The city of Henderson is interested in using a contractor for assistance in snow removal when future winter storms dump inches of snow and are followed by a prolonged freezing temperature.
At Tuesday’s Henderson City Commission work session, City Manager Dylan Ward said the process would involve the city putting out and rewarding a bid for work to be done in certain circumstances, such as the recent snow and freezing temperatures.
When the weather conditions are met, the city could call the contractor in to assist in clearing the snow from the streets.
The city commission gave an OK for staff to bring back a more specific plan for formal action.
City officials mentioned in recent meetings about taking some heat for not getting the streets cleared after the late January snowstorm.
In that case, most of the main roads were cleared and drive-able within a few days, but roads in subdivisions could not be cleared before the freezing temperatures and the compacting of snow turned the neighborhood streets into solid ice.
Officials said most municipalities’ top priority is to clear main streets first.
Henderson’s January storm left many residents stuck inside for a few days, said Mayor Brad Staton, and added the city is always seeking to do better.
He said the alternative is to buy more equipment and hire more employees.
Public Works Director Brian Williams said that buying more equipment could end up a waste because of the local climate which many winters brings little or no snow.
“(We) can’t spend money on equipment that just sits there,” he said.
Ward, meanwhile, offered kudos to Williams and staff, who worked on clearing areas around town so that Henderson County Schools buses could pick up students for school.
School buses weren’t able to pick up students because of snow pack in the first week after the storm, but a plan to pick up students at designated locations throughout the city and county allowed in-person school to resume on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Both city of Henderson and Henderson County government crews, along with HCS employees, worked to make that plan happen.
Another kudos to the city’s public works came from Commissioner Robert Pruitt, who commended sanitation crews for picking up trash starting the Tuesday directly after the heavy snowfall. Other cities called off trash collection for the whole week, he said.
In other news:
- The city commission asked that staff bring back a plan to offer stipends to police and fire department employees who attain certain certifications. The proposal has a $43,000 total price tag and would entail paying 22 police officers and 21 firefighters $1,000 a year for attaining certain certifications. On the fire department side, firefighters can gain certification in rope rescue, confined space rescue, hazardous materials operations and trench rescue. Firefighters with these certifications would make up a rescue skills team composed of five firefighters, with one rescue team per shift and a total of 15 firefighters. Additionally, firefighters can also get certified in dive operations and be a part of a dive team, which is composed of two firefighters on each of the three shifts. On the police side, there would be certifications for the Emergency Response Team, hostage negotiators, drone pilots and dive team members, a total of 22 certifications. On the certification plans, Commissioner Rodney Thomas said, “I think this is a no-brainer.”
- The city commission OK’d city staff to work on a buy-back policy that would allow city employees to cash in vacation time. Ward said a possible policy is meant for employees who have accrued many hours of vacation time and don’t ever use them. Another piece of the proposal is that an employee with accrued vacation hours would first need to use some vacation—so employees can get rest and strengthen mental health—in the year preceding, Ward said.
- City staff is currently working on an employee a program that allows for a larger match of an employee’s salary which would help participants save more for retirement. “If someone gives us 30 years, I would love to see them have success in retirement,” Ward said.
