Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 4, 2013

This newsletter is about the Hickory City Council meeting that I attended this past week. 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 left of the page 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 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.

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

All materials and maps for this meeting are provide at this link:

City Council Meeting Agenda June 4, 2013 (11MB) 
 
(:25) Invocation by Rev. Jay Robison, Viewmont Baptist Church



Special Presentations
A. (2:10) Presentation by Michael Willis of Marlowe and Company
B. (6:20) Presentation by Carolina Moonlighters and Proclamation for Barbershop Harmony Week.

Citizens Requesting to Be Heard (15:55)
 Dr. Glenn Pinckney addresses Council representing "Christians aligned for Actions and Principles." This is a non-political, non-religious organization created for the purpose of disseminating information. They are looking to have an event with Dr. Ben Carson, Mark Harris, and Barry Black to speak to the Values of Education on August 22, 2013 at the Hickory Metro Convention Center. 

Larry Pope addressed the Council about the City Council forms relating to conflicts of interest that he has requested. The City officials only provided the information up to the year 2008 and Mr. Pope wants the most recent information provided up until 2012.



Consent Agenda (24:10)
A. Nomination of Former Whisnant Hosiery Mills (Moretz Mills) to the National Register of Historic Places. - The oldest section of the Whisnant Hosiery Mill was built in 1929 with additional sections constructed in 1937, the 1940s, the 1950s, and 1966. The majority of the building is one level, but the 1937 section, which faces E Avenue is two stories. The building is located at 74 8th Street SE near the intersection of E Avenue SE and Lenoir Rhyne Blvd SE. The owner’s plan is to renovate the structure for office, retail, and personal service uses. The building’s historical significance stems from its association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history, namely its association with the development of the hosiery industry in Hickory.

The Hickory Historic Preservation Commission held a public hearing on May 14, 2013. A representative of the property owner spoke in favor of the nomination. The Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the nomination. Staff recommends that City Council recommend that the Whisnant Hosiery Mills be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

B. Approval of a Proclamation for North Carolina Domestic Violence Proclamation 100 Day.

C. Approval of a Proclamation for Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month. 

D. Resolution – Cancellation of July 2, 2013 City Council Meeting. - Be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Hickory that the regularly scheduled City Council Meeting for July 2, 2013 be cancelled. (This meeting in July has traditionally been cancelled by the City Council.)

E. Change Order to Contract with Davis & Floyd, Inc. for Hickory-Catawba Wastewater Treatment Plant (HCWWTP) Upgrade Project in the Amount of $9,000. - This construction administration services task order number one change order consist of three items related to additional services required by the Public Utilities Department. All three items are related to requirements to alter the plans in order for Catawba County Building Inspections to approve the plans and issue a permit for construction.
● Appendix A and B completion $5,000
● Supplemental Dwg’s ASD-01, CSD-01, 02, and 03 $2,000
● Supplemental Dwg’s SSD-01 $2,000
This change order will result in a total change order amount of $9,000 which represents approximately 1.73% of the original contract amount, and .75% of the projects $1.2 million contingency. The project is a 50/50 partnership with Catawba County and the County will pay half of the change order. No budget amendment is required.

F. Change Order to Contract with Jimmy R. Lynch & Sons for the Hickory-Catawba Wastewater Treatment Plant (HCWWTP) Upgrade Project in the Amount of $61,047.43. - Change order one consists of five items related to unanticipated conditions that have arisen during construction and one item that is recommended for inclusion with the project that was eliminated during the plan modifications. The single largest item that is included in this change order is $34,830.40 for extension of a new 6-inch waterline along 6th Avenue to the facility replacing the existing 2-inch galvanized waterline. This upgrade is necessary due to fire protection requirements and flow demands of equipment to be used in the treatment process. All other items are related to unanticipated conditions and have arisen through construction activities. The largest of the remaining items is for
$15,755.53 for removal of unsuitable soil, undercutting of areas and installation of surge stone and fabric to restore structural value. Contract change order total to date is $61,047.43 or .59% of the original project contract, and 5% of the projects $1.2 million contingency fund. The project is a 50/50 partnership with Catawba County and the County will pay half of the change order. No budget
amendment is required.

