City Council - Regular Meeting

Yeah, you need to order.

Man for people in the world.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. We have a quorum. Ms. Catherine Gill, would you please lead us in a pledge of allegiance and your attention?

Let us pray. Father God, it's in the matchless name of Jesus Christ that we say thank you for this day, God. Father, we thank you for life, health, and strength, God. We thank you, Lord, for the activity of our living. Father, we thank you, God, that you have brought us to this place, God, to do your will, Lord. Father, we ask right now that you will bless our minds and hearts, God. Father, let us do all things in decency and in order, God. Father, let us not forget the purpose of being here, Lord, and that everything that we do for you, Lord, will stand and it will go forth, Lord. So keep our minds and hearts stayed on you, God. Father, and let Whatever be said or done, be done in decency and in order, God. Father, we release right now a spirit of obedience, God. Father, we release right now to the atmosphere a spirit of peace, God. Father, and let all of your children say amen. Amen. Amen.

Thank you. That's a long deal. We would like to welcome you and thank you all for coming out. This is your city. So we're glad that you're here to participate and engage with us. We have a lot of great things on our agenda tonight. So we're super excited about it. So we're going to move forward and to the approval of the agenda. Council.

I would like to make most of the approval agenda. Second.

We have a motion on the floor to approve the consent agenda. But before we move forward, we just have one correction. We have to approve the agenda first. So I need a motion to approve the agenda.

Motion to approve the agenda.

Second. And a second. We have a motion by Councilmember Venable and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem. There is a correction and one in the cast. I think you all can see it with the red line through it. But other than that, so Yeah, most of the like out of the end of it and I don't want to matter part. We have a consensus will be done that says all right moving forward to the consent agenda.

And most is that it is in the second.

I have a motion on for our Council member Venable and seconded by Mayor for 10 Walker to have a consensus Council. You got a call or a call or a row home.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And the most we have passed. Thank you. We would now like to call up our honorable judge, Mr. Randolph Baskerville and our interim city manager, Mr. David Baines.

for the swearing in ceremony.

You have the floor of the judge past where you want us to send right there is fine. Okay, I'm going to like us. Here's the Bible comes with basically. Yeah.

Thank you all again for coming out. Thank you, ma'am for introducing me and This is a great pleasure of mine to participate in this ceremony with my son here. I've seen your family members out there and other friends of yours, but he's a member of our family too. And he has his adopted mother here, who is my wife. So true. So Kendrick, All right, are you ready, sir? And repeat after me. I said your name. I, Kendrick Graham, do solemnly swear that I will support and maintain the Constitution and the laws of the United States and the Constitution and the laws of North Carolina not inconsistent therewith that I will faithfully discharge The duties of my office. The duties of my office. As interim city manager. As interim city manager. So help me God. So help me God. Okay. I'll tell you what. Since this oath was so short, we're going to do that again. But you're not going to be paid for it. All right, let's do it again. Yes, sir. I can hear your name. I can hear your name. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That I will support and maintain. That I will support and maintain. The Constitution and laws of the United States. The Constitution and the laws of the United States. And the Constitution and laws of North Carolina. And the Constitution and laws of North Carolina. Not inconsistent therewith. Not inconsistent therewith. And that I will faithfully discharge the duties. And I will faithfully discharge the duties. From my office as Emerald City Manager. So do you. The deans of my office. The deans of my office. As interim city manager. As interim city manager. So let me go. So let me go.

This means a lot to me. This is probably the first time I ever had my mother Gloria Mann and my Godfather Eddie Hicks with me to support something so positive and all my great opportunities I have done. But it's bittersweet, but when I look into the crowd and I see my family, my extended family, Jada Sandoz, involve my kids, my community friends and family, my extended family. It makes it worth the hard work I'm doing and holding you accountable to do the right things. I do want to say thank y'all for coming, traveling, and supporting me. I want to continue to do the great things ahead. Thank you.

Congratulations, Mr. Bank and give them another round of applause.

All right, we're going to move forward to the public hearing cat 2643 rezone van contact parcel 009402005 a located at 212 North Champ Street from before neighborhood commercial district to our six identity residential. So I am going to open the public hearing. If there's anyone that want to come and speak for have 2643. Your time is now. Anyone that wants to speak for? Is there anyone that would like to speak against? Cab. 2643. All right, with no movement, the motion is closed. Council, how would you like to proceed?

Madam Mayor, I make a motion that we approve CAF 2603.

We have a motion to the floor by Councilwoman Jimenez. Do we have a second? Second. And we have a second by Councilmember Venable. Madam Clerk? Mr. Venable.

Yes. Mr. Noah.

Yes.

Mr. Seifert.

Yes.

Mr. Venable.

Yes.

Mr. I mean, McGill. Yes. Yes.

