Hendersonville board adopts rule letting three officers jointly cancel meetings; summer cancellations approved

On second reading April 14, the Hendersonville Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved Ordinance 2026-04, which establishes a limited procedure for cancelling or postponing regular meetings. Under the ordinance the authority to cancel would rest with agreement among three specific officers rather than a unilateral decision by the mayor; as discussed at the meeting the three officers named include the mayor, the vice mayor and the capital projects committee chair.

"This would mean that the three of us would have to come to agreement to decide with cause to cancel a meeting," a speaker described during the ordinance discussion. That explanation framed the ordinance as a procedural fix following the temporary arrangements used during the COVID period and a recent ice storm, when the presiding officer said email notice was used but the legal authority to cancel was unclear.

The measure passed on second reading with a single no vote from Alderman Sassy; the remainder of the board voted in favor. Shortly after the ordinance vote, the board considered and approved an amended motion to cancel two summer meetings — July 14 and Aug. 25 — to allow staff vacation scheduling and to concentrate workload during the budget season. The amendment to change the August cancellation to Aug. 25 drew one recorded no vote (Alderman Dixon) on the amendment; the final amended motion to cancel both dates passed unanimously.

Board members who spoke for the ordinance said its purpose was to create clear mechanics for safety or emergency cancellations without requiring the entire board to meet solely to cancel; members who questioned the change sought to ensure no single leader could cancel a meeting without collegial approval. The ordinance will take effect according to the city’s normal ordinance timetable.