G. Request to Join The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS/TAPS). -  The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS/TAPS) is available for use by all government entities and is located in Pittsburg, Texas. They provide a purchasing co-op which is beneficial to both vendors and members by meeting all competitive bidding process requirements. The City of Hickory is currently not a member of this purchasing system. Membership does not obligate the City to purchase through the system, but provides an additional opportunity for the City to find the best prices for applicable purchases.

H. Call for Public Hearing - For the Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-09 for the Property Located at 3254 NC Hwy 127 South, Hickory. (Authorize Public Hearing for June 18, 2013)

I. Write Offs for Fiscal Year 2012-2013 in the Amount of $204,927.71. - North Carolina General Statutes establish all Street Assessments and Property Taxes that are over ten (10) years old are no longer collectable and should be written off in conjunction with the annual audit. For the current fiscal year (FY 12-13), there are no Street Assessments to be written off, but there is $85,441.92 in Property Taxes. The City of Hickory’s Accounting Division requires all other accounts that are over eighteen (18) months in arrears be written off to comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in order to more fairly represent financial assets of the City on the balance sheet. For the
current fiscal year, this amounts to $119,485.79. Current fiscal year write-offs total $204,927.71, compared to $233,294.97 that was written off in FY 11-12. Even though these accounts will be written off, the Finance Division will continue to pursue collection of the debts. All accounts over $50.00 that are eligible are submitted to the North Carolina Debt Setoff Program for collection. Staff recommends approval to write-off uncollectable accounts for Fiscal Year 2012-2013.

J. Approval of a Parking Lot Lease Agreement between the City of Hickory and the Western Piedmont Regional Transit Authority  -  WPRTA fully operates the bus transit station and therefore needs dedicated parking spaces for its employees. WPRTA employees have been using spaces in lot number three. Lot number three consists of .07 acres as shown in Plat Book 66, at Page 26, and contains five (5) parking spaces, including one handicapped space. WPRTA needs all
five spaces. The lease is for a term of ten (10) years for the sum of one ($1.00) dollar per year. The City retains full ownership of lot number three.

K. Approval of a Quitclaim Deed to Convey the Piedmont Bus Transit Station Property from the City of Hickory to the Western Piedmont Regional Transit Authority (WPRTA)  - The City of Hickory built the bus transit station located at 285 2nd Avenue SW in 2010 using local funds and federal grant funds. Through discussions with the WPRTA it was determined that the City of Hickory would build the bus transit station and be the lead entity in applying for and receiving the federal funds. It was further determined by the City and WPRTA that the City of Hickory would convey the bus transit station property to WPRTA upon completing the project. WPRTA fully operates the bus transit station and therefore needs full access to and control of the property where the building and canopy are situated. This conveyance will give WPRTA full ownership of the building and property upon which it is located.

L. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 19. 
1. To budget a $50 Library donation in the Library Books Supplies line item.

2. To transfer $2,290 of International Council donations to the Boards and Commissions-International Council expenditure line item.

3. To budget a $90 Parks and Recreation-Westmont Senior Center donation in the Parks and Recreation Department Supplies line item.

4. To budget $1,350 of Parks and Recreation-Miscellaneous Donations in the Recreation Supplies line item. Donations are for the Parks and Recreation Tennis Program.

5. To budget a $1,000 Parks and Recreation-Senior Games donation in the Parks and Recreation Department Supplies line item. This donation is for Senior Games meals.

6. To budget $7,439 of Parks and Recreation Senior Games Registration Fees in the Parks and Recreation Department Supplies line item. Senior Games is an annual event organized by the Parks and Recreation department.

7. To transfer $240,000 of Compensation Adjustments to the Public Safety and Economic and Community Development operational budgets to cover the impact of merit pay increases granted in FY12-13. Merit increases granted in other departments during FY12-13 were cover by lapsed salaries.

