BY DONNA SWICEGOOD
During their winter budget retreat in Hickory on Thursday, Statesville City Council members talked about a three-year capital improvement plan, held a strategic plan review, and discussed revenues and fees for both the electric and water and sewer divisions.
Prior to the afternoon session, council met with Hickory officials and toured the Hickory trail, greenways and downtown area. Council members and city staff members then met at the future location of the Hickory Aviation Museum for a work session.
Cody Leis, utilities director, told council that several ongoing initiatives would require a large capital budget. He said some 4kV conversion to place utility lines underground and building a new substation are at the top of the list.
He said there are 13 to 21 miles of 4kV lines remaining to be run underground, which will address liability issues and replace older equipment.
The substation, Leis said, would replace one in the southwestern section of the city. That substation, he said, dates back to the 1950s and it is serving a growing portion of the city. The section includes several new and planned subdivisions.
The cost of that substation is expected to be around $7 million to $8 million, Leis said.
Part of a not-yet-completed power study by the city, ElectriCities and Utility Solutions LLC was also a part of the presentation.
The study, which is expected to be completed within the next month, recommends no change in utility rates.
For water and sewer service, a study recommended a 22 percent rate increase in 2026 but at its 2025 winter retreat, council settled on a 9 percent increase in 2026 with increases of 12 percent in 2027 and 9 percent in subsequent years.
Capital improvement budget requests included $3.7 million in equipment, $3.6 million in vehicles and from $17 million to $24 million in capital projects for 2026.
City Manager Ron Smith stressed these numbers were for “wants” and the numbers would likely be pared down to needs during the budget process.
Sherisha Hills, assistant city manager, talked to council about the review of the strategic plan for the city.
The core ideas of the plan, she said, are Developing Our Team, Connecting Our City and Connecting the Community. The team aspect, she said, is to build the internal capacity to deliver services efficiently. The other two components are to ensure infrastructure and systems are in place to support growth and to assure these outcomes are visible, equitable and meaningful to citizens.
Council members Doris Allison and David Jones both expressed the need to educate and inform residents of plans, whether it be through social media or community meetings.
“We are growing. We are not moving backwards.” Allison said.
An all out effort to inform the community is needed, and engagement with that community is vital, she added.
No action was taken by council at the retreat on Thursday.