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POPULAR ANNUAL
FINANCIAL REPORT
Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2021
INSIDE
Page 2
“On the river, but never in it”
Page 3
Commission, awards
Page 4
Capital expenditures, major projects
Page 5
General financial information Page 6
General fund components
Page 7
Looking to the future
Page 8
Henderson by the numbers
From the City Manager ...
Dec. 31, 2021
Dear City Residents,
We are pleased to present the City of Hender-
son’s fifth Popular Annual Financial Report
(PAFR) for the 2021 Fiscal Year.
This report is intended to present a con-
densed overview of the City’s financial positfon,
financial practfces and details outlining how
City revenues were generated and spent. Finan-
cial informatfon in this report is derived from
the independently audited financial statements
that are a part of the City of Henderson’s Annu-
al Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for
the year ended June 30, 2021. (See Page 3 for
more informatfon about the ACFR and how to
review the full document.)
We are proud to report that the City has been
awarded a Certfficate of Achievement for Excel-
lence in Financial Reportfng by the Government
Finance Officers Associatfon the past 22 years.
The City was also presented with an Award for
Outstanding Achievement for
its fourth Popular Annual
Financial Report we pro-
duced for Fiscal Year 2020.
That report has been availa-
ble in the lobby of our Munic-
ipal Center, on our web site,
at the Henderson County
Public Library, at Henderson
Chamber of Commerce, at
Henderson Economic Devel-
opment and was distributed
at the annual State of the City Address by
Mayor Steve Austfn. We will again include a
social media campaign and email distributfon
for the 2021 PAFR as a general news release to
local media.
I am grateful to those employees in the City’s
Finance Department whose hard work and pro-
fessionalism made those distfnctfons possible.
As you review this Popular Annual Financial
Report, please feel free to share any questfons,
concerns or recommendatfons that you may
have with us.
Respectiully,
William L “Buzzy” Newman
City Manager, 270-831-1200
‘On the river, but never in it’
Henderson, originally known as “Red Banks” in reference to the soil along the
banks of the Ohio River, was first settled in 1797.
For those seeking the comforts and connectfons of a small town, Henderson is
a classic river town on the Ohio River where life is framed by nature’s resources
so you feel inspired with new ideas.
Henderson is the county seat of Henderson County, Kentucky, and lies on the
southern banks of the Ohio River in the western Kentucky coal field region. The
City sits on a river bluff more than 70 feet above the Ohio River’s low water
mark. Since the 1937 flood when Henderson was the only City on the Ohio River
that did not flood, the local slogan has been “On the Ohio, but never in it.” The
City of Henderson is nearly 18
square miles and is 400 feet
above sea level.
Henderson ranks as Ken-
tucky’s 13th largest city in
terms of populatfon. Friendly
people and southern hospitali-
ty are part of our nature.
Henderson is located 10 miles south of Evansville, Indiana, and is 140 miles
north of Nashville, Tennessee, 128 miles southwest of Louisville, Kentucky, and
196 miles southeast of St. Louis, Missouri.
The area is home to diverse industries, attractfng major manufacturing and
processors in aluminum, coal mining, steel, plastfcs, and agriculture. Locally pro-
duced commoditfes include aluminum ingot, automotfve parts, truck axles and
wheels, and poultry products. In 2022 we will add a paper mill and cardboard
box corrugator that uses 100 percent recycled paper.
We have:
•A public school system with 8 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 1 high
school, and 1 early learning (preschool) center; Henderson County High School
with a Career & Technical Educatfon (CTE) Unit and School of Fine Arts (SoFA);
parochial school for grades preschool-8 that feeds into parochial high schools in
both Owensboro, Kentucky, and Evansville, Indiana.
•Henderson Community College (a part of the Kentucky Community and Tech-
nical College System) and regional campuses of Murray State University and
Lindsey Wilson College.
•John James Audubon Museum with an extensive world-class collectfon of the
artfst/naturalist’s art and artffacts.
•More than 60 churches representfng many denominatfons.
