BOMA Approves New Ward Boundaries Ahead of Elections

 The Hendersonville Standard reports:

Despite nearly two hours of debate on Nov. 30, a final vote on new ward boundaries for a redistricting plan the city of Hendersonville is required to implement yielded the same results as an initial vote three weeks earlier.

During the special-called Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, board members voted 7 to 5 to implement a redistricting plan recommended by a special Citizen Redistricting Committee appointed by the board in September. The board voted 7 to 6 on the same plan on Nov. 9.

State and federal law requires city, state and county governments to redraw voting districts every 10 years following the U.S. Census to assure equal representation for voters. The city of Hendersonville is currently divided into six wards represented by two aldermen each.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Ward 2 Alderman Pat Campbell Dies

 The Hendersonville community is mourning the loss of Ward 2 Alderman Pat Campbell who died unexpectedly early Tuesday.

Hendersonville police received a call to assist EMS at Campbell’s home at a little after 5 a.m., according to HPD Commander Scott Ryan. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

Campbell was 55.

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City Seeks Input on Spending

 The city of Hendersonville will hold two workshops in November to discuss potential uses for its share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The $1.9 trillion federal economic stimulus bill was passed in March to speed up the country’s recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city of Hendersonville’s share is estimated to be around $5.9 million and is expected to go toward investments in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure. The city has received its first allocation of $2.9 million, and is expected to receive a second payment in 12 months. None of the funds have been spent.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Boyd Named Public Works Director

 The Hendersonville Board of Mayor and Aldermen has voted to name Marshall Boyd the city's Public Works Director, the Hendersonville Standard reports:

The Hendersonville Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously to confirm Marshall Boyd as public works director on Sept. 8.

Boyd, who has been city engineer since 2014, was voted the interim public works director in January 2019.

Before 2014, he worked for Aecom in Nashville for seven years as a consultant and engineer. He also worked for the Nashville engineering firm Palmer Engineering from January 2005 to October 2007. He is a nationally Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control and Certified Professional in Storm Water Quality.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Hiring a City Administrator

Hendersonville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) will take another step toward hiring a City Administrator next week, reports the Hendersonville Standard:

After meeting the final two candidates in person last week and interviewing them via Zoom this week, the Hendersonville Board of Mayor and Aldermen is expected to appoint the city’s first city administrator at a meeting on July 28.  

Carmen Davis, a former Hines County, Miss., county administrator and David Strahl, an interim village manager from Schiller Park, Ill., were interviewed for about an hour each on Tuesday. Gary Jaeckel, an advisor with the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS), who also sat on the steering committee that vetted the candidates, moderated the interviews.

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https://www.hendersonvillestandard.com/news/vote-to-choose-first-city-administrator-expected-tuesday/article_66d20a0a-ccd6-11ea-88fc-ebaf83a616b2.html

Bizarre Political Stunts

That’s how one reader describes Mayor Jamie Clary’s time in office in a recent letter to the Hendersonville Standard:

We appreciate you all, and it's beyond evident via the recent multiple 12-1 votes, you all have come together for the good of the people of Hendersonville. Just my personal opinion, but I believe it would be well worth Mayor Clary to consider resigning his position since he's more interested in conducting bizarre political stunts, blocking members of BOMA from his social media sites and making totally unrealistic demands on the very process he's to oversee.

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 https://www.hendersonvillestandard.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/resident-not-a-fan-mayor-s-leadership/article_c28d80fe-cbaf-11ea-9f5a-23a8174a50c7.html?fbclid=IwAR1kirTmAjx8K79cGEqJLc0h_qDjykZkr45EM2iwzfcOtEBsuWiKxuPl494#utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

As If

It's like some Hendersonville Alderpersons don't even LIVE in Hendersonville. I mean, read this from the Tennessean about the potential for Black Lives Matter protests here:

A disagreement over whose responsibility is it to call for a curfew in Hendersonville recently devolved into an hours-long, back-and-forth email thread, in which an alderman suggested the mayor resign.

