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 the bottom right of this page under main information links is a Hickory, NC link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the bottom of the page you will see the future dates for meetings scheduled for this year.
At the top of the page, if you click on the “Documents” link, 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 10/21/2008 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below.
The Invocation was made by Rev. Deborah McEachran, Associate Pastor of First Presbyterian Church.
Special Presentations were made by Tracy Nester, Vice President of the Hickory Downtown Development. She reported that although she didn’t have all the facts on economic impact that this years Octoberfest was better than ever. She thanked Councilman Seavers for his contribution and direction toward the Castle of Cans.
The next presentation was the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the year ended 6/30/2008. Deanna Rios, Hickory’s finance director, and John Rosenthal, the auditor from Dixon-Hughes, made presentations.. Mr. Rosenthal said that the audtor’s gave a clean opinion of the books. There was one problem with certain grants, dealing with the Davis-Bacon Act, but he reported it to be a technical compliance error and the city has since corrected the issue. He complemented the finance department saying that they found no errors in the report.
Ms. Rios stated reported on statements of assets and Business activities of the city (such as sanitation). Net assets were reported at $190 million. Fund Balance was over 10.5 million. City has more net assets. Fund balance is in line with last year’s numbers considering the Clement Boulevard project and increased fuel expenses.
Council Reaffirmed and Ratified Second Readings of the last meeting
The City Confirmed Several Projects including the Voluntary Annexation of the Property of Lewis Ray Wagner Heirs, Approved Rental Agreement with Avis Rent-A-Car at the Hickory Regional Airport. Renewed Contracts with JM Aircraft Sales, Corporate Aircraft and Pilot Services, and CAPS for Office Space at the Hickory Regional Airport.
Approved a Contract For Modification of Waterlines regarding the Clement Boulevard Road Project in the Amount of $135,400.00. Approved the use of Union Square for the Girls on the Run 5K Event on December 6, 2008
The Budget was Amended to the tune of $176,577 for tables needed at the airport, Police Department OT pay, Glenn Hilton Park recreational equipment, The new stoplight at L-R, and waterline project at Clement boulevard.
Informational Items: City Manager Berry’s Travel to Richmond, VA on September 19 – 23, 2008 to attend the ICMA 94th Annual Conference cost $1981.18
Councilor Hoyle’s Travel to Charlotte, NC from October 11 – 14, 2008 to attend the NCLM 2008 Centennial Conference cost $1159.45
New Business:
1) Presentation of the “Redevelopment Plan of 8th Avenue Drive, SW” by Todd Hefner: The city is selling a portion of the land that it owns in the Ridgeview area in conjunction with property it is buying to develop affordable housing. Habitat has already developed 15 houses in the area and wants to purchase 12 lots from the city to build more.
The Hounds View: I am glad that we are fixing blighted areas. I would tweak this idea by challenging the Ridgeview community developers to look towards building some modern structures that focus on building up, instead of out.
I know people have bad thoughts about such projects, but if we encourage these residents to police their own community and show zero tolerance toward illegal activity, then these multi-family residences could be a powerful tool in dealing with those that need affordable housing.
Done right, these units would be much more secure than single unit houses that are in close proximity to one another. No one can argue that Habitat is an integral part to any redevelopment of affordable housing, but the community needs to think about what will be good for the future. The best way to get to that future is to start developing those plans now. Redeveloped Ridgeview property would be a valuable asset for the African-American community. By not allowing sprawl, more land can be used for future commercial endeavors. Commercial property would create value for this community.
2) Resolution and Order Closing a Portion of 2nd Ave Court, SW as Requested by Dennis and Merlin Detweiler – This issue has been delayed until the next meeting, because of unresolved issues on the part of the Detweilers.
3) Petition to Rezone Property of Charles and Loretta Ivey Located at 815 2nd Street, NE From R-5 Residential to O&I-1: This issue was unanimously approved with the exception that a 14 foot strip of property that leads to 8th Ave NW won’t be rezoned.
4) Petition to Rezone Property of Grady and Gayle O’Neal Located in the 500 Block of 10th Street Boulevard, NW From C-5 Commercial to R-6 Residential. Mrs. Fox had issues with the changing of the zoning of this property. She said that it was becoming a hodgepodge area that has an issue with transients. She believes that plans for the area need to point people in the rights direction as far as development goes. The council approved this property with Mrs. Fox being the lone dissenting voice.
5) Voluntary Annexation of the Property of Mountain View Baptist Church Located at 4266 River Road: The church wants to expand and can’t do so without new plumbing and utilities. An agreement stated that the city would have to annex the property before it could be hooked up to city services. Mrs. Fox questioned whether the police could properly service this property. The council unanimously approved this annexation.