Yes. And the motion has passed. Moving forward to presentations and recognitions. It is truly my honor to do this on tonight. And we actually will have a live form on the mayor's Facebook page. So if there's someone in the community that you would like to nominate for doing exceptional service to our residents, I would really encourage you to fill the form out. But the first person to be recognized tonight is Reverend William Clayton. Mr. Reverend William Clayton, can you please stand and bring your wife forward? City of Henderson Office of the Mayor Certificate of Recognition, whereas Reverend William Clayton has faithfully served as the pastor of St. James Missionary Baptist Church for 23 years, leading with unwavering faith, integrity, wisdom, and compassion while faithfully proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whereas throughout his ministry, Reverend Clayton has shepherded generations of families through baptisms, weddings, funerals, counseling, discipleship, and countless sermons that have inspired hope, strengthen faith, and transform lives throughout the city of Henderson and Vance County. Whereas Reverend Claydon has consistently demonstrated that work of a pastor extends beyond the walls of the church by becoming a trusted advocate for social justice, equality, compassion, and the dignity of every individual standing alongside those whose voices often go unheard and encouraging unity throughout our community. Whereas his steadfast commitment to social justice has helped bridge divides, promote peace, encourage civic engagement, and inspire collaborative efforts that have improved the quality of life for countless residents throughout Henderson and beyond. Whereas Reverend Claydon has been a mentor, a counselor, a spiritual father to many, offering wisdom, encouragement, and guidance to elected officials, community leaders, ministers, and citizens alike. Whereas through his visionary leadership, Reverend Clayton helped me found it game free. What began as a vision to serve those most in need has grown into a transformative community movement that has educated more than 49,000 individuals, assisted and provided more than 9,000 vaccinations, distributed thousands of boxes of food, harm reduction supplies, and health resources. and help secure more than $600,000 in utility assistance for families that were facing hardships. Whereas Mayor Melissa Elliott recognizes Reverend Clayton as a trusted advisor whose prayers, wisdom, encouragement, and honest counsel have helped shape my journey in leadership and public service. Now, therefore, I, Melissa Elliott, the mayor of the city of Henderson, North Carolina, do hereby extend the certificate of recognition to Reverend William Clayton and his wife, Dr. Tiffany Clayton, and grateful acknowledgement of his 23 years of faithful pastoral leadership at St. James Missionary Baptist Church and his extraordinary contributions to faith, social justice, community service, and the betterment of the city of Henderson and Vance County. Can we please clap our hands for Reverend Clayton?

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Okay, is Ms. Galretha Barrett here? Come on up, Ms. Galretha. Ms. Galretha's son elected her or chose her. He sent me a long, long email about his mom. Unknowingly. Unknowingly. Yeah, you did not know anything about it. So we are here to recognize you on tonight, Ms. Galretha. This is a certificate of recognition from the Office of the Mayor. Whereas the Henderson community is strengthened by individuals who embody compassion, generosity, and quiet service to others. Whereas Garitha Barrett has selfishly dedicated her time to preparing and distributing back lunches to underprivileged children and adults facing hardships, offering care and nourishment to those who need it the most. She has carried out these acts of kindness privately and humbly, never seeking attention, recognition or praise, but simply wishing to support those within her community. Her actions remind the people of Henderson that they are seen, valued, and cared for, providing comfort and hope in moments when individuals may feel overlooked or alone. Whereas your generosity, Ms. Garita, reflects the best of our small town spirit, demonstrating how one person's compassion can make a meaningful difference in the lives of many. Whereas her family and community deeply appreciate the love, humility, and service she continues to share, inspiring others to give back in their own way. Now, therefore, I, Melissa Elliott, the mayor of the city of Henderson, North Carolina, do hereby extend a certificate of recognition to Ms. Galrisa Barry in gratitude for her quiet, heartfelt acts of service and her unwavering commitment to the well-being of the people of Henderson.

All right. We also have a recognition. I believe she just walked through the door for Ms. Christiana Murray. Come forward. Right on time. All right. This certificate. No, you can stay right there.

This certificate of recognition from the Office of the Mayor, from Ms. Krishna Murray. Krishna Murray has devoted her life to uplifting individuals, families, and communities through her unwavering commitment to behavioral health, suicide prevention, mental health awareness, life coaching, and holistic wellness. serving as a trusted leader who believes in meeting people where they are with compassion, dignity, and hope. As the founder and the executive director of PEAK Community Health Center, Krishna Murray has demonstrated exceptional leadership by creating opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds, fostering an inclusive workplace, empowering others through employment and expanding access to quality behavioral health and community support services. She is an accomplished artist, filmmaker, producer, published author, and visionary whose work inspires, educates, and amplifies the voices of those whose stories deserve to be heard, using the arts as a vehicle for healing, advocacy, and social transformation. Whereas throughout her career, she has been a steadfast advocate for social justice, equity, and community empowerment, dedicating countless hours to supporting underserved populations, strengthening families, promoting mental health wellness, and building partnerships that improve the quality of life for residents across North Carolina. Whereas a devoted mother of four, entrepreneur, mentor, and servant leader, Krishna Murray embodies integrity, resilience, I know you hate that word, and service, inspiring others through her commitment to faith, family, professional excellence, and the belief that every individual deserves the chance to thrive. Now, I, therefore, Melissa Elliott, the mayor of the city of Henderson, North Carolina, do hereby extend this certificate of recognition to Krishna Murray for contributions to behavioral health, suicide prevention, community advocacy, entrepreneurship, artistic excellence, and public service.

