Staton also offers updates on the city’s successes
Henderson County Judge-Executive Brad Schneider—in his last state of the county address—asked for a little latitude from those gathered Thursday for the Chamber of Commerce’s State of the City and County, before he spoke more personally about his ten years as head of county government.
Schneider spoke about meeting his wife, Kelly, in Henderson soon after starting his professional career here as a sportswriter for The Gleaner, when he had dreams of writing about professional sports teams in big cities. She informed him she wasn’t leaving and he needed to decide if it was her or the road.
“And I think I chose wisely,” he said.
He also said he hopes history will be kind in judging his time in office.
“I have always been and always will be a champion for Henderson County,” he said.
Imagining a question in a future job interview about what he accomplished while in office, he said he’d answer, “I believe I’m leaving it a whole lot better than I found it.”
Then he performed a “mic drop,” which was followed by a standing ovation.
Before that, Schneider spoke about some of his accomplishments during his ten years as county judge-executive. Perhaps the most eye-popping was the county’s financial standing when he took over in 2016. At the time, the county had $700,000 in its general reserve fund, he said. Now, it stands at $48 million, and the county is completely debt free, he said.
“What a difference a decade can make,” Schneider said.
This happened even as taxes were not increased on county residents. He said the budget this fiscal year marks the 11th straight year that the county has not raised taxes—“not a cent,” he said.
Schneider also mentioned a recent 50% cut in the county’s insurance premium tax. That tax cut was passed by fiscal court in January.
Other mentions include the county’s annual gross domestic product of $2.27 billion; continued advocacy for I-69; $2 million in improvements to county roads; the planned $8 million addition to the Henderson County Detention Center; improvements at both the Baskett Recreational League fields and Sandy Lee Watkins Park; and $3 million in funding to the Henderson County Water District to assist in its plan to fix the aging and leaky system, among other projects he spoke about.
He also urged voters to consider the values of those running for office in November’s general election and to cast a vote for those who have shared values.
Schneider, who lost in the May Republican primary to Timmy Dunn by 47 votes, said serving Henderson County as judge-executive has “been an honor of a lifetime.”
Earlier in the program, Henderson Mayor Brad Staton spoke about the progress the city is making. He said the city commission has been able to cut real and property taxes while also being able to grow the city’s reserve fund to record levels and in addition pursuing a record number of projects.
Staton mentioned that the city intends to take over recycling collections this year.
Staton also gave a shout-out to Assistant City Manager Buzzy Newman, who is planning to retire in February. ‘Thank you for the many years you’ve given to the city,” Staton said to Newman.
The mayor also mentioned some of the projects that the city is working on or projects that the city is a part of:
- The new Fire Station #1: It’s right on budget and Staton said it appears the new station will be ready before the end of the year
- The Audubon State Park Conference Center: The city is funding $2.7 million (and the county is putting in $2.5 million) for the conference center, which Staton said should break ground in fall or the spring. He predicted the conference center will be finished in the summer of fall of 2028. The conference center, he said, will cost close to $20 million, and the rest of the project will be funded by the state.
- Watson Lane road widening project: Staton said the state should begin relocating utility lines before the end of the year or in the spring. The project will widen the road, add more lanes and curbs, he said.
- New transfer station: The mayor said that a design for a new transfer station will be designed this fiscal year.
- Loop Road: The mayor spoke about a proposed loop road that would start behind Walmart and go to I-69, where it would parallel the interstate for 1 ½-2 miles before elbowing over to U.S. 60. He said that would create the opportunity for hundreds of acres of commercial and residential development.
The mayor also spoke about a plan to bring a Veterans Memorial Park to the open field across from Rhythm River Distillery on Water Street; savings to the city’s coffers that has come because of the city’s closing of Municipal Golf Course and purchase of the Bridges Golf Course; and road safety regarding the intersection of Barret Boulevard and U.S. 60. He said incidents at that intersection have decreased greatly since the speed limit recently was reduced along this stretch from 45 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour.
He also said that he has had talks with Henderson County Schools district to re-implement driver’s education classes at Henderson County High School. This drew claps from the audience.
