recognized and honored in this way,” said White. “This is one of the most significant events of my professional career.”

Sandra Wilkerson, president of Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, was among those in attendance. “The Chamber of Commerce is a huge supporter of small business, so it was an honor and privilege to attend this award ceremony,” she said. “Hearing the accomplishments of these business owners and knowing the impact and contributions they have all made to our community makes us work harder to support and partner with them.” VGCC has a long-standing history of supporting small local businesses. During the 2020-2021 academic year, VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais took the Presidents for Entrepreneurship Pledge through the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE); this pledge includes specific action steps to advance entrepreneurship and create jobs across the country. The college was so successful in these entrepreneurial initiatives that NACCE named it the Heather Van Sickle Entrepreneurial College of the Year in October 2022.

2023 HONORED ORGANIZATIONS 

Legacy

  • Beckford Medical Center
  • Davis-Royster Funeral Service
  • Fogg’s Exxon
  • Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity
  • Fred’s Towing
  • Gang Free, Inc.
  • Ruth’s Beauty World
  • Tegarris Associates Realty
  • Turning Point CDC

 

Established

  • Green Rural Redevelopment Organization (GRRO)
  • Margier White – State Farm Insurance Agency

 

New Start

  • Southern Charm Event Center

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TownTalk: Henderson City Council Meeting

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The Henderson City Council approved a couple of requests aimed at giving local law enforcements more money in their pockets and an additional tool to help them in their job of keeping the city safe.

Chief Marcus Barrow said the police department is allotted 52 sworn law enforcement positions, but it currently has about a dozen vacancies. In two separate requests, Barrow asked Council members to take the equivalent of one police officer’s salary – $66,000 – and use it to place 25 camera-like devices across the city that can read license plates.

Barrow, along with city staff, want to take some of that unused money from the “salary” category and put it to work to help the current officers who patrol the city’s streets and neighborhoods.

The license plate readers, or LPRs, are small and only weigh about 3 pounds but they can have a powerful impact. Police can enter license plate information into the system and the LPR will “look” for matching tags. Whether it’s a stolen vehicle or a vehicle associated in other criminal activity, the LPR can help police narrow down searches.

Flock Safety will provide 25 license plate readers for the police department to use, and will in essence, take the place of one law enforcement officer.

Numerous nearby municipalities are already using Flock Safety or have contracted
with them for deployment in the near future. Local law enforcement is in constant contact with those agencies to help solve crimes that travel through various jurisdictions.

To drive home the point, Barrow said the use of LPRs in Durham helped provide information that proved useful in the arrests of three people in connection with the deaths of two men found in a car on Gholson Avenue last month. One of the suspects is from Durham, Barrow said.

It’s one way that the police department can work smarter, not harder, during times when agencies continue to experience vacancies, with little interest from prospective employees.

“Filling positions has become increasingly difficult, and law enforcement agencies
across the nation are seeking alternative solutions to supplement their shortages with technology and tools to assist their workforce,” states information from the council’s agenda packet.

But additional technology isn’t the only thing that Barrow is asking council members to consider: the council also approved a request to bump up salaries by more than $6,000 for current sworm officers as a way to make the base pay more competitive with nearby agencies.

The city raised the base pay a couple of years ago, and Barrow said that helped retention rates tremendously. But now, surrounding agencies are upping their game and implementing pay adjustments of their own.

“We are just past the midterm of our fiscal year and anticipate a $400,000 to $500,000 surplus in our approved salaries, wages and benefits. With most agencies in the Wake County area at a $50,000 starting salary, and comparable sized agencies at or near this mark, it is necessary that we develop a salary adjustment that will align with the market trend to help with officer retention and recruitment,” Barrow stated in remarks to council.

The salary adjustment of $6,456 for each sworn employee brings the hiring salary for an entry-level sworn officer to $48,959 – just shy of Wake County agencies, but more in line with neighboring counties’ pay rates.

Barrow said he surveyed 25 nearby agencies and only Louisburg Police Department is lower than Henderson’s. He wouldn’t expect to be able to compete with a Cary or a Wake Forest, he said, but the $6,456 boost will help the local department compete with similar-sized agencies.

“If nothing is done, we expect shortages to continue and retention efforts to dwindle as competing agencies further the gap,” Barrow reported.
If implemented this month, March the total cost, including benefits but not
including the pending retirement of a Lieutenant in March or April, is approximately $102,000. In FY 23-24, the total increase would be $315,000 in the Salary/Wage line item.

 

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