Editor’s Note: “The City of Henderson and The City Council and Staff” TownTalk broadcast was added June 11 just below. Click Play to listen. The written report of the City’s emergency meeting follows the audio and was posted June 10, 2026.
When the Henderson City Council met Wednesday to hold an emergency meeting, it took formal action regarding the city manager’s employment, and that action came in three parts based ultimately on three separate motions made by Mayor Pro Tem Tami Walker.
The employment contract for City Manager Paylor Spruill was terminated. Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department Director Kendrick Vann, who has been an assistant to the city manager, was made interim city manager until the city can find a permanent manager. The assistant to the city manager position that Vann had been occupying was eliminated.
With all eight members of the City Council present, the board took action to, as City Attorney Dan Hertzog put it, memorialize the action which stemmed from Monday night’s closed session.
In the matter of ending Spruill’s contract, the council voted 4 to 4, with the tie broken by Mayor Melissa Elliott to end the contract. Similarly, the council voted 4 to 4 to appoint Vann as the interim manager, with Mayor Elliott casting the tie breaking vote in favor of Vann holding the position. As to the matter of Vann’s previous position of assistant to the city manager, the vote was unanimous to eliminate the position.
Overall, the proceedings were necessarily formal to protect the release of any personnel information. It also became necessary for the council to go into a closed session for about 20 minutes.
The net result of the meeting is virtually the same as what members of the community have been talking about for several days.
Voting for Walker’s motion to end Spruill’s contract, which was seconded by Geraldine Champion, were Champion, Michael Venable, Catherine Gill and Walker. Voting against the motion to end Spruill’s contract were Sam Seifert, Kenia Gomez-Jimenez, Lamont Noel and Garry Daeke.
Voting for Walker’s motion to appoint Vann as interim manager until a permanent manager is selected, which was seconded by Venable, included Champion, Venable, Gill and Walker. Voting against the motion to appoint Vann as interim manager were Gomez-Jimenez, Noel, Seifert and Daeke.
To open the proceedings, Hertzog said, “So at the last meeting we had a closed session discussion, which I cannot reveal the closed session discussion, but pursuant to general statute … any final action on a personnel matter needs to be taken in open session.
“So we will need to vote consistent … with the board’s discussion on Monday night. That needs to be memorialized in a vote in open session. So that’s why we’re here today.”
The council went through the necessary steps to get its wording right and to hear and vote on the correct motions to accomplish the task at hand, which at one point included withdrawing a single, initial motion and breaking it into three parts so the result was clean and clear.
Click Play if you would like to hear more WIZS Radio coverage of the City Council and the budget from before the meeting.