8. To appropriate $2,522 of General Fund Balance (Funds reserved from the State of North Carolina Un-Authorized Substance Tax revenue) and budget in the Police Department's C/O Vehicles ($726) and Departmental Supplies ($1,796) line items. This amendment is necessary to cover overages in the line items and maintain a balanced budget. Funds are made available to the Police Department from the State and remain in General Fund Balance until appropriated.

9. To transfer $111,000 from the Police Department operational budget to the radio upgrade and re-banding project. In addition this budget amendment will transfer $60,506 of Capital Reserve Fund investment earnings to the Capital Project. Funds are to pay Sprint Nextel for the Pro Voice Software as part of re-banding the radio system, and to close out this capital project.

10. To transfer $66,825 of designated fuel reserve funds to several departments fuel and motor oil operational line items. This transfer is necessary to cover the projected overages in fuel costs in the current fiscal year. These funds are a portion of the $1 million previously set aside by City Council to meet the rising cost of fuel. Any remaining funds at year end will be transferred back to the Fuel Reserve for future needs.

11. To budget a $95,086 transfer of unused revenue from the Clement Boulevard Extension project to the General Fund-Appropriated Fund Balance. This amendment is necessary to make the final transfer back to the General Fund, and to close out this capital project.

12. To budget a $383 transfer of unused revenue from the Clement Boulevard Extension project to the General Fund-Appropriated Fund Balance. This amendment is necessary to close the Airport Rehab Taxiway A. project and to make the final transfer back to the General Fund.

13. To budget a $16 transfer of unused revenue from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant project to the General Fund-Appropriated Fund Balance. This amendment is necessary to close the project and to make the final transfer back to the General Fund.

14. To budget a $3,224 transfer of unused revenue from the Police Departments Governor’s Crime Commission Interagency Grant project. This amendment is necessary to close the project and make the final transfer back to the General Fund.

15. To budget a $1,074 transfer of unused revenue from the Fire Department SAFER Grant project funds to the General Fund. This amendment is necessary to close the project and make the final transfer back to the General Fund.

16. To appropriate $20,000 of Airport Miscellaneous Revenue and budget in the FBO Maintenance & Repair of Buildings for repairs to hangar N5. The Airport received a $20,000 grant from Eastern Aviation when they became the FBO fuel supplier.

M. Capital Project Ordinance Amendment Number 4.
1. To accept a $111,000 transfer from the Police Department operational budget and a $60,506 transfer of Capital Reserve Fund investment earnings to the radio upgrade and re-banding project. Funds are necessary to pay Sprint Nextel for the Pro Voice Software as part of re-banding the radio system, and to close out this capital project.
2. To transfer $95,086 of unused revenue from the Clement Boulevard Extension project to the General Fund-Appropriated Fund Balance. This amendment is necessary to make the final transfer back to the General Fund, and to close out this capital project.

N. Grant Project Ordinance Amendment Number 5.
1. To transfer $1,074 of unused revenue from the Fire Department SAFER Grant project funds to the General Fund-Appropriated Fund Balance. This amendment is necessary to close the project and to make the final transfer back to the General Fund.
2. To transfer $383 of unused revenue from the Clement Boulevard Extension project to the General Fund-Appropriated Fund Balance. This amendment is necessary to close the Airport Rehab Taxiway A project and to make the transfer back to the General Fund.
3. To transfer $16 of unused revenue from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant project to the General Fund-Appropriated Fund Balance. This amendment is necessary to close the project and to make the final transfer back to the General Fund.
4. To transfer $3,224 of unused revenue from the Police Departments Governor’s Crime Commission Interagency Grant project to General Fund-Appropriated Fund Balance. This amendment is necessary to close the project and to make the final transfer back to the General Fund.

