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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - The Cherryville City Council addressed growing concerns about homelessness in the community and approved a plan to reorganize the city's fire department at its regular meeting on Monday, February 9, 2026.
During the public comment section of the meeting, Lifelong resident Lisa Roach spoke. She described the devastating conditions she has seen as homelessness grows in Cherryville.
"On February 2, 2026, it was 3 degrees at my house when the snowstorms hit," Roach shared. "Watching local citizens — because they are citizens too — go through these kinds of conditions was heartbreaking."
A trail leading to an area where unhoused citizens of Cherryville are known to camp - February 10th, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
Roach, who brought along someone who had experienced homelessness but now has stable work, made her case with a biblical reference. She quoted Matthew 25:40: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
She urged the council to team up with nonprofits, set up warming facilities, or provide safe areas where those without homes could find shelter during harsh weather.
Mayor Wade Stroupe said the city took action during the most recent ice and snow storms. They worked with Gaston County to keep homeless shelter hours longer in Gastonia and set up a warming spot at the senior center in Dallas. Police and firefighters reached out directly to known homeless people, offering them rides to shelters. Most, though, refused, saying they had other options or did not want help.
"Can we do more? Should we do more? A lot more," Stroupe admitted. He pointed out that several churches are already taking action. First United Methodist and First Baptist churches are putting together blankets and hygiene supplies for police and firefighters to hand out. The American Legion Auxiliary is also pitching in by gathering toiletries to help those in need.
The council voted unanimously to approve Interim Fire Chief Colby Hefner's plan. He proposed raising the minimum staffing level from 2 to 3 firefighters per shift, while eliminating the assistant fire chief position. This change will save money.
The Cherryville, NC Fire Department - Feburaury 10th, 2025
Mason Beam (WNN)
The plan reallocates the assistant chief's salary to hire one additional full-time firefighter. This means there will now be three firefighters on each shift, plus the fire chief.
City Manager Brian Dalton shared a financial breakdown. It showed that the current salary expenses, totaling $622,322 (including longevity pay), will now be $621,781 under the new setup. This adds staff but still saves a small amount of money.
The main savings come from cutting overtime and from reducing part-time workers' extra pay. The fire department has already used over $35,000 this fiscal year to cover shifts when workers are either sick or on vacation. By having three-person teams, two firefighters can manage the shift if someone is out, without needing to bring in part-time help.
Dalton said, "It's giving us even more service, at a cheaper price."
The city sets aside $52,000 for overtime and $47,300 for part-time firefighter costs in its budget. Officials expect the new system to reduce both amounts by about half.
Hefner said they made the change to fix the drop in volunteer numbers, which is a problem seen across the country. This change also helps the department keep up with Cherryville's growth. The department handles all medical emergencies and fires, and often arrives ahead of Gaston EMS with critical life-saving gear.
"We're just trying to become a little more self-sufficient, so in the event that we do pull up, we can get to work quicker and safer," Hefner said.
Emily Dellinger, the Director of the Cherryville Chamber of Commerce, shared the 2025 Year in Review Report. It highlighted impressive business growth.
Last year, the chamber held six ribbon-cutting ceremonies. These included openings for the Larry and Carolyn Summer Recreation Center, Dollar Tree, Georgia Bee's Boutique, Pizza Inn, Grooming by Katelyn, and The Cages Training Facility. The chamber also organized key events, including Whoville, the Cherry Blossom Festival, July 4th celebrations, and the Christmas Parade.
All of this was funded with $50,600 from private sponsors and 510 hours of volunteer support. No city tax money was used to make these happen.
"We did not use any of the city’s budgeted money on festivals or events hosted by the Chamber of Commerce," Dellinger said.
The council approved road closures for events in 2026. These include the Cherry Blossom Festival on April 25, the Independence Day Celebration on July 2, the Scaryville Halloween event on October 16, Whoville on December 4, and the Christmas Parade on December 12.
Sheila Thornton from Butler & Stowe shared the fiscal year 2025 audit, which received an "unqualified opinion," the best rating auditors can give. The state Local Government Commission conducted a full desk check, reviewed the audit closely, and approved it without issue.
The city's financial situation has improved over the past four years. City Manager Dalton noted that the fund balance grew. In 2022, the fund balance ended at 18.9% ($1.2 million), in 2023, the fund balance ended at 31.2% ($2.4 million), in 2024, the fund balance ended at 38.4% ($3.1 million), and in 2025, the fund balance ended at 44.9% ($3.4 million).
The city saw growth as it completed major construction projects. These included paving two miles of Academy Street from Mountain Street to Paul H Beam Road. The city also paved West Carroll Extension, Rudisill Street, and portions of Styers and Black Street. There have also been upgrades to every park in the city, including new basketball goals. The city built a new splash pad and the Larry and Carolyn Summer Recreation Center. They also upgraded the community building.
Dalton noted that the city's job situation has improved. Four years ago, Cherryville had a hard time finding people to work as cops and firefighters because the pay was too low. After raising wages, the city moved up from the bottom to the middle of the League of Municipalities rankings. This led many qualified people to apply for each job opening.
The property located at 529 South Mulberry Street, Cherryville, NC - February 20th, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
City council members approved a zoning change for 529 South Mulberry Street. Deborah D. Terry owns the property. She has plans to tear down two run-down houses on the land. She wants to build three starter homes in their place. Each house will be about 1,200 square feet.
Champion Construction will build the homes. They said each house will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The design will fit in with the nearby houses.
On January 20, the Cherryville Planning Board approved this plan. They found it matched up with the city's 2012 comprehensive land use plan.
Perfect Game Partnership: Recently, Council Member Gary Freeman and Mayor Stroupe met with Perfect Game representatives to discuss bringing the youth baseball organization to Cherryville. City Manager Dalton mentioned he plans to set up a conference call sometime next week to go over the contract details.
"We're going to try to have a call within the next week to finalize the contract and get something together on that," Dalton shared.
Property Cleanup Ordered: The council has instructed staff to clear out a county-owned vacant lot on Academy Street, located near East Elementary School, which has been cluttered with trash and fallen trees since Hurricane Helene hit two years ago.
Council Member Jill Puett noted that residents are unhappy with the property's appearance. She mentioned that the school board has been informed, but no action has been taken yet.
"People who live around there have said it looks bad for our neighborhood and they want to know why the county won't do anything," Puett said.
The Cherryville City Council during the regular February City Council Meeting - February 9th, 2026
Rusty Wise (WNN)
Highway 150 Water Line Project: Dalton says the city is making progress on extending water service along Highway 150, but they are running into issues with the existing fiber-optic cables. Dalton mentioned that the plan is to cross Highway 150 near Dr. Dellinger's office on Mulberry Street, then cross Highway 150 with the water line and go down that section to install the water line stretch, to try to avoid the fiber-optic cables.
Before moving forward, the city will need easements from a few property owners. Dalton mentioned there’s another project in the works to replace the force main from Ballard Pump Station, which should be out for contractor bids sometime in the next week.
The council's next regular meeting is scheduled for March 9, and during that meeting, there will be a public hearing on proposed changes to the city's zoning sign regulations.
Upgraded Lighting at the Community Building: Mayor Stroupe also brought up the improved lighting in the room used for city council meetings. This was upgraded for free by Mister Sparky - Wise Electric Control to newer LED bulbs. This has left the room brighter and whiter, as seen in our livestream of the meeting below.
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