July 22, 2026 - Hendersonville City Council Meeting

Hendersonville City Council Meeting Recap Date: July 22, 2026

The Hendersonville City Council convened on July 22, 2026, to review critical infrastructure updates, address public safety concerns regarding recent flooding, and consider regulatory changes for utility billing and data center development. The meeting focused on operational reports from the water and wastewater departments, compliance issues with the Half Moon Heights development, and proposed policy shifts aimed at improving revenue collection and managing community impacts.

A primary decision made during the session was the scheduling of a public hearing for a data center moratorium. Council Member [Speaker 4] moved to schedule this hearing for September 3, 2026, at 5:45 PM. The motion carried, establishing that the council will use the intervening time to research the impacts of data centers and draft an action plan required by law. The council clarified that this hearing is to consider a moratorium, not to enact one immediately, and that the moratorium, if passed, would not exceed 12 months. Additionally, the council approved the agenda as amended, with one consent agenda item removed and placed on the August agenda.

Significant discussion centered on the Half Moon Heights erosion control update following flooding events in late May and June. Staff reported that Henderson County issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) on July 2 for sediment discharge into the Wolfchase subdivision. Allie Seaball from Four Star Homes stated that while five acres of offsite runoff were identified, no damage occurred to private residences; only a Four Star-owned house was flooded. The developer has halted new land-disturbing activities and is implementing emergency controls. Regarding utilities, Director Adam Stir reported that the water fund is 93% expended, with an $17.3 million water distribution resiliency project targeted for late 2027. The council also discussed a proposed update to the Water Shortage Response Plan, which utilizes three stream gauges to make the city 99.5% less likely to enter Stage 1 restrictions.

The council reviewed proposed changes to the utility billing and collection policy to address $844,000 in uncollected balances, 92% of which are over 120 days old. Recommendations include reducing the disconnection timeline from 96 to 68 days, increasing leak adjustment limits to $3,000, and assessing late fees one day after the due date. Council Member [Speaker 3] emphasized the goal of ensuring that "ten years from now we won’t have twice the amount owed to us." Staff requested council feedback on these changes by the August 6 meeting, with a potential go-live date of October 1, 2026.

Public input was limited to concerns raised by Council Member [Speaker 6] regarding the communication with the Wolfchase Homeowners Association. The council member asked how updates would be shared with the HOA, noting community anxiety about property damage. Staff members [Speaker 8] and [Speaker 11] confirmed they have been in contact with the HOA and agreed to collaborate on a joint response email to be sent after the developer’s July 29 NOV response is received. This communication will confirm the meeting with Four Star and county staff and state that headway is being made.

Several follow-up actions were agreed upon during the meeting. Four Star Homes will submit a formal response to the Notice of Violation by July 29, 2026. Staff members [Speaker 8] and [Speaker 11] will coordinate with the City Attorney to send a joint response to the Wolfchase HOA after receiving the developer’s reply. Staff will conduct research on data center impacts to support the September 3 public hearing. Finally, staff will provide feedback on the utility billing policy changes by the August 6 council meeting, with implementation potentially beginning on October 1, 2026.