Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 7, 2014

This Newsletter and Agenda is about the Hickory City Council meeting that took place on the date listed above. City Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each Month in the Council Chambers of the Julian Whitener building.

At right of this page under Main Information links is an Hickory's City Website link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the top of the page under Quick Links you can pull down and you will see the Agenda's and Minutes link you need to click. This will give you a choice of PDF files to upcoming and previous public meetings.

You will find historic Agenda and Minutes links. Agendas show what is on the docket for the meeting of that date. The Minutes is an actual summary of the proceedings of the meeting of that date. You can also look to the right under The Hound Groups and you will find the link to the past history of Hickory City Newsletters.

Below is a summary of the agenda of the meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below:

Please remember that pressing Ctrl and + will magnify the text and page and pressing Ctrl and - will make the text and page smaller. This will help the readability for those with smaller screens and/or eye difficulties.

City Website has changed - Here is a link to the City of Hickory Document Center
City Council Action Agenda - January 7, 2014


I began recording the City Council late last year, because of my desire that the City do it on their own as any modern 21st century community began doing long ago. I had people tell me that they couldn't make it to the meetings, but they would like to see what is going on. I was also told by some council members that my summaries did not truly reflect the record, so having a video/audio recording cannot be misinterpreted.

So below is the City Council meeting. With each agenda item of interest, you can click on the links and it will take you to that specific point in the meeting. You can always drag the marker on the video display to the point in the broadcast that you are interested in seeing.





Invocation by Alderman Danny Seaver


Consent Agenda:
A. Transfer of Cemetery Deed from City of Hickory to Tillis E. Rendleman Sr. and wife, Lucille Rendleman in Southside Cemetery

B. Approval of Application for Funding through the 2014 Urgent Repair Program (URP14) and Approval for Submission to the N.C. Housing Finance Agency. - The City of Hickory Community Development Department will apply for Urgent Repair Program funds for funding through the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency’s Urgent Repair Program. The City of Hickory will apply for $50,000.00 through this program in order to assist approximately 12 eligible homes with urgently needed repairs in an amount not to exceed $5,400 per housing unit. The City of Hickory will provide $5,000 in matching funds, available from Rental Rehabilitation program income.


C. Call for Public Hearing - For the Consideration of a Street Closing Petition for a portion of E Avenue SE, Hickory.


D. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 12.
1. To budget a $100 Library Memorial donation in the children’s books line item.
2. To budget $47,142 of General Fund Contingency in the Stormwater Capital Improvements line item to cover additional costs to the storm drainage repair at

F. Avenue Drive SE. $124,005 was initially budgeted for the repair work however the July 27 flooding washed out part of F. Ave. SE and more of the 42" pipe. This required additional work that was not included in the original estimate. FEMA will not pay towards the cost of the additional work; therefore a budget amendment is necessary to make funds available to complete this project.

E. Grant Project Ordinance Number 5.
 1. To budget a 2013 Urgent Repair Program Grant awarded to the City of Hickory by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency in the amount of $37,500 with a local required match of $3,750. The required match is provided by the First Time Homebuyers program income.


Informational Item
A. Report of Mayor Wright’s travel to North Carolina League of Municipalities Meeting December 12, 2013 (Mileage Reimbursement $194.36)

New Business - Public Hearings
1. Public Hearing - For the Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-13 for Property Located at 730 5th Ave NE, Hickory. Express Business Systems request the property located at 730 5th Ave NE be rezoned from Medium Density Residential (R-3) to General Business (C-2). -  The subject property is currently a vacant lot. The Hickory Regional Planning Commission voted 6-2 to forward a recommendation of approval to the Hickory City Council. A valid protest petition was received by the Clerk’s Office on December 31, 2013. The protest petition will require a favorable vote of at least 75% of all the members of City Council to amend the zoning map. This public hearing was advertised on December 27, 2013 and January 3, 2014 in a newspaper having a general circulation in the Hickory area.

The Hound's Comment - It was good to see a neighborhood take action on an issue of interest to their community. There was a stark contrast in how the Claremont neighborhood families were received as compared to how we have seen some others received in the past. They made good points, but the points of contention they made were no more or less relevant than issues we have heard from other neighborhoods that have been summarily dismissed. This Council shows where their votes come from. I did find it discourteous how they noisily filed out without regard to the meeting continuing as soon as their issue was heard and voted upon in their favor. The issue was discussed for over an hour and a half. 


2. Public Hearing - For the Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-14 for Property Located at 32 22nd Avenue NE, Hickory. - The City of Hickory has submitted a petition to rezone .88 acres of property located at 32 22nd Avenue NE, as well as an adjacent vacant lot. The petition is to rezone the properties from High Density Residential – 4 (R-4) to Office and Institutional (OI). The Hickory Regional Planning Commission voted unanimously to forward a recommendation of approval to the Hickory City Council. This public hearing was advertised on December 27, 2013 and January 3, 2014 in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area.


General Comments
Alderman Seaver stated that he would not be present at the next Council meeting, he would be
out of town.

Mayor Wright commented that he found it interesting that when he drove to the meeting tonight
he went by the YMCA. The parking lot was full; they were parked all along Center Street, on both
sides of the street. Do you think New Year’s Resolutions has anything to do with that? Alderwoman Patton commented wait another month.

Mr. Berry stated that there was a swim meet.

The Hound Comments
Other than the item about the Claremont neighborhood and EDS system and the rezoning issue this was a routine meeting that would have been one of the shortest meetings.

It took me a while to get this out because my Internet connection was acting up, but it is now fixed. I also had work and other personal obligations including a family member who is in bad health, but I will not divulge that issue to the public at this time. May God Bless You All and we will keep moving forward.