2
ON THE COVER: (Top) Our downtown riverfront, a beacon for community activity; (middle) Sandy Lee Watkins Songwriters Festival, featuring 30 Nashville songwriters each summer for music and storytelling; (bottom left) W.C. Blues & Barbecue Festival and (right) Low Country Boil in one of our several riverfront parks. ABOVE: Visits by riverboats bringing tourists to town
are a common sight spring through fall. In 2022, we will enjoy 26 such visits.
Our location
in Kentucky
Board of Commissioners
The city, incorporated as a town in 1810 and as a city in 1867, has operat-
ed under the City Manager form of government since 1966. The Hender-
son Board of Commissioners consists of a mayor and four commissioners
elected by the citfzens on a non-
partfsan ballot. The mayor is
elected for a term of four years,
while the commissioners are
elected for a term of two years.
The mayor and commissioners
have equal votfng power.
The commission sets policies that
govern the city. It appoints advi-
sory groups that assist in the deci-
sion making process. The city
manager is appointed by the
commission and is responsible for
the day-to-day operatfons of the
city. The department managers
responsible for their various de-
partments report to the city man-
ager.
Left to right: 2021 Board of Commissioners
— Commissioner Rodney Thomas (one
term), Commissioner Brad Staton (three
terms), Mayor Steve Austin (three terms),
Commissioner Robert Pruitt (one term, and
others previously) and Commissioner Austin
Vowels (three terms).
Introduction to the Popular
Annual Financial Report
The Popular Annual Financial Report
(PAFR) is intended to brief the residents of
the City of Henderson on the financial
standing of their City Government. The
informatfon in this report is drawn from
the 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial
Report (ACFR). The ACFR conforms to the
generally accepted accountfng principles
(GAAP) and includes an audited financial
statement. The financial informatfon pre-
sented in the PAFR primarily comes from
the Governmental Funds and does not
include all component units. For more
detailed informatfon and copies of the
ACFR and PAFR, visit the City’s website at
www.CityOfHendersonKY.org. Awards and Acknowledgements
The Government Finance Officers Associatfon of the United States and
Canada (GFOA) awarded a Certfficate of Achievement for Excellence in
Financial Reportfng to the City of Henderson for its annual comprehen-
sive financial report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020. This
was the 22nd consecutfve year that the government has achieved this
prestfgious award. In order to be awarded a Certfficate of Achievement,
the government had to publish an easily readable
and efficiently organized ACFR that satfsfied both
generally accepted accountfng principles and appli-
cable program requirements.
The City of Henderson also received the GFOA’s Dis-
tfnguished Budget Presentatfon Award for its annual
budget document beginning
July 1, 2021, and ending
June 30, 2022. This was the
13th consecutfve year that
the government has
achieved this prestfgious
award. To qualify for the
Distfnguished Budget
Presentatfon Award, the government’s budget
document had to be judged proficient as a poli-
cy document, a financial plan, an operatfons guide, and a communica-
tfons device.
For the fourth year, the City of Henderson received the Popular Annual
Financial Reportfng Award for its June 30, 2020, presentatfon. Hender-
son is one of only four citfes in Kentucky to be awarded all three awards
for the most recent year.
Notable in Community
—Pratt Industries announced that it will con-
struct a $500 million 321-employee corrugated
box recycling and manufacturing complex on
the Kentucky 425 ByPass using 100 percent
recycled paper. Ground was broken in Decem-
ber.
—Audubon School Apartments, a new affordable
housing complex for seniors, opened in the East
End on the site of the former Audubon School.
—The Boys & Girls Club of Henderson launched
a capital campaign to transform the former
Henderson National Guard Armory into a center
for their programming as well as a community
gathering place. The capital campaign also
seeks to establish an endowment.
—Local donors matched a $100,000 contribu-
tion by former Gleaner publisher and citizen
Walt Dear in support of Friends of Audubon
State Park projects, including an expansion of
the Wetlands boardwalk trail system.
—Henderson Christian Community Outreach
broke ground for the construction of a new
home on Seventh Street.
—13 local attractions, restaurants and events in
Henderson County won awards in the 12th-
annual Best in Kentucky Awards presented by
Kentucky Living magazine.
—Green River National Wildlife Refuge, an-
nounced in 2019, added acreage toward its
goal of 24,000 acres.
3
ACFR
More financial detail is
available in our Annual
Comprehensive Financial
Report.