New Business - Public Hearings
1. (24:30) City Manager’s Fiscal Year 2013-2014 Recommended Budget. -  Pursuant to NC General Statutes §159-12(b), a public hearing shall be held before adopting the budget ordinance. This public hearing was advertised in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area on May 24, 2013. Copies of the budget ordinance were filed for public inspection in the Office of the City Clerk, Patrick Beaver Memorial Library and Ridgeview Library. The recommended budget is also posted on the City’s web page, www.hickorync.gov. Pursuant to NC General Statutes §159-13(a), the City Council is required to adopt a balanced budget before July 1, making the appropriations and levying taxes for the budget year. The City Manager recommends adoption of the attached budget ordinance for Fiscal Year 2013-2014.

The City Manager discussed the Budget thoroughly at the last meeting - 

Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 21, 2013

Discussion ensues after City Manager Berry introduces the Hickory City Budget for 2013-14. Alder Sally Fox spoke up and voted against the Budget for 2013-14, because it provides no property increase to initiate the funding for Inspiring Spaces and to repair the roads in the area that the City Manager has addressed in the last two meetings relating to this budget.

This is an election year. Rudy Wright, Hank Guess and Jill Patton didn't want to raise the property tax rate, but as much as admitted it will be raised sooner rather than later and mostly for their Inspiring Spaces project.

City's Recording of City Council



The Hound - I think it is awesome that we have moved the City forward into Video Taping these meetings. We thank Hickory Inc. for seeing that this was the right thing to do and making it happen. Sure they won't be able to float things under the radar as well, but when they want to communicate a real and important message to the public it will be a lot easier.

We all understand that the public is ambivalent to a great degree, but there are people that want to be engaged, but can't make the meeting. This is forward thinking. This is the public's meeting and the public's information. This is the history of Hickory and this will pay off for everyone in the long run. This makes the Hickory Inc. more relevant and raises the bar for everyone when it comes to Public Policy and the Public Agenda. Now you can go straight to the source of information... No Misquotes... Limits Ambiguity of Information.

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Double Your Votes

Make your votes go further by voting on Double Vote Days, when every vote you earn counts twice!

• June 8 National Get Outdoors Day
• June 21 Open for Summer
• July 13-14 Last weekend to vote

I am encouraging everyone to participate in this. There's nothing to lose.

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- June 9, 2013

Employment is still near a 30-year low - CNN Money - Annalyn Kurtz - June 6, 2013 -

Forget the unemployment rate. The employment rate -- the percentage of adult Americans who hold a job -- has barely budged in the past three years.               It's hovering near its lowest level in three decades, and it's unlikely to improve when the Labor Department releases its May jobs report on Friday.               About 58.6% of the civilian population over age 16 had a job as of April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This rate -- officially called the "employment-population ratio" -- has been stuck in that range for several years. The last time it was this low was in 1983.                    Looking at the job market using that measure paints a stark picture. Sure, companies have been hiring, but they've been creating jobs at a pace that merely keeps up with recent population growth. It's not enough to also make up for the jobs lost in the crisis.


U.S. Small Businesses Cut Jobs In May: NFIB - Reuters through Huffington Post - June 5, 2013 - U.S. small businesses cut back on staff slightly in May, the first decline in six months and a sign of weakness in the job market recovery.               The National Federation of Independent Business said on Wednesday employment shrank by 0.04 workers per firm last month.               It was the second report of the day to augur poorly for the government's national employment report due on Friday, which is expected to show a modest 170,000 jobs were created last month.              Earlier on Wednesday, payroll processing firm ADP said U.S. companies added 135,000 workers in May, well below the 165,000 forecast by analysts polled by Reuters.


Companies Spending Cash on Investors, Not Workers - CNBC - Jeff Cox - June 5, 2013 - Companies flush with cash remain reluctant to hire or make capital purchases, choosing to reward investors rather than expand their businesses.                 Recent economic data exemplify the trend: Private payrolls grew by just 135,000 during May, according to ADP, while employment components both for the Institute of Supply Management's manufacturing and nonmanufacturing indexes show a flat jobs outlook.                       The grim hiring prospects come as nonfinancial firms hold nearly $1.8 trillion in cash on their balance sheets.                   Rather than look to expand, though, they've chosen to participate in aggressive share buybacks and dividend increases to reward investors.                      According to TrimTabs, companies have spent $290.7 billion this year on buybacks, which are aimed at decreasing the amount of available shares—or float—thus driving up stock prices.                    That effort, at least, has been a success.                       The Standard & Poor's 500 has gained more than 13 percent in 2013, led by big gains in financials and health care stocks.                  Worried about growth prospects, S&P 500 companies have been passing out dividend payments with a free hand as well, rewarding shareholders with a record $37.5 billion thus far, rather than hiring.


