Cherryville City Council Reviews Potential Fire Department Changes

City of Cherryville Work Session - January 27, 2026

Mason Beam (WNN)

Posted Wednesday, January 28, 2026 3:36 pm

By: Wise News Network Staff

Cherryville, NC (WNN) - The Cherryville City Council met for its regular work session on Tuesday, January 27th, 2026. They discussed hiring more firefighters and selling surplus machinery.

Fire Department Proposes Staffing Overhaul

Interim Fire Chief Colby Heffner spoke to the council. He presented a plan to transition the Cherryville Fire Department towards a full-time career model. The plan aims to cut the assistant Fire Chief position to pay for a third firefighter on each shift.

Heffner pointed out that the current two-person crew doesn't meet the national "two-in, two-out" safety rule for building fires. The new setup would have a captain, a driver engineer, and a backseat firefighter. This team could start indoor rescues and put out fires quickly.

Interim Fire Chief, Colby Heffner - City of Cherryville Work Session - January 27, 2026

Mason Beam (WNN)

Heffner also emphasized that the change is important for medical emergencies; with local EMS delays occasionally reaching 30 minutes, a third firefighter is essential to provide high-quality, life-saving CPR.

City Manager Brian Dalton supported this plan. He pointed out that the department could keep its current budget by cutting down on part-time staff and overtime pay. Council members supported the safety upgrades but asked for a complete financial breakdown before casting an official vote.

Mayor Stroupe said that while this plan makes sense, the council needs to see the impact it will have on the budget to ensure they are not signing a blank check. The financial impact presentation will occur at the February 2026 Regular City Council Meeting.

Surplus Machinery Scheduled for Auction

Council members unanimously voted to declare a 2005 Ditch Witch and its trailer as surplus property.

Cherryville Public Works Director, Chris King presenting the surplus Ditch Witch - City of Cherryville Work Session - January 27, 2026

Mason Beam (WNN)

Public Works Director Chris King says the equipment has seen little use, logging just over 228 hours. An excavator bought last budget year will be taking its place. The city plans to list the items on govdeals.com.

Storm Recovery and Infrastructure Updates

City Manager Dalton praised the city's departments for their quick reaction to the winter weather that came over the weekend. As temperatures varied, Public Works crews began scraping the streets on Sunday to keep the roads safe. This helped prevent a large amount of ice from forming. The city avoided power outages throughout the storm.

Winter Storm Fern - Cherryville, NC - January 25, 2026

Mason Beam (WNN)

Other infrastructure updates were given. Work on the paving portion of the Academy Street project is now officially finished. Line painting and manhole adjustments still need work. Additionally, city staff have begun a thorough review of the local sign ordinance. They are doing this in order to update the code, which was last revised in 2006. They also want to ensure that the rules are applied consistently and fairly to all local businesses.

The meeting ended with a code enforcement update where officials confirmed that the overgrown lot at 507 Second St. will be cleared following neighbors' complaints. The next regular City Council meeting is set for Feb. 9, 2026. It is anticipated that the council will approve the fire department staffing request and get the annual audit report at that meeting.