Find our reports at :
www.cityofhendersonky.org/
165/Audit-Financial-Reports
4
Capital Expenditures, Major Projects
The fiscal 2022 budget includes a few capital projects. A few projects will have
federal, state and local assistance; however, nearly $4.2 million in capital will
come from the 2020A bond proceeds to be used for the sports complex, fire
statfon and a new shelter at Newman Park. Major projects in the next fiscal year
will be the completfon of the riverfront improvements, Wathen Lane improve-
ment, sports complex facility and a new fire statfon No. 1.
Some highlights of things to come:
Public Safety
• New fire apparatus to replace a 1999 pumper.
Technology
•Eighteen (18) personal computers and three laptop/Toughbook computers are
proposed for replacement. This will contfnue the program of replacing older,
slower computers with newer computers.
•Install a fire suppression system in the City’s service room.
Public Works
• Repave eight different sectfons of streets.
• Green River Road sidewalks.
• Widening of Wathen Lane road improvements.
• Paving at the two cemeteries and various parks.
Gas System
• Increase the number of annual installatfons of electronic receiver transmitter
meters from 1,000 to 2,500. This project will eventually eliminate the need for
human meter readers.
In additfon to the capital items and initfatfves, one vehicle is included:
— Purchase of a crew cab 4WD pickup for Henderson Area Rapid Transit.
The Budget Process
As required by Kentucky Revised Statutes
91A.030 and 83A.150, the City Manager
submits a proposed operatfng budget on
or before June 1 to the mayor and Board
of Commissioners for the fiscal year com-
mencing July 1. The budget includes ap-
propriatfons for expenditures and means
of financing them.
Public input is welcomed,
and all commission
meetfngs concerning the
budget are scheduled
and announced in ad-
vance. The meetfngs are
held at the Municipal
Building and are open to
the public. A city cannot
expend any funds from any governmental
or proprietary fund without a legally en-
acted budget passed by the Board of Com-
missioners.
Budgeted revenues and expenditures rep-
resent the formal operatfng budget adopt-
ed by the Board of Commissioners, as
amended by the Board during the year.
Budgetary control is maintained at the
departmental level. Budgeted amounts
not spent by year-end lapse. Individual
amendments are typically not of signifi-
cant dollar value in comparison to the
original appropriatfons. Department heads
have the authority to submit a budget
adjustment request to the city manager
for approval. The city manager may
choose to take any request to the Board if
it is one that may be unusual or highly
visible. All budget amendments are docu-
mented by ordinance and tracked in the
city’s computerized financial system.
Quick Fact
“Rebecca,” the
fountain in Central Park
that’s a replica of a his-
toric predecessor that
existed at the turn of the
20th century, was refur-
bished in the summer
and fall of 2021.
5
Financial Highlights
• Primary Government liabilitfes and deferred inflows exceeded assets
and deferred outilows by $24.9 million at the close of fiscal 2021. Due to
pension and other post-employment obligatfons, the unrestricted net
positfon is a negatfve $47.5 million.
• City governmental funds reported combined ending fund balances of
$52 million. Of this total, $7.1 million is unassigned.
• In the City’s business-type actfvitfes, income from operatfons increased
from $831,271 in fiscal 2020 to $2,411,841 in fiscal 2022.
• The City’s General Fund ended the year with a fund balance of
$13,625,231, an increase of $2,546,790, or 23 percent, from fiscal year
2020’s balance of $11,078,441.
• In the past four years, the General Fund’s fund balance has increased
24.9 percent from $10.9 million in 2017 to $13.6 million in 2021.
*EDITOR’S NOTE: Informatfon in this report is drawn from the Annual Comprehensive Financial
Report (ACFR) and conforms to generally accepted accountfng principles (GAAP).
Quick Fact
Henderson has been the home of four
Kentucky governors and two lieuten-
ant governors, the artist/naturalist
John James Audubon, “Father of the
Blues” W.C. Handy, Admiral Husband
Kimmel of Pearl Harbor fame, the first
woman in America to receive a medi-
cal degree (Elizabeth Blackwell) and
an originator of Mother’s Day (Mary
Towles Sasseen Wilson.)
