A representative from the York County Aging Services presented information to the City Council Tuesday evening.
The Henderson City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, August 13, at 7 p.m. at Henderson City Hall. The agenda was pretty short, and two council members were absent—Brian Hiebner and Terri Pollett. There was a quorum, with Mayor Corbin Tessman able to vote with the two other council members present–Kevin J. Friesen and Mitch Huxoll.
Program Director Lori Beyers from the York County Aging Service presented information to the Council about the SHIP (Senior Health Insurance Program) counseling they provide in York County. She explained how they are available to provide assistance to seniors with their Medicare applications and during the open enrollment period. She said their most used service is for transportation, usually for medical appointments and grocery shopping.
Another service they offer is Tele-Care, which involves elementary students calling home-bound seniors and checking on their well-being. She said that before COVID, Heartland students were involved in this program, and it was well received. Beyers would like to get the program going again but will need to coordinate it with school staff.
Next on the agenda, the Council heard a request from the Pickleball players about placing a surveillance camera at the tennis courts. No one was at the meeting, but they had made the request to City Clerk Connie Brown. Due to the recent vandalism of a box of equipment they own that is locked on the tennis courts, they wanted to purchase a camera on the court. “Someone used a crowbar to open the box and caused considerable damage, but nothing was taken. They will purchase the camera themselves but want permission to mount it on the court and use the City’s WiFi,” said Brown.
“This really opens a can of worms when we start allowing a private camera on public property. I understand their concern for trying to protect their property, but I can see how this would set a precedent for other situations,” said Mayor Tessman. There was discussion about the surveillance camera located on the restrooms next to the tennis courts which doesn’t have a view of the tennis courts. No action was taken, and they will discuss it with the full Council next month.
The third and final reading of the Feline/Trap-Neuter-Return Program Ordinance #456 was reviewed and discussed. They moved to change the language on Section 2 Item C to strike the wording “including food, shelter or medical care” in the ordinance. “This is a good ordinance to have and will hopefully mitigate some of the issues we are having,” said Mayor Tessman after it was voted on to accept.
The third reading of the Snow Emergency Route Ordinance was discussed, and due to some concern about the language about towing in Section 3 Item D, they will have a fourth reading at their next meeting.
The third reading of the Short Term Rental Ordinance #457 was voted on and accepted.
Click on the City of Henderson website link to read the above ordinances.
City of Henderson Utility Supervisor Aaron Johnson reported on the upcoming concrete work being finished this week by Friesen Construction at the end of North Main at Oak Street. He also reported that Asphalt Patch Master would be in town later this week for street repairs. He added that they would be closing up the Henderson Aquatic Center after this weekend.
City Clerk Brown reported on the estimate she received from Sargent Drilling for Well #2, which came in at $10,360. She also received a bid for the two-manhole renovation project at the City Lagoon for $9,450. Both of these items will be on the agenda next month. She outlined the dates for the platting of the Highland Subdivision: The Planning Commission will meet on September 9, and a public hearing on the project will be held on September 10. She said if the specs are presented in October, the contracts may be awarded as soon as November.
Mayor Tessman discussed the Henderson Chamber of Commerce Executive Director vacancy and how the City may be involved in future discussions about the job description with the Chamber. He explained that the position is important for the City to evaluate as well since it provides backup for the City office and is valuable to the community.
Mayor Tessman reported on a letter sent to both the school and hospital regarding their concerns about excessive parking on Front Street during school construction. The letter asked that employees at the hospital and school refrain from parking on Front Street for safety issues during construction at Heartland and make it readily available for parents to pick up children.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m.