Thank you for your time.

Okay. Partly the proclamations, Mr. Hartwell, right? Can you please come forward? Y'all clap Mr. Hartwell, right?

All right, Mr. Wright, you have the mic. We want you to just talk.

We want to, first of all, thank you for all of what you've done to bring the Veterans Memorial to life in our community, all of your hard work, your effort, and your contributions to serving your fellow veterans in this community. We are truly grateful. So, thank you.

Thank you, Mayor. I'm truly humbled, but I stand before you tonight representing American Legion Post 60. We're not here tonight to ask for anything. We're here tonight to let you know personally how much we appreciate the efforts of the city of Kennington in trying to get a memorial for our veterans. You have graciously allowed us to build it on city property. You have given us free reign to do just about whatever we wanted it to be. But I couldn't let this go without coming here tonight to especially offer our thanks to your staff. Every single one of them that we have called on has given us everything we've asked for and more. Every one of them. I couldn't have been happier to go home and tell the people in my community that that's my city. They are my people. And I just want to, on behalf of the Legion, thank you so much. And it is our desire and hope that we have at least fulfilled part of your hopes and what this might be. And thank you so much again. Thank you so much.

Well, again, Ms. Holdwell, you know how I feel about this memorial.

and our veterans, our local veterans, our Purple Heart recipients, and all our veterans through the wars. Our veterans presently serving, retiring, are no longer with us. I say thank you on behalf of them, sir. Thank you. Job well done. Thank you.

Great things are happening in the city of Henderson. All right, I'm going to read. I got three proclamations, and I'm going to start with Parks and Recreation. Parks and Recreation Month. July is Parks and Recreation Month. Whereas parks and recreation are an integral part of communities throughout this country, including the city of Henderson. Whereas parks and recreation promote health and wellness, improving the physical and mental health of people who live in parks. Whereas parks and recreation promote time spent in nature, which positively impacts mental health by increasing cognitive performance and well-being and improving conditions such as depression, ADHD, and Alzheimer's. Whereas parks and recreation encourage physical activities by providing space for popular sports, hiking trails, swimming pools, and many other activities to promote active lifestyles. Whereas parks and recreation programming and education activities such as out-of-school time, programming youth, sports, and environmental education are critical to childhood development. Whereas parks and natural recreation areas ensure the ecological beauty of community and provide a place for children and adults to connect with nature and recreation outdoors. And I was going to save this to my report, but there's no absolute way I can wait to the end of this meeting to talk about the splash park splash pad and skate park. Thank you to the National City Manager, Mr. Kendrick Vann, for making that come from manuscript to manifestation. All of the people in the audience, Mr. T.J. Floyd, everybody that had anything to do with it, Chantel, Parks and Rec has done a phenomenal job as it relates to that splash pad. I want to thank Councilmember Seifert and Councilmember Noel and Councilwoman Campion for showing up for the grand opening. And to all the city workers, that park is truly amazing. So in honor of Parks and Recreation Month, I couldn't wait to the end for that. So I, Melissa Elliott, Mayor of the City of Henson, North Carolina, do hereby proclaim July 2026 as Parks and Recreation Month. All right, moving forward to Disability Pride Month. Whereas Disability Pride Month is observed each July to celebrate disability, identity, and community, mark the anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act, ADA, and push for full inclusion in everyday life. Whereas people with disabilities represent a vital and diverse community whose talents, perspectives, and leadership strengthen our social, cultural, and economic fabric. Whereas Disability Pride Month serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of promoting accessibility, inclusion, equity, and dignity for all individuals, regardless of ability. Whereas the 2026 Disability Pride Month theme, The World Works Better With Us, is a clear statement that when people with disabilities are included, respected, and supported, communities work better for everyone. Now, therefore, I, Melissa Elliott, the mayor of the city of Henderson, North Carolina, do hereby proclaim July 2026 as Disability Pride Month. Proclamation for Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Whereas mental health is essential to overall health and well-being of every person and access to effective mental health services is vital for individuals, families, and communities, whereas minority communities across the nation continue to experience significant disparities in mental health awareness, diagnosis, treatment, and access to cultural competent care. Whereas these disparities are often intensified by stigma, socioeconomic factors, systemic inequalities, and historical barriers that prevent many individuals from receiving the support they need. Whereas Minority Mental Health Awareness Month serves as an important opportunity to acknowledge these disparities, to elevate the voices of those affected, and to promote education, understanding, and compassion. We're at supporting the mental health, well-being of minority communities, strength of the social, emotional, and economic fabric of our entire community. Now, therefore, I, Melissa Elliott, the mayor of the city of Henderson, North Carolina, do hereby proclaim July 2026 as Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. So here we can go. We have public comment period on agenda items. No one has signed up. for agenda items. So we'll move forward to new business, cap 2641, Wander Street, Hicks Village, affordable housing investment, updating development designation. Mr. Interim City Manager.

