Cherryville City Council Discusses Year-End Reports, Future of Meeting Videos

4:38 PM EST |February 28, 2025|Lauren Ramsey|Cherryville Government, Government, News Articles, People

By: Lauren Ramsey – Wise News Network

Cherryville, NC (WNN)— The Cherryville City Council held a work session Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, reviewing year-end reports from the fire and police departments and discussing the future of video recordings of council meetings.

Fire Department Details 2024 Activity, Chief’s Retirement Announced

Assistant Chief Colby Heffner presented the fire department’s 2024 year-end report, detailing promotions, new hires, and call statistics. Read the year end report by clicking here. Driver Engineer Phillip Smith was promoted to Captain of A Shift, and volunteer firefighter Michael Griffin was promoted to driver engineer of A Shift. Alexis Bush joined the department as a driver engineer to C Shift.

The department responded to 1,003 calls for service in 2024, a slight decrease from previous years. This included 25 fire-related calls and 613 EMS calls. The decrease in EMS calls was attributed to staffing shortages earlier in the year, which have since been resolved. The department also responded to 365 public service calls and 34 automatic aid calls, received mutual aid eight times, and provided mutual aid 11 times. The average response time was 4 minutes and 25 seconds.

Colby Heffner presenting the 2024 year end report at the work session. Feb. 25th, 2025 by Mason Beam (WNN)

The fire department estimated that property damage from two structure fires on Mountain Street amounted to $146,600. Several firefighters have obtained new certifications, and the department applied for a FEMA SAFER grant to increase their minimum staffing from two to three full-time employees. Although the grant was not awarded, the department plans to re-submit the application in 2025.

Police Report: Increased Calls, Staffing Concerns, and Pine Street Abatement

Police Chief Brandon Hunsucker reported that 2024 was a busy year for the department, noting that calls for service increased by approximately 2,000 compared to the previous year. However, major crimes and investigations, including break-ins, robberies, assaults, and other felonies, saw a decrease.

In March, the department, in conjunction with NC ALE (Alcohol Law Enforcement), initiated a nuisance abatement process on a house in the 300 block of Pine Street. The residence, which had generated over 300 calls for service in just over two years, was subsequently removed.

The chief also cited the removal of a problematic housing authority as contributing to a reduction in calls. Overdoses and drug crimes both decreased, with 109 drug-related crimes recorded. Chief Hunsucker stated that while drug problems exist in Cherryville, he believes they are less severe than in surrounding areas and indicated plans to increase drug-related arrests.

He also discussed the department’s school outreach, highlighting the presence of a public safety instructor at the high school and programs at elementary schools, and addressed cooperation with Gaston County on immigration enforcement, confirming that the county jail cooperates with ICE.

Chief Hunsucker presenting the year end report for the Cherryville Police Department. Feb. 25th, 2025 by Mason Beam (WNN)

Notably, Chief Hunsucker indicated the department is currently understaffed, raising questions about its ability to maintain current service levels.

Council Debates Meeting Video Cost, Transparency Questioned

City Manager Brian Dalton led the discussion about video recording council meetings. Currently, the city pays $350 per month to live stream these meetings on their YouTube channel. However, it was mentioned that WNN livestreams the meetings at no cost to the city. The council debated whether to continue paying for this service now that COVID-19 restrictions have ended and meetings are once again open to the public. Concerns were raised regarding the number of viewers and the overall cost-effectiveness of the live streaming.

The council decided to table the discussion until the next meeting and to consider adding a link to WNN’s videos on the city website. The move to potentially cut paid video services raises questions about the city’s commitment to transparency, especially for residents who cannot attend meetings in person.

When WNN’s owner, Rusty Wise, was asked about providing live streams for the Cherryville city council he responded, “Even though we provide free videos, we may not always be present at every Cherryville City Council meeting.”

Budget and Other Business

The council scheduled its next work session for April 29 at the fire department, beginning at 5 p.m. They also discussed the installation of Urns on Main Street and landscaping improvements in the medians.

One of the new flower urns installed in the Cherryville NC downtown. Feb. 25th, 2025 by Mason Beam (WNN)

An update was provided on the apartment complex on Academy Street, where four apartment buildings and a community building, totaling 124 apartments, are under construction. The project manager aims for completion and rental availability by December. Plans also include the potential for two additional apartment buildings on land across the street, where equipment is currently being stored.

With no further business, a motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting, which passed unanimously.

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