City Council member Mike Rainey brought the idea of selling the Municipal Building off the back burner Monday night.
The city spent more than $4,000 last year for an architect to make preliminary plans for transforming the Operations & Service Center into a building that could house the entire city government. After the presentation, those plans went nowhere.
The idea was that consolidating operations would reduce the city’s overhead and allow it to make some money by selling the Municipal Building, which originally was a hospital.
“My thinking in that goes back to what it was before,” Rainey said, “the cost involved in having everything under one roof.”
Those savings could be particularly important in a budget that figures to be extra-tight to free money for boosting the fund balance.
Rainey did not address the sale of the Municipal Building, only the reduction of city overhead.
Council member Elissa Yount said the city shouldn’t limit itself to the Operations & Service Center. There’s extra space in the police station if the rest of the municipal government needs it, she said.
“I think that would cut our expenses tremendously,” Yount said. “I think it’s a great idea.”
Rainey did not call for action Monday night but wants to put city consolidation back in play.
Also Monday night, at a meeting Harriette Butler had to miss:
* The City Council told City Attorney John Zollicoffer to make sure Franklin County understands that it has the responsibility to solve the problem of four homes served by water from Henderson that were thought to be in Franklin but might wind up in Wake County. “If they really are Franklin County residents and they want to call themselves Wake County residents, then they need to pay what it costs them to do that,” council member Bernard Alston said, “and if that includes digging wells, then they need to dig a well.”
* Mayor Clem Seifert said he will not shave his head again to benefit Relay for Life, but the city government team still hopes to top the $5,500 it raised last year. The team name this year is Hope Floats, with the theme “Hope Floats for a cure.” Playing off the name, the city team will sell balloons that will be released at the start of Relay in June and will carry the names of cancer fighters skyward.
* The council unanimously approved four previously discussed budget amendments to close out the Dorsey Avenue widening project, reimburse the Code Compliance Department for the cost of a voluntary home demolition, disburse insurance proceeds from the death of the water plant’s generator in the fall, and keep the Board of Elections running through the end of June.
* Jerry Chesson again couldn’t make it to a council meeting for a public hearing on rezoning 0.84 acre at the corner of West Andrews Avenue and Beckford Drive from high-density residential to highway commercial. The council tabled the hearing and Southeastern Shelter Corp.’s request until the next council meeting April 11.
* The City Council gave its final approval, without opposition, to the sale of a 0.42-acre triangular tract by the Operations & Service Center on Beckford Drive to Schewel Furniture for $95,000, with $5,000 of that going to real estate agent Mike Garrett. The city advertised for higher bids to upset the agreement but found none. Schewel plans to combine the city tract and five others to create a lot big enough for a new furniture store.
* Cliff Rogers and James Green told the council about the work of the Vance County Coalition Against Violence and the associated, unnamed umbrella working group on crime-related issues. Rogers put the council on notice that one or both groups will be back to ask for money to pay for a grant writer.
* The council voted 7-0 to send local legislation to the General Assembly that would allow Henderson to create an ordinance on a maintenance code for nonresidential buildings. The council did not discuss what the maintenance code would cover or who would enforce it.
* Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson submitted a report on burned-out homes in the city, at the request of Yount. The Fire Department located and photographed 14 such houses, four of which burned long enough ago that the Fire Department couldn’t pinpoint the date. Three of the burned houses are in one block on Alexander Avenue. “If a burned house looked as if it was being repaired, they didn’t list it,” Wilkerson said. His report was referred to the Land Planning and Development Committee.
* Alston reported progress by the special committee that is reviewing City Manager Eric Williams’ contract and the process for his performance appraisal. The key change, Alston said, is that the manager will face quarterly appraisals, one of which will be his annual review, rather than one annual evaluation. Alston said that appraisal process should begin in early April.ringtones customer alltelringtone for phone alltel lgringtone amanda ghost motorolascp 200 ringtone sanyoringtone 28th cingularqualcomm ringtone cdma 3g5300 free sprint sanyo ringtone8600 verizon ringtone audiovox Map