Henderson City Council outlines bond and infrastructure priorities at two-day strategic retreat

Henderson City Council members spent Feb. 24–25 reviewing the city's strategic plan and compiling a list of near-term priorities and possible municipal bond projects, ranging from cemetery repairs and downtown improvements to sewer system fixes and a new City Hall.

City Manager Hassan T. Kingsberry led the retreat and presented a set of staff priorities and projects identified for attention. Staff and councilmembers listed concrete needs that could be candidates for bond funding or capital planning: cemetery work for Blacknall and Elmwood Cemetery Trust (including a proposed rail fence), downtown water features and redevelopment, an outdoor pavilion, repairs and repaving on Dabney Drive and other streets, pothole remediation, sewer-system problems, stormwater enterprise fund creation, and exploration of a parking deck and downtown hotel.

Councilmembers and staff also discussed operational priorities such as creating a new IT team, cross-training to address an anticipated leadership retirement wave, digitizing human resources records, updating the employee handbook, reviewing code-enforcement ordinances (including abandoned buildings and vehicles), e-waste recycling events, and evaluating options for flexible hours and improved employee benefits.

The retreat contained detailed lists of revenue and funding ideas raised by councilmembers, including the possibility of a local occupancy tax, a local meals or beverages tax, a hotel tax to be considered via local referendum, and maximizing grant or foundation resources (examples discussed included the Cannon Foundation, Pope Foundation, USDA and Golden LEAF). Council also discussed ways to generate revenue via municipal services districts and redevelopment earmarks.

Rather than taking formal votes, the Council agreed to continue advancing the goals outlined in the 2022–2025 Strategic Plan while amending specific objectives where needed. The Council directed City Manager Kingsberry to revise the plan's objectives and present them at a future Council meeting for approval.

The retreat included department-level presentations and attached slides summarizing department goals and needs. Councilmember attendance varied between the two days, and staff participation included department directors across public works, utilities, public safety, recreation, downtown development and finance.

The next procedural step is for City Manager Kingsberry to submit revised objectives to the City Council for formal approval; no formal bond referendums or funding decisions were made at the retreat.