 

Since then, city leaders have held multiple meetings to get “on the same page” and prepare for any potential protests that might occur in Hendersonville amid ongoing civil unrest about police brutality and racial injustice, but they've declined to divulge too many details out of concern for public safety.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews 

A "Bare Bones" Budget

The Hendersonville Standard has the story of the city's initial budget proposal for FY21:

Hendersonville leaders on Tuesday voted 12 to 1 on first reading for a “bare-bones” 2020-2021 fiscal year budget that does not require a property tax increase, spends more than $4 million than it takes in, and leaves a projected end fund balance of $118,000.

Still, at a time when revenue is uncertain due to the impact of COVID-19, most of the city’s aldermen expressed relief at not having to ask for a tax increase as well as not having to lay off any of the city’s more than 300 employees.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Transparency, Clary Style

Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary has something to say about transparency, and in typical Clary fashion, he's taken to Facebook to say it:

These are my eye glasses. If I don't have them at a restaurant, I have to order by pictures. If I don't have them in the morning, I cannot tell the time.

They have a certain style to them, but their main role is to help me get information.

We need more than just glasses, though. We need the information to be made available. When it comes to government, we need transparency.

In response to public requests, I have set up a new Facebook page for me to communicate city information directly with residents. It is "Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary."
By contrast, the "Hendersonville City Hall" page on Facebook will continue to be controlled by staff, as it has been for several months.
Recently some members of the public complained about the City Hall page's lack of information. Since I don't have access to post to that page, I am creating the new page, allowing me to communicate directly with residents.
The complaints about the City Hall page had merit. I appreciate the people who brought them to our attention. They recognized that city staff has withheld information about Covid-19, SBA loans, and the processes for businesses to re-open.
We have had similar problems with other city media: Channel Three, the city's YouTube channel, and the city web site. Many recent items that I submitted for publication were altered, delayed, and ignored by staff.
Transparency has been important to me since I came into office. I have answered 7,200 emails from residents, sent 42 monthly newsletters to more than 4,400 people, and taken 650 phone calls from taxpayers.
I have met with thousands of residents at their homes, giving them the opportunity to ask questions about city operations. Frequently, I speak to church and civic groups.
This new Facebook page, “Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary”, is another step in city transparency. I hope you find it helpful.

For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews 

Got news? Email us: newshendersonville@gmail.com

The Secret List

Who will be Hendersonville's next (first) City Administrator?

Well, we can't know because City officials are keeping the names of the five finalists secret. This seems to fly in the face of open records laws, but City officials insist their behind the scenes behavior is totally appropriate.

The Hendersonville Standard has more:

The list of those vying to be Hendersonville’s first permanent city administrator has been narrowed down to five, according to Dave LeMarbre who currently holds the position on an interim basis.   

The list will be narrowed down further before it’s made public who the final candidates are, LeMarbre added. 

The candidates include: 

A county administrator from Mississippi; a chief of staff for a city council in Wisconsin; a former city manager from Ohio; a police chief from Kansas; a chief administrative officer for a mayor in Alabama; a deputy city manager from a city larger than Hendersonville in Virginia; a chief of staff for a city manager in a large city in Florida; an interim village manager in Illinois; a city manager from a small East Tennessee town; the chief executive and administrative officer for a Pennsylvania city of similar size and budget to Hendersonville; and a town manager for a small town in North Carolina with a budget about one-fourth the size of Hendersonville’s.

One woman and one professional who is currently working in Tennessee are among the 11 candidates. None of the candidates are former or current Hendersonville employees, nor are any of the candidates current or former Hendersonville elected officials. 

The secrecy surrounding the process is allegedly to avoid further "political strife." However, it seems that by keeping the names of applicants secret, the process is only adding to the tension surrounding the process.

Typically, the selection process for public officials is relatively transparent. Lists of names are released once the application deadline is met. As the process narrows candidates, the list of finalists is also typically released. Often, meetings to narrow candidates are held in public, with opportunities for public forums or other comment on potential leaders.

It's not clear what statutory authority City Attorney John Bradley is using to justify this super secret process.

For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Aldermen Reject Term Limits Proposal

The Hendersonville Standard reports that the city's Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) rejected proposal that would have let citizens vote on whether or not there should be term limits for Aldermen. Here's more:

A resolution that would have paved the way for Hendersonville voters to decide for themselves whether or not the city’s mayor and aldermen should be limited to the number of terms they can serve failed on Tuesday.