How you doing, Mayor and City Council? So we brought this cap back up to you because we have a change in management for this project. And we just want to make sure everything's clean when we do work out the memorandum of understanding and agreement that we have to clear up the Council.

I make a motion to wait until the count of 2641.

Second. We have a motion on the floor for Council Member Venable, seconded by Council Member Chapman. Is there any discussion?

You have good.

Mr. Norwell.

Yes.

Mr. Seifert.

Yes.

Mr. Venable.

Yes.

Ms. Gill. Yes. Ms. Blocker.

Yes.

Ms. Champion. Yes. Ms. Domenica Minna. Yes.

AND THE MOTION HAS PASSED. MOVING FORWARD TO CAB 2642, NAMED THE CITY HALL STAFF OUTDOOR AREA, THE BREAKWAY. REQUESTED BY ANGELA CITY MANAGER, MR. KENDRICK VANCE.

WELL, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR FOR ALL THE HARD WORK AND DONATIONS FOR THIS. THIS WAS COMPLETELY NOT PAID FOR BY THE CITY, BUT WE HAVE A to not say thank you to Tracy Kimball for putting that information suggestion out. So we won't be just us saying the name, but the city employs that opportunity to name it. Public Works did a great job of clearing, did a great job of making sure that space was beautiful and clean. And I just think it's a nice addition beyond it, which is it's a reading books in that area the last couple of weeks. So I want to thank the mayor. But again, just accepting that name. This is a beautiful sign. This is the sign the department is making for.

And before we move any further, I also want to acknowledge that everything outside came from donation. Lowe's Home Improvement gave the table set. Volcan gave us all of the, I think it's called beef, right? And then the builders discount gave the wood. So everything out there was donated. The only thing that was purchased was the flowers. So again, thank you to all of those businesses for that. Council, how would you like to move forward?

Make a motion that we name the city staff outdoor area The Breakaway.

Second.

We have a motion on the floor by Mayor Pro Tem Walker to name The Breakaway and second by Council Member Vandenberg. Mr. Seifert? Yes.

Mr. Neville? Yes. Ms. Gill? Yes. Ms. Walker? Yes. Ms. Campion? Yes. Ms. Gomez-Amena? Yes. Mr. Noah?

Yes.

And the motion has passed. Moving forward to the established path 2644, established an opioid settlement advisory board. Mr. Mayor?

Yes, Mayor, City Council. So one of the things we've discussed on how we allocate the funds. A lot of the communities and cities and towns are doing this. I've visited Warren County, as well as Franklin County, who was doing the same project. And I just want to make sure we are in compliance with the state opioid settlement. Also give our citizens an opportunity to help us decide and set up criteria for the funds that we will be getting in the future.

Council?

I'll make a motion we accept CAF 2644.

Second. We have a motion on the floor by Council Member Venable. Seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Walker. Madam Kirk. Mr. Venable.

Yes. Ms. Gale. Yes. Ms. Walker. Yes. Ms. Champion. Yes. Ms. Van Antenman. Yes. Mr. Noel.

Yes.

Mr. Seifert.

Yes.

And the motion has passed. Moving forward to CAF 2645. Establishing a designated percentage rate for the sale of city-owned property.

Mr. Manager? Yeah, Mayor and City Council. One of the things that we noticed when going through our records and stuff, we always say that best practice are 40%. In the recent two or three weeks I've been out, writing so we can have some teeth in the game while we hold them accountable. Each meeting, we had about four or five meetings. Each developer wanted not one or two properties, but several properties. And I wanted to make sure the city gained money back for the tax value, put it back on the books, but as well as holding them accountable. And all those meetings, working with Dan, as well as Chrissy, as well as the mayor and other staff, we are making sure that we're running clauses implemented into this. One of the reasons we... One of the reasons I thought that we should have breakdown from 40% down the majority of the properties they get so we can get more properties built because we do have housing shortage. So that's why you have the percentage of 40% for one to three, from four to five, you have four to seven, you have four to six, you have 35% tax rate assessment of the lots, and seven to 10, 30%. We're trying to get a lot of units up as well as housing. We cannot get a developer to have healthy competitive energy in trying to get these lights back on the market.