Meet Your New Boss: Buying Large Employers Will Enable China To Dominate 1000s Of U.S. Communities - The Economic Collapse Blog  - June 6, 2013 - Are you ready for a future where China will employ millions of American workers and dominate thousands of small communities all over the United States?  Such a future would be unimaginable to many Americans, but the truth is that it is already starting to happen.  Chinese acquisition of U.S. businesses set a new all-time record last year, and it is on pace to absolutely shatter that record this year.  Meanwhile, China is voraciously gobbling up real estate and is establishing economic beachheads all over America.  If China continues to build economic power inside the United States, it will eventually become the dominant economic force in thousands of small communities all over the nation.  Just think about what the Smithfield Foods acquisition alone will mean.  Smithfield Foods is the largest pork producer and processor in the world.  It has facilities in 26 U.S. states and it employs tens of thousands of Americans.  It directly owns 460 farms and has contracts with approximately 2,100 others.  But now a Chinese company has bought it for $4.7 billion, and that means that the Chinese will now be the most important employer in dozens of rural communities all over America.  If you don't think that this is important, you haven't been paying much attention to what has been going on in the world.  Thanks in part to our massively bloated trade deficit with China, the Chinese have trillions of dollars to spend.  They are only just starting to exercise their economic muscles.                   And it is important to keep in mind that there is often not much of a difference between "the Chinese government" and "Chinese corporations".  In 2011, 43 percent of all profits in China were produced by companies that the Chinese government had a controlling interest in.  Americans are accustomed to thinking of "government" and "business" as being separate things, but in China they are often one and the same.  Even when there is a separation in ownership, the reality is that no major Chinese corporation is going to go against the authority and guidance of the Chinese government.  The relationship between government and business in China is much different than it is in the United States.                   Over the past several years, Chinese companies have become increasingly aggressive.  Last year a Chinese company spent $2.6 billion to purchase AMC entertainment - one of the largest movie theater chains in the United States.  Now that Chinese company controls more movie ticket sales than anyone else in the world.  At the time, that was the largest acquisition of a U.S. firm by a Chinese company, but now the Smithfield Foods deal has greatly surpassed that.
But China is not just relying on acquisitions to expand its economic power.  The truth is that "economic beachheads" are being established all over America.  For example, Golden Dragon Precise Copper Tube Group, Inc. recently broke ground on a $100 million plant in Thomasville, Alabama.  I am sure that many of the residents of Thomasville, Alabama will be glad to have jobs, but it will also become yet another community that will now be heavily dependent on communist China.
And guess where else Chinese companies are putting down roots?              Detroit.                Yes, the poster child for the deindustrialization of America is being invaded by the Chinese.  The following comes from a recent CNBC article...



Fast Food Workers In Another City Strike: 'We've Been Pushed To The Edge' - AOL  - AOL Jobs Contributor - May 30th, 2013 - Fast food workers in Seattle walked off their jobs late Wednesday and Thursday. That made Seattle the seventh city where fast food workers have gone on strike in recent months. A Taco Bell server in Seattle explains here why she (along with her co-workers) walked off the job Wednesday night -- shutting down a Taco Bell restaurant. Taco Bell declined to comment, referring inquiries to the National Restaurant Association, which stressed the industry provides "13 million job opportunities" and remains "one of the best paths to achieving the American dream." The full statement is below.


