May 9, 2011 – Reporter: Leigh Hester
Due to decreasing revenues and rising city costs in fuels and employee health insurance, the City Manager is preparing a proposed budget for the City Council’s review. This “Survival Budget,” as he called it, would potentially raise water rates by 5% and corresponding sewer rates by 5% as well. Currently, sewer rates for customers outside of city limits are significantly higher than in nearby Oxford, and in Warren and Franklin Counties.
Sanitation fees may also rise. They currently account for about 20 cents of the property tax rate.
The water rates and sanitation fees are the only discretionary income sources available to the city to raise funds for essential services such as police, 911, and EMS, as well as Planning, Zoning, and City Administration.
Currently the City budget, which must by law remain balanced, is projected at an $85,000 shortfall.
City Police Chief Keith Sidwell is working to cut ten funded but unfilled positions within the Henderson Police Department in order to raise starting wages as well as increase wages for officers currently working with the city. With neighboring towns able to offer significantly more money, Henderson is losing experienced officers and finding difficulty attracting new officers to fill positions. The change will not require additional budget money from the city but will reduce the number of officers available to Henderson.
In other news, the council voted unanimously to recognize the week of May 8-14 as “Nursing Home Week”, encouraging Henderson residents to visit nursing home residents or send them flowers so that they know they are not forgotten.
Mayor O’Geary also personally presented Davis Chapel Baptist Church with a plaque of recognition for outstanding service to Henderson via their community outreach efforts, including a clothes and food pantry, school supply giveaway, and street clean-up efforts. Reverend Charles Turrentine was unable to attend, but his wife, daughter and two sons were in attendance to accept the plaque.
A big pat on the back to those helping with the ministries out at Davis Chapel! As for the budget, it appears that the city, given the financial insecurities of our entire country, has either hit or close to hitting rock bottom? Anytime I see a figure head use the term “survival” to describe our town’s upcoming fiscal year I am not encouraged. However, I would rather our leaders be upfront than not. We need industry here. Put people to work. Grants are nice, non-profits serve an important role too but Vance County is thirsty for honest to goodness company work. Small business all the way up to major manufacturing. People earning an honest living build morals and develop character that which they pass on to their children which over time would heavily benefit our schools. I could go on and on about this. I will leave it with that snippet of my theory.
Go ahead Mr. Griffin–raise the tax and water rates, etc.–AFTER you reappraise the current value of our homes. I cannot sell even tho I want to leave. Does Mr. Griffin own a home here? If he does I bet he couldn’t get what he paid for it now!
Continue with the current way of doing things in Vance County/Henderson, and you will see the tax base continue to go down. Soon there will be no taxpayers left.
Is it plausible to offer a major tax break as a benefit to lure new industry here? What I am trying to say here is Henderson-Vance needs a package (that can be tweeked depending on the potential client) that they can offer to help make that company decide to plant their flag here. We give them a tax break and they provide our citizens with work? The devil is in the details no doubt. Look at this, we have major highways, plenty of undeveloped land, hotels and eaterys. We even have a gem of a body of water up at the northen end of the county. If we could just get the dollars and cents right, this place could potentially sell itself.
Absolutely agree Mojo Risen — Tax breaks for industry are needed! However, until we limit the Section 8, it may not even matter. I am not saying get rid of it — for those who are going to scream , complain and call names — but limit it. It is too much of Vance County right now and it does result in more crime and less incentive for businesses to want to come here and deal with it (unless they are businesses that cater to that). Also, we must limit the mobile home parks as well.
Betterworld, thank you for the input. I hear that is what Granville County did? Everything has to have limits. If this place ever does get people to work then over time we will not need section 8 housing or at least not as much. Over off Graham Avenue there are apartments on the left if your heading towards Ribeyes down from the church there before you get to Fairway Dr. It is my understanding that some if not all of them are section 8. Keep that in mind and travel in your mind to Wake County where that same looking style of complex is renting of 550.00 a month per apatment. See where I am going with this? If the jobs were there landlords could charge more and have a better tennant to rent to.
I agree with you Mojo
maybe we should compare NC tax rates on business to border states’ tax rates.
the economic environment is unstable for businesses.
they have been hit with more regulations and mandates, and fear more is to come.
until that situation is resolved, they will not hire or expand as they might want to.