Madam Mayor. Councilwoman Chapman. And I really think this is a good thing. On June 11th, the House and the Senate passed the 21st Century Road to Housing Act And this is going to go in part to this, I assume. But the idea of that initiative is to make money available to cities for development of affordable housing. Also, it will provide grant funds to cities to convert commercial buildings into residents. Hence, downtown development. It will relax regulations on construction and other costs. And also it will make more money available to the developers and purchasers of real funds for the community because banks will tag in with it as well. So I think at this time would be a good time for the city to start seeking grants for that particular project. Like I said, it's called 21st Century. not to be in conjunction with century 21.

Thank you for that. I received a lot of texts and emails concerning this bill, and we'll be looking into it.

And Congressman Davis' office has already been contacted concerning the Century 21st Road to Recovery Act for Housing. Councilman, how would you all like to move forward?

I'll make a motion with the cap 2645 second.

I have a motion on the floor by Council Member Venable, seconded by Council Member Champion. Is there any discussion? Madam Clerk.

Yes. Yes.

Yes.

Yes. Yes.

Yes.

Yes. Yes.

And the motion has passed moving forward to 2646 cooling stations, emergency facility policy adoption. Mr. Vannion.

I wish we were forward thinking when we did the white flag night, but we wasn't. Again, city staff, as well as public safety, fire and police. Sadly, this was brought to my attention. community policing. After figuring out what was going on, I reached out to the police fire chief and they want to be a part of the solution. So we are taking pools of water over to their two stations to have a public place where if somebody needs some water, walking by, they'll be able to grab some water. But the policy we put in place is the same policy as White Flame. We only got open, volunteer-led. that area. The only thing different is it's only 95 degrees up and we have the index above that. Sign in, liability, everything's still the same as white flag. So it's really no change of program other than just giving an alternative. No overnight. It's only from the hours of, I'm sorry, I want to say it was from midday to seven o'clock. Seven o'clock, they have to leave by seven o'clock.

And also-

I make a motion with that when it's it's 46.

Second. Council member Venable and seconded by Mayor Paul Sanford any discussion council.

Work. Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes.

And the motion has passed. Moving forward on our agenda, we have public comments signed in for non-agenda items. So we have several people signed up. When you are recognized by the mayor, you can come forward to the podium, state your name and address if you are a city resident, and identify the issue in which you wish to address. Please hold your comments to no more than three minutes. And we have our time clock up on the screen. Thank you. It's the IDP. And the first person to address the council will be Bobby Laquire. Ms. Bobby, please come forward.

Hi, my name is Bobby Laquire. I live at 198 Sandstone Road, Henderson. So I'm discussing data centers. Today, data centers are no longer the small facilities you see in Raleigh, Or Durham. These facilities are massive. Data centers are warehouses of networked computers that power artificial intelligence, cloud services, and digital tools, mainly for big tech, big oil, and military. Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity, water, and land. Big tech companies, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Meta dominate the industry using data centers to fuel highly intensive resource AI systems. A moratorium is necessary for local governments to ensure applicants do not harm the health, well-being, or quality of life of any resident and to prevent prevent data centers from popping up near residential areas. In fact, Vance County, North Carolina is possibly courting a 4 million square foot data center proposal, which is approximately 3 Crabtree Valley Malls, or almost 10 times the size of the largest data center in the Research Triangle Park area. It is called Cyrus 1. It's 420,000 square feet. Mecklenburg County Virginia leaders offer lessons to local officials, which are to avoid placing data centers near residential areas or on rural farmland. Also, secondary roads cannot withstand the traffic. Currently, over 30 moratoriums have been enacted in North Carolina. and most recently, the town of Buttener. The big question is, does the tax benefit outweigh the health and environmental risks of a hyperscale damage zone? Which should come first when making a decision, people or money? During public hearings, citizens have provided alternative solutions to bring revenue into our county. Another big question is how many jobs will be lost due to AI and how many real permanent jobs will be promised? And will those jobs be offered to the local residents? Is surpassing China is the goal? Haven't we already done that when China has about 369 data centers in comparison to 4,423 data centers in the United States?

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Anna Rivera, Rivera, Rivera.

