Happenings at Monday’s council meeting


On Monday night the Henderson City Council met for the last time before Tuesday’s municipal election. Some items on the agenda were:

– Mayor Clem Seifert reported on a football community project conducted by Northern Vance High School’s football team in conjunction with the Recreation Department. Recreation players trained with high school players for 90 minutes.

– The 2004 Life Safety Achievement Award was presented by the mayor to Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson and Assistant Fire Chief Bob Lloyd. The award is presented to fire departments that go a year without the loss of life.

– Wilkerson reported that Fire Prevention Week is going on in Henderson. He told the council that the Fire Department would be visiting all Vance County elementary schools, including private schools, to talk about fire safety. He reported that there will be an open house at the Central Fire Station on Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m.

Chief Wilkerson also reminded the council that next Monday the North Carolina Department of Insurance will begin its fire safety rating inspection. The state will send at least one inspector, who will look at such items as the water system, the Fire Department, training, records and the 911 system. He informed the council that the city has a Class 5 rating and that he hopes it will be lowered. A lower rating translates into lower commercial insurance premiums.

– A “corrective” public hearing was held on the David Street project. The hearing was necessary because the advertisements were in error regarding the last scheduled public meeting. No one from the public spoke about the project, and the hearing was closed without comment.

– A public hearing was held regarding the Time Warner Cable franchise renewal. Brad Phillips, a division vice president for public affairs with Time Warner, was present to answer questions. During public comments, Andrea Harris of 340 W. Rockspring St. asked that another public hearing be held once the final version of the agreement becomes available so that the public will have an opportunity to review it. She also asked for assurance that there will be no preferential treatment and that cable will be available to small businesses and in rural areas.

The current draft of the contract calls for Time Warner Cable to offer cable to all potential customers within the corporate limits of Henderson.

Lewis Edwards of 2412 Oxford Road read a prepared letter into the record for the council. In it, he asked that Time Warner be required to broadcast City Council meetings. Later on in the hearing, City Attorney John Zollicoffer noted that there is a provision for a government access channel. Phillips informed the council that the costs for such a channel would have to be paid out of the city franchise fee or passed on to customers. When Seifert suggested that sponsorship be used to shoulder the costs, Phillips informed him that by federal regulation the channel must be set aside for noncommercial operation.

In the end, the matter of the cable contract was referred to the Land Planning and Development Committee for further study. The public hearing was recessed until Oct. 24, the next scheduled council meeting.

– Donna Stearns announced the kickoff of the city’s annual United Way campaign. It will run through Nov. 10.

– Charles Powell, the president of the Corbitt Preservation Society, thanked the council for its help at the dedication ceremony held in mid-September. He requested space on the city’s Web site, informing the council that the Internet is useful in helping former Corbitt employees come forward. He also told the council that he hopes one day to have a self-sustaining museum dedicated to Corbitt.

– The Rev. Todd Hester of Cotton Memorial Presbyterian Church asked the council for a declaration of support toward the formation of a Boys & Girls Club in Henderson.

– Sara Coffey asked the council about the status of a request made by the Old West End Association regarding a speed limit change in that neighborhood to 25 miles per hour from 35 mph. She also complained to the council that a problem with an underground fuel storage tank was making her house smell.

– Sylvia Allyn inquired of the council regarding plans to reopen the old Henderson city landfill. Council member Bernard Alston told her: “There has been no discussion about reopening the landfill.” City documents indicate that the property is not in use.

– Seifert indicated to City Manager Eric Williams that he was disappointed to learn of the hiring of new Finance Director Jessica Brown-Linton from The Daily Dispatch. He stressed to Williams that such information needs to be relayed to the council before being made public.

– Council member Mike Rainey reported that the Human Resources Committee met regarding the duties and role of the city clerk. Among other findings, the committee recommended that the clerk’s office be moved and that the mayor and clerk control and disseminate the agenda. The committee also determined that a Tuesday noon deadline should be in place for items to get on the council’s agenda for the following Monday.

The committee also recommended that the clerk make a request to the council for new recording equipment and that the lock on the city vault should be changed so that the clerk is in possession of the only key.

Council member John Wester raised objections regarding the vault issue and the Tuesday deadline for agenda items, but the council unanimously approved the committee’s recommendations.