King honored at retirement reception
A large crowd assembled in the Council Chamber at City Hall Friday afternoon to honor long-time Henderson Mayor Bobby King who is finishing his fourth term in office.
King chose not to seek reelection in the August election opting for retirement instead. He will be replaced by Terry Bell who was elected to the post earlier this month.
Surrounded by friends, family and colleagues, several spoke to congratulate King on a stellar career, including former Sheriff Eric Bell, who said that he gave King his first job in law enforcement as a deputy. This began a career that took King from Chief Deputy to becoming a U.S. Marshall, overseeing the Jackson and then the Memphis field office.
King was forced to leave the Marshall Service after he was seriously injured in a wreck while on duty in Memphis.
He ran for Henderson Mayor for the first time in 2008 and stepped into the shoes of Mayor Eddy Patterson. Patterson served as mayor of Henderson for 24 years. With King’s 16 years at the helm, Henderson has had only two city mayors over the past 40 years, lending to the city’s stability and consistency. Notably, Henderson has also had only two city recorders since the 1940s.
Speaking to the group, King said that he was proud of what had been accomplished during the past 16 years but was quick to credit those he worked with for their hard work and dedication to make Henderson a better place live and raise a family.
He said that it was his wife, Teressa, that has stood beside him during this journey, leaving her career, to become his caregiver following his accident. “I couldn’t have done any of this without her,” King said.
In addition to Bell, other dignitaries who honored King for his service were State Senator Page Walley, Joe Barker, Southwest Tennessee Development District; Blake Hopper and Jason Bramblett, Chamber of Commerce; Chris Dunbar, American Legion; Mike Smith, Southwest Human Resource Agency; Mark Barber, Henderson Alderman; Barry Hutcherson, Chester County Mayor; David Shannon, FHU President; Anthony Haynes, Tennessee Municipal League; Floyd Flippin, TSSAA Southwest Tennessee Football Officials; and Jeff Griggs, Lexington Mayor.
When asked what he had planned for his retirement he said, “I really don’t know. I’m sure it will involve some golf, and I will continue my role as a TSSAA Football Supervisor. I’m sure Teressa will find something to keep me busy.”
Mayor King presides over his final city board meeting
The City of Henderson Board of Mayor and Aldermen met Thursday, August 8, in regular session with all members present.
The Sale of Real Property at 132 N. Washington Ave, formally the FirstBank North Branch was the first discussion in the meeting. This agreement was a revised amendment proposal from a 20-year restriction down to a five-year restriction. This advised restriction was mandated with the same price that was offered by the city council originally, which is only the appraised value. The city council voted all in favor with none opposed.
The board considered bids received on the Industrial Site Grading Phase III under the ECD Site Development Grant (SDG). The recommendation (from TLM Associates, Inc. Architects+Engineers, Robert J. Safin, P.E., Principal) was to award the lowest bidder Delta located at 96 Smith Lane, Jackson, TN 39301, contingent upon review by the Department of Economic and Community Development. The lowest bid was ultimately decided upon with contractor Delta Contracting Company, LLC for $494,000. The next steps will be setting guidelines, and numbers of employees. All votes were in favor with none opposed.
The city employee’s health insurance matching rate effective January 1, 2025 was discussed. It was decided to continue with the state’s insurance plan. The city’s policy has previously been to pay 90% of the best plan to the individual. This current year for 2024 the health insurance is paying $745 maximum for 52 employees’ total. It was asked for the upcoming year to be rounded up to $760 which would equal 90.5% in total, with a half percent increase. All voted in favor with none opposed.
Consideration of a resolution to approve the application for a Public Entity Partners (the city’s insurance carrier) Property Conservation Grant was unanimously approved with a roll call vote. The program has a 50% local match with a maximum grant amount of $4,000. It was decided not to fund the AED (it was mentioned this was more for the public than the employees) and instead to purchase first-aid kits for all city vehicles.
The city approved the purchase of a new zero turn mower for the Utility Department and one for the Parks Department. There are two mowers in the department. The most recent purchase of a mower was five years ago, with the oldest mower nearing retirement. Locations needing to be mowed were discussed. The purchase of a new mower is costly, but the city council decided that with how much land needs to be mowed, ultimately necessary. The motion was set, seconded and approved with none opposed.
This was City Mayor Robert W. King’s official last meeting before his retirement. Each city council member personally thanked King for his service.
The swearing in for the alderman and new city mayor will be at 10 a.m. August 30, at City Hall.
