Henderson council approves consent agenda including tax releases and two public-safety grants

At its Oct. 9, 2023 meeting, the Henderson City Council approved a consent agenda that included tax releases/refunds for July and August 2023 and acceptance of two federal grant awards for public-safety equipment.

Finance Director Joey Fuqua presented the July tax items showing real and personal property releases billed in error totaling $6,076.65, gap-bill discoveries of $3,950.90, and city discoveries of $292,737.00, for a July total of $302,764.55. For August, Fuqua reported real and personal property releases of $40,338.94, gap-bill discoveries of $507.00, gap-bill releases of $363.74, and city discoveries of $1,763.08, totaling $42,972.76. The minutes state these items were reviewed by the Finance Director and included in the consent agenda for council approval.

Also on the consent agenda, the council accepted a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) award totaling $36,359 to fund downtown camera systems; the grant is shared with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, which will receive $13,373, while the City of Henderson will use $22,986 for downtown cameras (Reference: CAF 23-62, Resolution 23-34, Ordinance 23-21). The council also accepted a Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program award for the Henderson Police Department covering up to 50% of ballistic vest costs (up to $9,051) (Reference: CAF 23-64, Resolution 23-35).

Councilmember Melissa Elliott moved to approve the consent agenda; Councilmember Marion B. Williams seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The minutes do not record individual roll-call votes for the consent items.

The minutes do not record immediate contract awards, vendor names for the camera systems, or a procurement timeline; departments responsible for implementation are the Police Department and Development Services/Finance for camera procurement and vest purchases.