Council briefed on water awards, UV upgrades and stormwater needs; stormwater utility added to strategic objectives

City infrastructure staff briefed the Henderson City Council on federal and state grant status, ongoing assessments and near-term capital needs at the retreat Feb. 21–22.

Clark Thomas reviewed grants and proposed a risk-management approach to prioritize fixes. Christy Lipscomb noted the utilities team’s recognition: the city’s water program has placed in the top five Best Tasting Water eight of the last ten years, a repeated accolade staff said reflects operational quality. Lamont Allen said the ‘new’ plant still contains legacy equipment and that ultraviolet systems will need upgrades in the coming year; he indicated the costs may appear in the upcoming budget and that additional demolition of older structures is possible. Andy Perkinson outlined Public Works responsibilities including streets, stormwater and waste collection, and proposed a reward program for faster sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) alerts.

Council recorded a new strategic objective to explore a stormwater utility and asked staff to include assessment findings in budget recommendations. The retreat did not adopt any ordinance or formal funding decision for UV upgrades or a stormwater utility; council requested staff follow-up and budget estimates.