Another Phony Jobs Report From A Government That Lies About Everything – Paul Craig Roberts - June 7, 2013 - ...For a decade this has been the jobs profile of “the world’s most powerful economy.” It is the profile of third world India 40 years ago. The jobs that made the US the dominant economy have been moved off shore by corporations threatened by Wall Street with takeovers if they did not increase their profits.                        The easiest way for corporations to increase profits is to take advantage of cheap labor in countries with massive quantities of unemployed labor.                     So, if we believe the BLS report, and the reported new jobs are not simply a product of faulty season adjustments and a faulty birth-death model, why is the financial press happy that the US economy can only create third world jobs? Why was the stock market up on the news that the US economy has created 179,000 third world jobs? Would rational markets be up on such discouraging news?                        But are the jobs really there?                      With retail sales going nowhere, why 35,600 new jobs in wholesale and retail trade?                  With real median incomes declining, why 38,100 more waitresses and bartenders? For every month as long as I can remember the BLS reports numerous new jobs in waitresses and bartenders, despite the long-term decline in real median income.                      In the May jobs report, where are the jobs for the vast number of new college graduates?                      The US now has more hotel maids, bartenders, and waitresses than it has manufacturing workers. The US has twice as many people employed in government than in manufacturing.                     The services of maids, bartenders, waitresses, and government cannot be exported.                       Therefore, the US trade deficit remains large and without exports to reduce it, a crisis in itself.                   What the BLS jobs reports have been telling us for many years is that the US economy is in crisis, in a death-spiral. Yet, not a handful of economists’ voices have been raised.
                             Today president obama’s economist said that the notch upward in the unemployment rate was because the economic outlook was so good that more people were encouraged to enter the labor market than there were new jobs available.                         The conclusion is inescapable: The same government that lies about weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein’s al-Qaeda connections, Iranian nukes, and so on, also lies about jobs, the unemployment rate, the inflation rate, rigs every financial and commodity market, pretends that terrorism is such a threat that the US Constitution must be set aside and that Americans are safer without the protection of habeas corpus and due process.


Real Unemployment Rate: 11.3% - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - June 7, 2013 - ... What is laughable is that for all talk of demographic issues, the big drop started with the Great Financial Crisis, and has barely bottomed. This is even more laughable when one considers that it is the older workers, or those who supposedly should be retiring if one buys the propaganda narrative, who have seen the bulk of job gains in the past 5 years.                                 In short: this is merely a favorite BLS gimmick to push the unemployment rate lower for purely political reasons (to the benefit of the administration that makes the content of your emails the most transparent to NSA workers, ever).
The problem is that this transitory fudging gimmick would be sustainable if the US population was no longer rising, however since there is no indication of any taper on the horizon, sooner or later, the historical labor force participation rate will have to be regained. Logically, when that happens, the unemployment rate will have no choice but to soar as the Labor Force soars month after month because sadly even the great welfare state of America has only so much funds it can allocate to an inert population that does no work and merely sits around all day long.                 So how does the narrow unemployment rate (U-3, not to be confused with the wider, Underemployment U-6 rate) look if one applies a longer-term average Labor Force Participation rate of 65.8%?                 In a word: not pretty. As of May, assuming realistic LFP assumptions, the real U-3 unemployment rate should have been not 7.6% but 11.3%.

Number Of Older Workers (55 And Over) Rises To New Record High - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - June 7, 2013 - In the latest installment of another long-running series, we look at the age bracket distribution of those who are lucky enough to get new jobs each month, versus those who aren't. It should come as no surprise that once more the majority of new jobs created in the month of May went to the oldest age-group cohort, those 55 and older, which saw an increase of 203,000 jobs in May, more than every other age group bracket. The result: with an all time high 31,488,000 workers aged 55-69, Americans are far more busy working in their older years than retiring (or gambling in the rigger stock market casino).