Resolution 2019-60, proposed by Ward 5 Alderman Darrell Woodcock, sought to ask members of the Tennessee General Assembly to amend the city’s charter to allow for term limits for the two offices.

 

The measure needed a two-thirds majority of the 13-member board, or nine votes, in order to pass.  It failed 7-5-1. Voting yes were Woodcock, Edwards, Roberson, Waters, Bolt, Skidmore and Mayor Jamie Clary. Voting against were Brown, Petrelli, Sprouse, Pat Campbell of Ward 2 and Jonathan Hayes of Ward 5. Vice Mayor Arlene Cunningham, who represents Ward 3, abstained from the vote.

For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews 

Can't You Read?

Tempers flared at a recent Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting as Aldermen looked to appoint an interim City Administrator to remove management duties from current Mayor Jamie Clary. The Hendersonville Standard has more:

Cunningham, who is a co-sponsor of the resolution, said the move is necessary because Clary has instructed Human Resources Manager Peter Voss to not advertise the city administrator position. 

“The end result was our mayor unfortunately was violating our law,” she said. “Not only did he violate our law, he violated his oath of office which put us in dire straits. That more or less was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me.” 

When asked why he instructed Voss to not fill the position, Clary said that it was his understanding that the board had not passed the salary, job description and qualifications of the city administrator along with the ordinance in May. 

Several aldermen as well as Jaeckel disputed his claim. 

“It’s part of the ordinance, mayor,” said Cunningham. “Can’t you read?”

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Toward a City Administrator?

It appears the City of Hendersonville is moving forward with plans to hire a City Administrator, reports the Hendersonville Standard:

Members of the city’s General Committee unanimously voted Tuesday to recommend the city move forward with hiring a city administrator.

The full Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 7 to 6 on May 28 to establish the position of a city administrator – a controversial vote preceded by nearly three years of discussion as well as the formation of a special committee to explore the issue.

Those who opposed the new position have argued it would take away many of the responsibilities performed by an elected mayor and put more control in the hands of the full Board of Mayor and Aldermen. A city administrator will report to the full board, and not just the mayor.  

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Tire Store Rezoning DENIED

The Hendersonville Standard has the story of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen denying a request by Firestone to rezone property in order to open another tire store:

Less than a month after receiving a unanimous recommendation from the city’s planning commission, Hendersonville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted down last week a request to rezone property on East Main Street that would have allowed for a second Firestone Tire Center.

Hendersonville planning commission members recommended 10 to 0 on Aug. 6 an ordinance to rezone 1.04 acres east of Callender Lane and north of East Main Street from rural residential to general commercial.

FS Hendersonville, LLC requested the zoning change in order to build a corporate-owned Firestone Complete Auto Care.

For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

New Tax Rate on the Way in Hendersonville

The Hendersonville Board of Aldermen voted to set a new tax (higher) tax rate and also eliminate the city's garbage fee at the most recent meeting. The net effect is a lower payment for city residents.

Here's more from the Hendersonville Standard:

Hendersonville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted on first reading on Tuesday to raise the amount of property taxes residents are paying while also eliminating an annual trash fee.

If the measure passes a second and final reading on Tuesday, Aug. 27, residents could pay more in property taxes but see an overall decrease in the amount they pay to the city due to the elimination of the trash fee. Last year’s trash fee was set at $293.

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For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

BOMA Time

Alderman Russ Edwards is developing a proposal to limit the time of BOMA meetings -- meetings which routinely run past midnight.

Here's more from his Facebook post on the matter:

I’m introducing an ordinance to BOMA in an effort to expedite our meetings. This is really to start the discussion of how the BOMA meetings can be run more efficiently. As you may know, we consistently go until 1:00 a.m. The city and its citizens are not getting the best out of its city leaders when we do this.

Part of my proposal, which I’m not completely sold on yet, is to keep citizens comments on agenda items only. This would be consistent with most municipalities’ rules. Most city leaders I speak with are in shock that anyone can come talk about anything at our meetings. I’m still on the fence about this and want to get feedback before I move forward on it.

Please keep in mind that I’m happy to discuss any issue with anyone. My cell number and email address are on the city’s website. I return all my calls and I read all my emails. The best way to air your grievances or try to get an issue resolved is to contact your aldermen or the mayor instead of going to the full BOMA.