It's Rivera. You got it right last time. Thank you. I live at a road. I live in the county. I don't live in the city. First and foremost, I'd like to just say that all of you, except Mr. Van, because you just recently took your oath, right? All of you were actually invited to the town hall that the residents put on. Um, my message about the town hall was actually blocked, not by all of you, just by some of you at different times. I'm aware that you saw it. I'm aware that you read it. It's a little sad that apparently we can vote on hiring our friends and our family, but we can't actually take emails from constituents or residents. So that's a little heartbreaking considering your presence at the town hall wasn't very much so needed and deserved to be there. The county is planning to usher in a data center and the city of Henderson has unique control of the water source. That concern with water is one of the reasons that y'all should have been there at that town hall. A lot of people have questions and concerns about water. We have a regional responsibility when it comes to water. We are unique in the sense that we actually have control over our primary source of water. And the city of Henderson actually has a duty to protect that particular water source. Now, y'all fought so hard against SB 214, Section 5, Franklin County coming to get our water, but I don't see half that fight when it comes to actually saving our water from actual overconsumption from different industries. Now, of course, I always like to think back about the message that sends when you can fight so hard against other counties, but you can't fight for your county or for your city. What message does that send to our youth? You were just talking about the splash park that's catered towards children. Are you saying that we can fight the world, but we can't take care of our own backyard when it comes to water? Because that's a little concerning, to be honest with you. I know all of you in here know better. And I expect all of you, as well as the rest of the residents here, to do better. And of course, you should have shown up. You should have answered questions. You should have learned which questions to ask on key issues in this county, in this city, if you don't know. Ignorance is a choice. Please choose better, not just for yourself, but also for the community. Outsiders already think Henderson's ignorant. Please, please do not prove them right by making uninformed decisions or being hypocrites in the decisions that you do make. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Berdella. Mr. Billy Holt Medlin, please come forward.

My name is Billy Medlin. I live in the EJC in Vance County on St. Edgar's Church Road. Child safety is what I'm going to talk about. Two six-year-old children left behind. Think about that if that was your child or your grandchild. On June 15, 2026, two six-year-old children were left behind in the movie theaters in Vance County by the Vance County Rec Department at the movie theaters while on a field trip on a summer camp program. This is not a state-licensed child care facility. They were left unsupervised by anyone from the rec center for over 30 minutes until finally the bus driver came back and picked the children up from the movie theater. No one informed the parents when the child was picked up the date of the incident and physically had to be signed out. The parents had to find out from the six-year-old child on the car ride home. The next morning, the child's mother and myself met the director from ACOP and the two staff members to talk about the incident. I specifically asked many questions. to ensure this would never happen again. And the director proceeded to tell me the policies that they already had in place that obviously did not work. He proceeded to tell me that the national average was 31 or 32 children per one adult. And the rec center was doing so good that they had eight children per one adult, which I find crazy. And it's crazy that they have people that work there that cannot even count to eight, which I thought was insane. I asked the director specifically, has he unfurled the other parent that they left their child as moved as he is for 30 minutes with no direct supervision? And he simply answered no. How is this possible? I cannot help but to think that if the child would not have told their mother this would have been swept under the rug and nothing would have been done about it. Why else would they have not told the parents the day of the incident? To the best of my knowledge, no one has reached out to the family from the rec center and stated that anybody has been held accountable as of today when two children have been left at the movie theaters unattended with no supervision from the rec whatsoever. This is unacceptable in my opinion and should be unacceptable by everybody else's. The city owns and operates a cop rec center. Therefore, something needs to be done to put into place guidelines or whatever to ensure that no child is left behind again. Thank you, Mr. Medler.

All right, Ms. Tina Holden. I don't see her. Ms. Shawn Austin.

Hello. Hello. My name is Shawn Austin. I live in the county. I just came here today to, I wanted to thank the mayor and the city Everyone that helped on June 20th with the Grabbed Up Downtown, Mr. Mayo, he was a big help as well. The event was a success. We had over 150 motorcycles. They got to show off their bikes because that's all we really wanted to do because we put a lot of money into it. We had over 15 motorcycle clubs to show up. Even though on that day, it was a lot of motorcycle events going on everywhere, Riley Durham. But a lot of people showed up to support, and I appreciate that. Also, a lot of the bikers have came and said stuff to me and other people about how they felt so welcome. The city made them feel welcome. They enjoyed it. All my biker friends from Durham, Riley, wherever they came, Rocky Mount, they was from everywhere. But I just came to say we thank you. We appreciate it. Hopefully, next year, we can do this again. I already sent my bills. So I'm willing to do it if you want me to do it. And also, the Vikings are doing something Sunday to have a fundraiser. We're doing a fundraiser to get money for kids' school supplies. We do it every year. We're just doing the fundraiser now, and then before school starts, we're going to give whatever we get to the kids. I just want to say thank you. That's it. Thank you. Thank you, Sean.

What thoughts, Mr. Brown?

I don't have a couple of things. I see a big list, so I'm going to leave you alone. What I want to say is that Today was my first day in Public Executive Leadership Academy. I really want to say that, like Ms. Ferreira said about the perception, we are changing that because we are not far behind at all. Big cities, Mecklenburg, Raleigh, Cary, are having a lot of problems we're having. And it felt good to know that we had a battle with other municipalities because of the direction of the mayor and the city council, as well as the department heads, that we are here to fight. So I do want to make the words, you know, that splash pad. I just want to note, because we sit there and care about our kids, the records of our interim director, Chantel Hargrove, is here. T.W. is here. We observed most splash pads are not stacked across the state. But because we had a big turnout and we have a large number use of the park by unsupervised kids. We have for us to be making sure people are safe. I changed the hours. I made them change the hours so we can have a supervised staff there and we can stay within budget. So our new hours for right now until we get control, we get some structure. It's four o'clock Monday through Friday from four to dusk. Whenever it gets dark and Saturday, we have a staff the whole day from 10 to dusk and Sunday from 1 to dusk. So we did post that out. People didn't understand what dusk was, so we didn't want to put a timeline for when it gets dark, but we want people to utilize that part. We want people to utilize the area. And if you know anything, you saw that for council persons that came, members that came, it was diverse. And my staff here who's been there, it's diverse. All the time is open. But that's the only thing I really want to report. Thank you for the opportunity to go to that class and the training. Hopefully bring a lot of other things back.

