Michael Bobbitt: Notes From The Peanut Gallery (COH January 13th, 2014)


The first city council meeting of 2014 was recorded and posted on HomeInHenderson (HiH).  Many HiH readers have expressed an interest in listening to city council meetings in their leisure as they do with the Board of Commissioners’ meetings.  Listeners of county meetings will notice a difference in the council meetings; a difference evident in the meeting packets posted on HiH.  The format of the city council meeting is more formal, less reliant on one individual, and responsive to citizen input.  

Editors Note – You may listen to the audio from the January 13th, 2014 meeting here:  http://homeinhenderson.com/2014/01/15/news/city-business/audio-city-of-henderson-city-council-meeting-from-january-13-2014/

Presentations and Recognitions

Following routine preliminaries the mayor and council extended a public congratulation to two retiring city employees, Patricia Jackson and Ray Taylor plus recognition of the new chief of police, Marcus Barrow.  Mr. Taylor’s exclamation after unwrapping a gift blanket was a pleasant surprise; there must be a story behind that gift.  I have noticed that neither government bodies nor the media has a photographer assigned to memorialize these presentations with a photograph.  I wonder if in some accountant’s view photographing of recognitions ceremonies is an avoidable expense. 

Public Hearing

This agenda topic was intended for the public to voice their enthusiasm or disgust of the Planning Board’s recommendation that will require a business to have the same name on all city issued permits and certificates.  Apparently no citizen felt a need to voice their approval or opposition to this new ordinance.  Erris Dunston said this ordinance is needed to improve the code enforcement process.  The ordinance will require a business owner(s)’ to change the owner’s name on all permits or certifications when an ownership change occurs.  Apparently some businesses frequently change ownership among a number of people.  These nefarious businesses file the new name on only one permit because there was no requirement to change it on all permits.  When code violations do occur attempting to notify the owner is thwarted by the “ownership” changes.  Councilman Kearny stumbled onto the 80 – 20 rule as he appeared to be seeking a reason to prevent approval this ordinance.  In answer to one of Councilman Kearny’s many questions, Ms. Dunston’s basically said a small number of businesses are causing the bulk of the code enforcement issues.  Adding that approval of the ordinance will improve the code enforcement process.

New Business

Generally, acceptance of the auditor’s report has been dreaded, not this year.  Kathy Bradford announced that the report was without a letter, qualification, for the first time in ten years and was one time.  Curtis Averette, the outside auditor, concurred saying the audit report was filed on time without any drama.  Drama is a word missing in the auditor lexicon.  A round of applause was due Ms. Bradford and her team for those two big accomplishments plus resolving the previous year’s findings, it didn’t happen. 

Construction of The Oprey House, also known as Embassy Center, is expected to begin soon depending on weather.  Before construction can begin parking lot issues had to be resolved.  Without a whimper the council approved inconveniencing library patrons over Variety Wholesaler employees many who live outside the county.  To compensate the library patrons the developers will plant some grass and maybe a bush. 

The city agreed without Councilman Deake’s approval to sell the city’s interest in a house jointly owned by the city and county.  The property was acquired by the two governments at tax foreclosure sale.  The county found a buyer for the house and needs the city to release its ownership in the house.  In exchange the city is rewarded a percentage of the $2,500 sale price, 5% of the taxes due on the property, and zero dollars in the outstanding liens.  Councilman Deake objected to the sale saying, “this property is going to be bought up cheaply and fixed up cheaply and returned to the rental market.  I hate to put up with that.”

Work Session

Seems like a strange name for this segment of the meeting, sort of implies what came before was not work.  Tom Spain’s off the script comment about the drivers who pick up the dumpsters was a highlight of his presentation.  Mr. Spain in his customary presentation style was explaining details for the changes to the contract.  He mentioned a manhole cover over a caustic chemical, a short length of a 30” pipe then he mentioned the need to buy two (2) new dumpsters and to erect a barrier protecting the dumpsters.  Mr. Spain dryly said, “A certain company that picks up our dumpsters does not have drivers with the most finesse.  They will tear a dumpster all to pieces.”  He added that the barrier “…will make it so the driver can hit the dumpster going only so fast.” 

Before the work session could begin a woman in a red coat stood and command the council’s attention.  Her chronological seniority overruled procedural protocol allowing her to state her complaint without the customary recognition and meeting place holder.  Her issues were traffic, especially at the Beckford Drive -Graham Ave and Dabney intersection.  An intersection most likely designed to favor the collision repair business and lawyers.