Quick Fact
Henderson County Public Library,
built in 1904 with assistance from
philanthropist Andrew Carnegie,
added an 18,000-square-foot, $8.4
million expansion that opened in
2021 after having been slowed by
the pandemic. The expansion added
new space for the library’s collec-
tions of various media, computer
labs, dedicated areas for children
and teens and new, much-needed
community meeting spaces.
6
Long-Term Debt
At the end of the current fiscal
year, the City of Henderson had
total bonded debt outstanding of
$50,410,000 and general
obligatfon contract of $82,923. All
of the $50,492,923 is backed by
the full faith and credit of the City.
General Fund Components
Unassigned Fund Balance
The unassigned fund balance classificatfon can be considered as available
surplus for the General Fund that can be spent for any purpose.
Assigned Fund Balance
The assigned fund balance classificatfon includes amounts to be used for
specific purposes. The intent for the specific purpose was set by either
the Board of Commissioners or the city manager.
Committed Fund Balance
The committed fund balance classificatfon includes amounts that can only
be used for specific purposes and those committed amounts cannot be
used for any other purpose unless the Board of Commissioners changes
the commitments by ordinance or resolutfon.
Non-spendable Fund Balance
The non-spendable fund balance classificatfon includes amounts that can-
not be spent because they are either 1) not in spendable form, or 2) legal-
ly or contractually required to be maintained intact.
Bond Rating
Due to strong fiscal management,
stable financial positfon, strong
reserves, healthy liquidity and
stable tax base, the City of
Henderson has maintained a
credit ratfng of Aa3 from Moody’s
Investors Service on its general
obligatfon bonds.
Growth in the City
Real estate assessments have
increased 15.8 percent or $170.5
million from $1,079.1 million at
the start of fiscal 2012 to $1,249.6
million at the end of fiscal 2021.
This equates to a 1.5 percent
annual increase.
Bank Deposits
Over the same 10-year period,
bank deposits have increased 41.4
percent, or $225,008. 2021 factors
During the fiscal year, the fund balance for the City of Henderson’s general fund
increased by $2,546,790. The factors contributfng to this increase:
• Occupatfonal taxes increase in the amount of $1,062,237.
• The insurance premium tax was up $517,841 or 9.4 percent.
• Federal grants in the amount of $1,575,000 with nearly $1.3 million from the
CARES Act.
• Total personnel costs were up only $146,582 or 9.8 percent compared to the
prior year and finished $1,087,00 under the 2021 budget.
• Property and Casualty Insurance expense decreased by $216,779 due to a
change in carriers.
7
Economic Factors, Trends,
& Next Year’s Budget
The City of Henderson was able to fund the fiscal 2022 Budget by using re-
serves from the General, Gas and Sanitatfon Funds. Modest growth in prop-
erty and occupatfonal tax receipts and holding increases in operatfng ex-
penses to a minimum will enable the City to contfnue to meet its needs.
—For fiscal 2021, there were 226 constructfon permits issued with a total
value of $17,419,209. There were 26 single family units, 1 duplex (2 units),
and 3 multf-family (19 units) for a total of 47 units approved. The total value
for new housing was $6,817,800. There were 2 new commercial develop-
ments with a total value of $5,763,000.
—There were 21 permits is-
sued for demolitfon of sub-
standard residentfal struc-
tures.
—The unemployment rate for
the City of Henderson in June
2020 was approximately 5.3
percent which was lower than
the natfonal rate of 5.9 per-
cent and higher than the Ken-
tucky rate of 4.4 percent.
—On July 29, 2021, Pratt Industries announced a $400 million corrugated
box recycling and manufacturing complex that within five years is expected
to employ 321 people at wages averaging nearly $30 per hour. The complex
will cover 1 million square feet and sit on a 200-acre site in Henderson.
Pratt would become the City’s largest water and natural gas customer. The
City has another 100 acres that could be developed for other industrial cus-
tomers that could support Pratt or associatory companies.
—Due to the contfnue threats of COVID-19 pandemic, fiscal 2021 was an-
other challenging year not only for the City of Henderson but for the whole
world. The health and safety of the citfzens and visitors were of the utmost
importance and required a detailed actfon plan like no other. The impact
that the pandemic will have on the local, state, and natfonal economies will
linger for years. It is during tfmes like these that local governments are ex-
pected to provide services and protectfon.