All right. Mr. Attorney.

I don't have anything. Mayor Pro Tem. Yes, ma'am. On July the 10th, the city of Henderson did a shredded event where a shredded truck came in from 8 in the morning until 1230 and catered to our citizens, our business owners, churches, and our private citizens. And they must have shredded hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of discarded paperwork from our citizens. And it was just a great opportunity to get rid of paperwork that they had accumulated, investments, bank statements, everything of secret COO of importance that they wouldn't normally discard. So the community was very thankful for that event to be able to shred all the paperwork that they had been accumulating in the home. So it was a huge success. Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. I do have a report. It is extremely long and I'll try to summarize. It has been another productive and impactful month for the city of Henderson. Every initiative, every meeting, partnership, and community event has reflected our commitment to moving Henderson forward through collaboration, innovation, public service, and strategic investment. I remain committed to ensuring that every resident has access to opportunities that improve their quality of life by positioning our city for long-term success. Right now, I am working in partnership with Genetech. Genetech is a pharmaceutical research company. We will have a public broadband summit. I don't see the flyers around the table, but I'll have George email them to all of the city council members. Today, we have over 20 vendors and organizations committed to participating, representing healthcare, behavioral health, technology, education, broadband, and public service sectors. This summit is far more than a one-day event. It is the beginning of a regional movement. Our goal is to produce meaningful policy recommendations that will ultimately become proposed legislation in Raleigh to the General Assembly. Working alongside lobbyists with the support of Genentech, our funding partner, we are laying the foundation to pursue significant broadband investments that will spread the healthcare across the entire region. I partnered with Vance County, Franklin County, Warren County, Granville County, and Halifax County. This initiative aligns directly with the Mayor's Health and Wellness Initiative by expanding broadband infrastructure that supports telehealth services, mental health care, rural health access, public health connectivity, and digital equity for underserved communities. About a week ago, we had a financial wellness initiative underneath the Mayor's Health and Wellness Initiative. Financial stability is a major component of all health and wellness. This month, City of Henderson welcomed 28 residents to the City Hall for a financial wellness class taught by, it was Mr. William Fisher of Coastal Credit Line. That is a mistake. The participants learned practical strategies. They learned how to budget, save, build credit, financial planning, banking fundamentals, and they also learned about the GAAP insurance. Through the generosity of AMA, a grant I wrote previously, we had money left over, and the money could be used for financial awareness. Every participant that came into City Hall last week received a $50 check to open up a new account with Coastal Credit Union. So I just want to say thank you to that. My assistant, George Mayo, who not only participated in the class, but worked throughout the event, assisting residents, supporting logistics, and ensuring that the evening was tremendous. Mrs. Sean, thank you so much for your help in coordinating the first annual Henson Bike Fest. She just told you all it was a success. Over 150 motorcycles showed up. They had several competitions in the day. The Christian Motorcycle Club, I want to give a shout out to Mr. Billy Spain. They opened the event up in prayer, reminding everyone that unity, faith, and community remain at the center of everything that we do. They also had a count of all the motorcycles that they prayed over. They prayed over mine. I bought a motorcycle. And they also prayed for every biker that was there. So I just wanted to give a shout out to the Kristen Motorcycle Group and let Council know thank you for approving that because it was a major success and people came from all over different states as well. So thank you, Ms. Shaw also for your coordination. The economics of mobility and workforce development. So about two years ago, I did a convening with the Administration for Children and Family on federal government level. They came to our community for two days. I saw Mr. Slick back there from the barbershop, but I think he's gone. So Mrs. Mull, a contractor with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, asked me to write a letter of support for a program called More Than a Job. Well, Vance County has been awarded, and I proudly provided a letter of support. Cassandra Hart, the Interim Director at Social Services, is working with Ms. Hart They will choose up to 10 recipients that receive SNAP benefits to become entrepreneurs to serve as their own owners of their own daycare. So I'm excited about that. So affordable housing, we, of course, that's one of my highest priorities. Me and Mr. Phan met with two housing developers. and discuss opportunities. I also was honored by supporting seniors. I partnered with the mayor of Durham, Mayor Leonardo Williams, North Carolina Central University. We went to a senior citizen community and provided meals for the seniors there. And I will ask the council at a later date to become a sister city of Durham. They're doing great things. I did movies with the mayor where I brought 120 children in, along with parents, caregivers, daycare staff, to see Toy Story 5. That money did not come out of the city funds. It came from Melissa Elliott's pocket and 120 children went to the movies. I want to give sincere appreciation to Councilwoman Champion, Councilwoman Jimenez for representing the city during the Veterans Event and Independence Day. I was out of state and I believe Mayor Pro Tem was as well. The infrastructure and digital development This one, I met alongside our city manager with digital development partners to discuss prioritizing street improvements and infrastructure. I'm sure Mr. Vann will tell you guys more about that.