Where The (Low-Paying) Jobs Were Are - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - June 7, 2013 - 
The time has come to look at the quality component of the 175K jobs added in May, so without further ado, let's drill down at where the growth was. Without much surprise, we find that as in months past, the bulk of the job growth continues to be concentrated in the lowest wage jobs:

• Leisure and Hospitality added the most jobs in May, 43K
• Retail Trade jobs rose by 28K
• Education and health added another 26K
• Temp jobs: the lowest of all paying jobs added another 26K

In summary - of the 175K jobs, 122K was to low wage occupations.                     How about higher paying jobs?  Professional and Business Services (ex. Temp) rose by 31K in May, less than the 34K in April, Financial Activities posted a tiny 4K increase compared to 9K in April, Wholesale Trade was up a whopping 8K (compared to 4K in April), and finally Manufacturing jobs declined for the second consecutive month in a row, dropping first 9K in April and now 8K in May.

Pimco's Gross Skewers Bernanke: You're Part of the Problem - CNBC - June 4, 2013 - Jeff Cox - Bond guru Bill Gross has taken straight aim at the Federal Reserve and its Chairman Ben Bernanke, charging that ultra-loose monetary policies are holding back the economic recovery.               In his monthly letter to investors, Gross, who heads fixed-income giant Pimco and its $2 trillion in assets under management, uses unusually blunt language to convey his feelings about historically aggressive central bank easing measures.                       While he concedes that the Fed isn't getting help from Washington and its fiscal mess, he said the central bank's easing programs are only complicating matters.               Gross compares the economy to a heart that uses the ability to earn return appreciably over the cost of investment—"carry," in market terms—as its lifeblood. Carry has been increasingly difficult to achieve in the current quantitative easing environment, he said.           "Perhaps, in addition to a fiscally confused Washington, it's your policies that may be now part of the problem rather than the solution," Gross said in comments directed at Bernanke.

City Council Video - June 4, 2013

The following is the full video presentation of last night's City Council meeting. The Highlights came when Larry Pope addressed the Council about the City Council forms relating to conflicts of interest (19:10 mark of the meeting) that he has requested. The City officials only provided the information up to the year 2008 and Mr. Pope wants the most recent information provided up until 2012.

The other Highlight came when Alder Sally Fox (47:00 mark of the meeting) spoke up and voted against the Budget for 2013-14, because it provides no property increase to initiate the funding for Inspiring Spaces and to repair the roads in the area that the City Manager has addressed in the last two meetings relating to this budget.

The Hound: Sally Fox should be commended for taking a stand on this issue. This time her heart and head are both in the right place. Others pointed out that there needs to be a full plan in place relating to Inspiring Spaces; but as Sally pointed out, most of the recommendations in the Inspiring Spaces initiatives come from City Plans, such as Hickory By Choice, that have been shelved for years. She talked about how businesses invest in communities that invest in themselves and all we do is talk and nothing ever happens.

There is an election coming up later this year and I believe, as I have been stating here, that this is the main reason why no property tax increase was introduced into this years budget. As Danny Seaver stated, "A 1-cent increase in the property tax equates to a $10 annual increase on a $100,000 property."

Hickory Inc. is going to have to deal with something they have brought onto themselves in relation to the property tax. They have sold it to the middle class that they have been looking out for their interests by not raising the property tax rate, but even most of the people at the bottom have said in the past that they would be willing to pay a little more if they agreed with the initiative. They said this about aquatic recreation. The dirty little secret is that it is the major property owners that haven't wanted to see property rate increases. Like Alderman Seaver said, $10 on a $100,000 house or $20 if the rate were raised 2-cents. You know that isn't what this is all about. This is all about the people who have $100 million in properties and they don't want to pay an additional $10,000 per year in property tax, but those are the first people that will benefit from the additional investments that spur development and let's be frank, for years they are the ones who have stood in the way of progress in the community.

Sally should be commended for her courage in opening this can of worms, because it is a necessary discussion as we move forward. She spoke about the Business Improvement Districts. Alderman Lail has spoken about this issue in the past. That is what bigger cities have done to spur development in their Downtown's, but this community has had vested interests that have stood in the way of that happening too. The Status Quo is great if you are on top, but what about the rest of us?