I agree that 90% of the problem with inefficiency in our meetings is us. I would like for us to follow the Robert’s Rules of Order more strictly and possibly limit the aldermen’s speaking times. Also, we should have more issues resolved in committees so they don’t have to be discussed at the full BOMA meetings.

A stricter BOMA agenda is in everyone’s best interest. It’s not fair to the citizens who want to attend the meetings to have to sit there for 5.5 hours. If they want to watch the meetings on YouTube it usually takes them three days. It’s also not good for the city employees who have to attend the BOMA meetings to be there until 1:00 a.m. after working all day and have to come back the next morning.

Sorry for the long post, but time management and efficiency are a passion of mine. The inefficiency in our meetings really drives me crazy. I do want to hear from the citizens and I enjoy being an alderman. My favorite part has been helping constituents with problems when they contact me. I’ll be happy to answer questions about this proposed ordinance.

What do you think? Should citizens comments be limited to only agenda items, similar to what happens in other cities or at the County Commission? Let us know: newshendersonville@gmail.com


For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

The Meeting that Was then Wasn't then Was

Are you confused by Hendersonville City government? So is our Facebook Mayor!

He cancelled a meeting because it was Spring Break. Then, he was informed at least 8 aldermen could attend, meaning there'd be a quorum and that Vice Mayor Arlene Cunningham could chair.

Still, he cancelled the meeting and began searching for special meeting dates.

Turns out, almost the entire BOMA was present for the March 26th regularly scheduled meeting. Also in attendance: Clary, the very person who had attempted to cancel the meeting and find an alternate date.

The Hendersonville Standard has more on the circus that has become the day-to-day of city government in this town:

Although Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary cancelled Tuesday’s regularly scheduled Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, board members met anyway at the behest of Vice Mayor Arlene Cunningham. 

Clary, who cancelled the meeting because it fell during Sumner County Schools’ spring break, ended up attending and chairing the meeting. Eleven aldermen were also present.  

Clary cancelled the March 26 meeting on March 13 “due to spring break and activities around that” even though at least eight aldermen told him via email that they could attend the meeting. The eight who could attend included Cunningham who volunteered to chair the meeting in case Clary couldn’t attend.

At least one speaker at the meeting addressed Clary's Facebook antics:

During Tuesday’s meeting, Mary’s Magical Place co-founder Rachel McAuley tearfully addressed the board.

“I feel like tonight I am here after a verbal flood that occurred on March 18 by a source,” she said. “Normally you would see me with tears of joy and a big smile like my daughter’s, but that smile has disappeared. Now I’m just mad. I’m upset.

For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Hendersonville Election Results

Yesterday, voters in Hendersonville went to the polls to decide on 6 Aldermen and on whether or not wine can be sold in grocery stores.

Here are the results:

WINE in GROCERY STORES:

YES -- 72%
NO  --  28%

Alderman, Ward 1

Rosa Long ran unopposed and will return to the BOMA

Alderman, Ward 2

Pat Campbell -- 62%
Barry Hardwick -- 38%

Alderman, Ward 3

Arlene Cunningham -- 62%
Angie Hedburg -- 38%

Alderman, Ward 4

Steve Brown -- 51%
Kurt Riley -- 49%

Alderman, Ward 5

Hamilton Frost -- 54%
Matt Lawson -- 46%

Alderman, Ward 6

Matt Stamper -- 70%
Jim Hoback -- 15%
Sam Parks III -- 15%

For more news about Hendersonville, Tennessee follow @HvilleNews

Liquor Money to Flow to Schools

After a mini-controversy involving Aldermen and the ability or willingness to read audits, it seems that a mistake is being corrected and Hendersonville will make payments over 5 years to the Sumner County Schools to make up for liquor-by-the-drink revenue not previously paid to the school system.

The agreement was reached by Mayor Foster and Director of Schools Del Phillips.  Some on the Board of Aldermen initially expressed skepticism or opposition (Matt Stamper, Mark Skidmore), but the final vote showed broad approval for the negotiated repayment plan. 

Going forward, the City of Hendersonville will pay the money to the schools as it comes in.  The agreement means the schools will receive $200,000 a year from Hendersonville for the next 5 years.

Of Schools, Liquor, and Taxes

WKRN has the story at 4 and 5 ...and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meet tonight at 7:30.