I met with the Mayor's Alliance out of Washington, D.C.

I am a policy participant where we create policy for No Children Hungry and discuss a future funding opportunity that we're in the middle of discussing. I will bring it back before the council if we are funded. I was at a county commissioner's meeting. I attended the Vance County Commissioner's meeting in my capacity as mayor to discuss distribution of the ABC revenues. I share recommendations regarding the current allocation, which is approximately 15% for the city and 85% for the county. While encouraging consideration of a competitive grant process supporting community education, prevention, and substance abuse initiatives authorized under the North Carolina General Statute. I also attended the HVIP meeting along with Council Member Venable, and we approved the Shell building for Hall Axel Company, and that's 50 new jobs coming into our community, so kudos for economic development. Recreation investments, we just talked about the park. Thank you to Interim City Manager Mr. Vann, Council Member Seifert, Council Member Noel, and Council Member Champion for supporting this transformational investment for our families and our youth. Today, I went to the airport. They had the airport improvement. They celebrated the new water line that's coming through. That was great. I got to talk with a lot of state legislators at that, and we talked about economic development opportunities. I met with a man today about youth crime prevention, sister city partnerships. I will be asking the council to approve Durham and Enfield moving forward. We did some food insecurity stuff where we helped more than 200 families at Advanced Recovery on two separate occasions. I also helped Mr. Fisher at Henson Fruit and Produce give away a plethora of oranges. Today, I also participated with Risen Faith Outreach Ministries. They're doing food for children for the summer. And special thanks to George again. I also did a promotional video on my Facebook page. media page for North Carolina Legal Aid Partnership. And they said, as a result of my video, they had 42 residents come in for service. So that was great. Met with Patty McAnally and Youth Services Director Melanie to discuss collaboration, support, and literacy, youth programs, and community engagements. And I proudly attended the Coastal Credit Union's 10-year anniversary ribbon cutting, where they were giving out bottles of wine. I didn't take one. or community celebrations. Congressman Davis was here. He came to the city and spoke with the residents on June the 17th. Every resident that came thought they were coming to help me do something. And I taped a $10 gift card under their seats. Again, Melissa Elliott's money, not the city's. And part of utilities education. Thank you to Christy. Y'all give Christy a hand back. Assistant City Manager Christy List came and provided the residents with a valuable education regarding Henderson's border system. She was able to do Q&A, and they also received border pictures. The regional collaboration, I'm working with Mayor Nurse. We are trying to strengthen a collaborative initiative with the mayors across the region, and I'm honored on July the 26th, I will be speaking at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina for their new ribbon-cutting Additionally, I will be traveling to Kansas City on July 28th to participate in the National Mayor's Conference. And I think that's all. I also met with Coach Will from the Irish Boxing Gym. And that's all. I know.

Yes, sir. So while we're not beating City Council, we developed a program for credit counseling for our employees. So the credit counselor, Mr. Paul, who's one of the credit counselor for the developers, is going to give the city actually 12 slots, two different days, six one night on the 21st of July here at City Hall and the 29th of July to give credit counselors and further can sign up. But this is one of the opportunities we want to give so we can get home ownership for families.

Thank you, Mr. Bain. And with that being said, I would like to invite everyone in this space to the Public Health Broadband event where we will have Ms. Annette Taylor, from the state. She's the Deputy Director of IT and Broadband Infrastructure. The whole goal of this Broadband Summit on July 23rd is to put infrastructure under the ground, not just in the city of Henderson, but across the region of five counties, Franklin, Vance, Granville, Warren, and Halifax. So please come out. We will have vendors there. We will also have panel discussions with faith-based Dr. Tiffany Cornelius from Blue Cross Blue Shield, We're going to have service providers up. Ms. Krishna Murray, who is the founder of PEAK, will be on the panel to talk about mental health services. So y'all please come out if you're available. July 23rd. Do we have a motion to go into closed session pursuant to North Carolina General Staff 143-318-11 for attorney-client privilege? Motion to go into closed session. We have a motion to go into closed session by Councilwoman Champion and seconded by Ian. This is attorney-client privilege. And that's seconded by Mayor, I mean, Council Member Marshall. Yes, I'll take that one.