Hound responds to HDR "Readers say Hickory area needs some work"

Link to Hickory Daily Record article:
Readers say Hickory area needs some work - June 2, 2013

The Hickory Daily Record basically took comments posted to their website and used them to create this article. There is a comment from me, but that doesn't mean that the article 100% represents my point of view. I have no inhibitions about relating to you that I am a Lutheran Christian and I attend Church every Sunday. I do agree with some of what the the respondents stated about a certain level of intolerance in the area. It is the minority, but it is very vocal and it is a major issue that has been promoted by the majority not standing up to say that "Velvet Glove" bigotry won't be accepted in this community. It is not an acceptable norm in the year 2013. It is time to move forward.

The "leadership" of Hickory, and particularly the Mayor, will dismiss most of this article, because of who some of the respondents are. They try to dismiss my views, because they look at me as an adversary. Funny how many of the issues I have introduced have now entered their agenda years later. Voices of criticism should be listened to respectfully, not simply ignored or dismissed out of hand.

This whole shoot the messenger attitude around here has got to go. I realize that I put my name out in public and am thusly going to be attacked from all angles and I have no problem with that. If you call me out and I respond, then I hope you will pull your Big Boy Pants on. When I have spoken about public officials in public forums, I have spoken about policies, not their personal lives. Some people cannot seem to grasp the concept of Public versus Private. Those people will be dealt with as the need arises.

The facts are what they are: under 12 years of Mayor Wright what has been the economic results for Hickory? Young people have voted with their "feet."  The bottom line is that they, for the most part, have decided that this is not where they want to live, whether because of Social reasoning or Economic necessity. Whether some want to continue to live in denial, the census numbers aren't rigged. This is the Reality.

The message over the last few years has been that these Pollsters and Samplers have got it all wrong. They just don't understand Hickory. It hasn't mattered that their studies have been scientifically performed. Well, this Sunday's message didn't come from some menacing outside poll or media outlet, this came from our good ole Hickory Daily Record. And it came on their heaviest day of circulation. I am sure they are getting the phone calls from Hickory's own version of the Jim Jones' Kool-Aid Battalion this morning, "You So and So's, we'll pull our ad dollars and subscriptions!!!"  That is how Hickory has worked for years. I hope the HDR will stand up to the bullies this time.

This article encapsulates the voices and feelings of 434 respondents. The poll might not be totally scientific, but that is a pretty good sample by any count. And we can assume that since it is a newspaper poll, we are dealing with respondents that at least read the paper and therefore have some civic awareness about what is happening in Hickory. It is, I think, a credible look at popular opinion.

We can point out that Hickory City Alderman of the 3rd Ward Danny Seaver even spoke of this poll at the last City Council meeting and so it's a little hard for Hickory Inc. to dismiss it now. Even if they do, this indicates that they are out of touch with the general population and the first step towards solving a problem is to realistically appraise and resolve to address the situation. If they won't take this first step what progress can we expect?

The Leadership Reality is that this Council only has looked at the people who vote and support them as their constituents. If you don't support them, then you don't get the time of day. If you don't participate, then that is even better. The Electoral Reality of the lack of opponents in City races, and the domination of a handful of precincts to elect Citywide representation is a real dilemma, keeping the politburo in place and even giving them some patina of credibility. Until this changes we will get the same old same old.

Finally, at some point, we need to realize that we need leaders with some clout outside government to step up and lead. We need a Hugh McColl, or something like him from the business community or nonprofit sector to help spur initiatives. Our local government is simply too rigid and will not become innovative.  We have to proact and by the time Hickory City government studies something to death the dynamic has shifted and we remain behind the curve -- ie going on all of these junkets everywhere else to copy what they have done and bring some version here to Hickory.

The summation is that the facts can't really be denied or ignored.  When you look at the poll you see that over 70% of the people have a negative outlook about Hickory. What would the results of this poll have been back in the 90s?  Rudy and Company can deny that they have caused the problem or are responsible for the solutions, but the Wright years have seen a steep decline for many in this community. I know, I know... It's all Washington and Raleigh's fault.
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