Agenda about the City Council meeting of November 4, 2014

This 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.

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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 in the upper right hand corner of the front page of the Hickory Hound and (will soon) find the link to the past history of Hickory City Newsletters.

Here 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:

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City Website has changed - Here is a link to the City of Hickory Document Center:
City Council Agenda - November 4, 2014

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Hound Notes: Generally Speaking, Election night meetings are short, because the people associated with these meetings want to get out to watch election returns.

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Invocation by Rev. Mark Andrews, Pastor, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church

Special Presentations
A. Presentation of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Proclamation to Casey McCall, Shelter Director, Salvation Army.


Consent Agenda:
A. Approval of Eight Days of Vacation Time to Use as Door Prizes for Coworker Appreciation Day. - The Coworker Appreciation Event Committee requests approval of eight days of vacation time to use as door prizes for Coworker Appreciation Day, scheduled for Thursday, November 6, 2014 at The Crossing at Hollar Mill. Five days are used as the grand prize and the other three days as additional door prizes.

B. Call for Public Hearing – for Consideration of Voluntary Contiguous Annexation of 20.446 acres located at 2415 Springs Road NE.

C. Approve the Transfer of a Cemetery Deed from Ann Heafner Bolick, Widow, to Jean Heafner King.

D. Approve the Transfer of a Cemetery Deed from David Dauler, a/k/a/ David M. Dauler, Single, to James Barry Broselow and Mildred Taylor Broselow

E. Approve the Transfer of a Cemetery Deed from Eugenia B. Miller, Widow, to Jamie Allen Buff

F. Approval of Community Relations Council’s Recommendations for Fall Grants to Non-Profit Agencies. -  The Community Relations Council receives funds to disburse during the fiscal year through the Community Relations Council grant process. Non-profit agencies working with diverse populations in Hickory are eligible for grant funding. The grant proposal must show how the program under consideration fits into the Community Relations Council goals and mission, and how the program will serve to improve human relations in the Hickory area. A total of $7,600 is available in the Community Relations Council budget for grants in fiscal year 2014/2015. Community Relations Council recommends the following grants: ACAP Community - $1,200; Rick Cline/Hickory Music Factory - $900; Family Care Center of Catawba Valley, Inc. - $1,500; Hickory Community Theater, Inc. - $2,500; Community Health Center of Catawba County: a Program of Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry - $1,500.

G. Approval of a Proclamation – Certificate of Appreciation of H. Dewitt “Dee’ Blackwell’s 40 Years of Service with the Western Piedmont Council of Governments. 

H. Approval of a Proclamation for Small Business Saturday, November 29, 2014.

I. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 9.
1. To budget a $2,387 insurance claim payment in the FBO Maintenance and Repair of Buildings line item. This insurance claim payment is for damage sustained to Hangar W5 by a tenant.
2. To transfer $10,064 of General Fund Contingency to the Central Services-Maintenance and Repair of Buildings line item. Funds are necessary to pay for their share of the carpet replacement in the Public Services office building. The carpet replacement is needed because of safety reasons as well as age and
appearance.
3. To appropriate $7,655 of General Fund Balance (Funds reserved from the Department of Justice Asset Forfeitures) and budget in the Police Non-Asset Inventory ($1,953) and Computer Equipment ($5,702). This budget amendment is needed for the purchase of computers for the new Forensic Evidence Technician. Funds are made available to the Police Department from the Department of Justice and remain in General Fund Balance until appropriated.


Informational Item
A. Report of Mayor Wright’s travel to North Carolina League of Municipalities Annual Conference, Greensboro, NC, October 13-14, 2014 (Mileage Reimbursement $104.16; Lodging $152.21; Meal Per Diem $51.25, Registration $350)

New Business - Public Hearings
1. Public Hearing – for Consideration of Amending Chapter 24 of the Hickory Code of Ordinance. - Staff has been reviewing various sections of the Hickory City Code of Ordinances with the intention of consolidating into a single section governing peddlers, solicitors, and panhandlers. The ordinance also needs to be updated to current circumstances and terminology. After calling for the scheduled public hearing, staff discovered additional aspects of the ordinance which need to be addressed and recommends rescheduling and re-noticing the public hearing.

New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. Approval of a Contract with Thompson Gordon Shook Engineers, Inc. for Professional Engineering Services in the Amount of $91,243.78. - When the Falling Creek Road Bridge was inspected, it was found to be structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. Due to the condition of the structure, the project was placed on the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for replacement and granted designation B-5549. With the designation, 80 percent of the replacement cost including professional design services will be provided by Federal funds and 20 percent will be borne by the City of Hickory. In accordance with NCDOT guidelines, Thompson Gordon Shook Engineers, Inc., was chosen for the project. Thompson Gordon Shook Engineers, Inc. will provide professional engineering services for the design replacement utilities and right of way acquisition services on the Falling Creek Road bridge replacement project in the amount of $91,243.78; 20 percent will be paid by the City in the amount of $18,248.76, and the remaining 80 percent, in the amount of $72,995.02, will be reimbursed to the City by the Federal government.