Capital Assets
The City of Henderson’s investment in
capital assets for its governmental and
business-type actfvitfes as of June 30,
2021, amounts to $35,109,930 (net of
accumulated depreciatfon).
This investment in capital assets in-
cludes land, buildings, machinery and
equipment, gas system improvements,
park facilitfes, vehicles, sculptures, and
infrastructure.
The total increase in capital assets for
the current fiscal year was approxi-
mately 0.5 percent.
Major capital asset events during the
current fiscal year included the follow-
ing:
•$540,214 for various vehicles includ-
ing 11 police vehicles.
•More than $324,500 for self-
contained breathing apparatus and
other emergency equipment for the
fire department.
•Another $291,681 on new radio
equipment.
•Sanitatfon rear-loading truck in the
amount of $149,717.
•Real property in the amount of
$959,257 that includes $859,257 for a
sports complex and $100,000 down
payment on property for an industrial
customer.
•$93,333 on new roads and bridges.
Quick Fact
The City is developing 124 acres at the
end of Borax Drive to be used for
economic development. With the pur-
chase of the tract for Pratt Industries, an
additional 100 acres will be available for
development.
8
Request for Information
Questfons or requests for additfonal finan-
cial informatfon may be sent to Robert
Gunter, Finance Director, City of Hender-
son, 222 First St., P.O. Box 716, Hender-
son, KY 42419-0716 or visit our website at
www.CityOfHendersonKY.org.
Teamwork:
City-County Joint Ventures
• Preparatfons and infrastructure for
the locatfon of Pratt Industries’ $400
million corrugated box recycling and
manufacturing complex announced in
July 2021.
• Preparatfons and infrastructure for
constructfon of the approaches and
extension of I-69 startfng in 2022.
• Planning for the future of the U.S. 41-
North corridor following the comple-
tfon of I-69 in Henderson and Hender-
son County.
• Flood Mitfgatfon Board oversees
funds dedicated to addressing flood-
ing problems in the community.
• A festfval to honor traditfons of His-
panic citfzens: Dia De Los Muertos.
• Solid waste disposal issues and op-
tfons reviewed by City-County
Cooperatfve Study Team.
• Emergency Dispatch Operatfons in the
911 Center with a goal of improving
funding optfons.
• A combined City-County Tourism
Commission.
• A reorganized and combined Human
Rights Commission.
Henderson By The Numbers
28,757
Population of Henderson
1810
Incorporated as a Town
1904
Public Library Built
Jan. 31, 1937
River crested at 53.9 feet, 19 feet above flood stage
(but the City of Henderson was high and dry)
25
Parks & Public
Spaces
$39,887 Family Medium Income
10,200
Weekly Residential
Sanitation Pickups
5,556
Central Park Memorial Day cross display started with
34 tributes in 1947. In 2021 there were 5,556.
5
Public murals that have grown from a catalyst project in
2018 that fulfilled an item on
community’s Vision Plan and
Downtown Master Plan.
15 Top Local Employers
Tyson Foods 1,336
Henderson County Schools 1,095
Deaconess Henderson 900
Gibbs Die Castfng 763
Century Aluminum 515
City of Henderson (including HWU) 470
Pittsburg Tank & Tower Co. 342
Big Rivers 338
Audubon Metals 332
Brenntag Mid-South 275
Dana 251
Henderson Co. Government 209
Accuride Corp. 159
Sitex Corp. 122
Red Banks
What Henderson,
settled in 1797,
was first called.
Aug. 15, 1896
First electric streetlights lit. Henderson was the
first city in western Kentucky to own its own power
generating plant.
56,268
Total ridership on Henderson
Area Rapid Transit in FY2021
(Ridership impacted by COVID-19 pandemic.)
1 Gravel street
(Van Wyck Road)
60,586
Calls in Fiscal Year 2020 to the
911 Emergency Communication
Center, a majority on cellular
phones.
1,185
Number of fire hydrants in the City of Henderson.
Hydrant tops are painted in colors to indicate the
flow capacity in gallons per minute.