6) Voluntary Annexation of the Property of Pruitt and Huntley, LLC Located at 2950 Sandy Ford Road: The council unanimously approved this annexation without reservation
Departmental Reports:
Appeal of Public Nuisance Decision Regarding Jeanette Wester Located at 1217 10th Street, NE On August 19, 2008 the Hickory Police Department Code Enforcement Unit received a complaint from Chief Adkins regarding a junked/nuisance motor vehicle located at 1217 10th Street NE. Code Enforcement responded to the complaint and identified a white pickup in front of 1217 10th Street, NE, which was found to be in violation of Hickory City Code Chapter 18, Article 6. After notification of the property owners, it was discovered that the owner of the vehicle, Jeanette Wester, is a tenant at the residence. Once a nuisance has been investigated and determined a nuisance, the owner of the property is given ten days to correct the nuisance. If nothing is done after ten days, a sticker is placed on the vehicle giving the owner seven additional days to correct the nuisance before the vehicle is towed. In this particular case, the property owner was initially contacted on August 22, 2008, which has well exceeded the seventeen days allotted to correct a nuisance. Ms. Wester contacted the Code Enforcement Unit and requested additional time to remove the vehicle, which was agreed upon by Sergeant Baer. Ms. Wester filed an appeal with the City Attorney approximately two days later. Ms. Wester’s appeal will be heard as a quasi judicial matter and will follow the appeal hearing procedures.October 21, 2008.
Ms. Wester did not attend the meeting citing illness by written letter. She wanted the hearing postponed to November 18. Mayor Wright was in favor of moving this meeting to November 4th. Councilman Lail asked John Crone what standard procedures were in most judicial proceedings and Atty Crone stated that varies greatly. Sally Fox, Jill Patton, and Bruce Meisner stated that the lady has had enough time to remedy the situation. The council voted 4-3 to allow the hearing to move forward. The dissenters were Mayor Wright, Danny Seaver, and Z. Anne Hoyle.
Officer Reed Baer presented the above details and said that this issue was brought forward by the Highland Development Association. He did not speak to the state of the lady's mental or physical condition and he did not speak to any attempted private remedies proposed by the Highland Development Association. From what he said it sounded like the police department did everything that they could to work with this lady following proper public procedures.
The Council voted 6 to 1 to site the property as a Nuisance and to allow the truck to be towed off. Ms. Z. Anne Hoyle was the lone dissenting voice. Even Mayor Wright and Councilman Seaver agreed that it was a nuiscance, but they stated that they would have rather waited to November 4th to give the lady an opportunity to show up for the hearing.
The Hounds Take: I detest nuisance laws. Many times they are administered arbitrarily and that lends itself to abuse. I grant you this lady’s truck can be construed as being unsightly (and therefore can be defined as a nuisance).
We all have aspects to some form of property that we own that someone else could define as a nuisance. I have an apple tree on my property that is diseased. It still produces apples, but it isn’t pretty any more. I also have a dead tree on my property that a neighbor could consider a nuisance. What is a nuisance? One man’s nuisance might be what another man considers valuable property.
I know that we don’t have all the facts to this issue, because the lady wasn’t present at this Council meeting. I have known other people that have been under similar circumstances. We didn’t get a chance to observe this lady and whether this might be a mental or physical health issue. Sergeant Baer never addressed this issue and no legal authority present ever addressed whether he could address the health issue.
I wish someone could tell me whether the Highland Neighborhood Association ever approached this lady? Did anyone offer to help her move that truck to her backyard? What were the issues with her landlord? Were they against her moving this truck to her backyard? If the lady, under those circumstances, was not accommodative to the city’s needs, then I could understand the city having the truck towed away.
If that was not the case and this is just a matter of following some sort of mandated city guidelines, then I feel that this is a shame – and I am not trying to be a second guesser. My Church had a group called Genesis Now. We went and volunteered to help indigent individuals clean up their houses, paint, or basically do anything we could to help them out and it cost us little other than time.
I think our city government should encourage such groups when it comes to issues of reclusive indigents pertaining to these nuisance statutes. I fully understand the notion of the greater good, but what has happened to individual rights? Individual rights are defined in the U.S. Constitution pertaining to our dealings with government.
We can hide behind issues of liability and lawsuits (although the city apparently has no problem entering into a lot of legal issues about other subjects) all day long, but don’t these Police Officers (and the city) deal with issues of liability the second that they step onto the property involved?
I believe this particular issue can still be dealt with a better way. I think that someone should ask the lady if she would mind if this truck were pushed to the backyard. If she agrees, then (even with a flat tire) someone could put the truck in neutral and push it to the backyard. If she doesn’t agree then by all means tow it off. I am sure we could find volunteers willing to help this lady move the truck.
There has to be room for compassion in these circumstances. We have frail people living in our community and situations like this are going to become commonplace as the population grows older. Everything shouldn’t be pigeon holed into the template that fits the community’s idea of what is or isn’t the norm.
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Template for Request of Public Information from the City of Hickory
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Place the Date on this line (ex: January 1, 2009)
Ms. Arnita Dula
Staff Attorney
City of Hickory
N. Center Street
Hickory, North Carolina 28601
Dear Ms. Dula, This letter is a request for all public documents pertaining to (The issue that you would like information on). I am entitled to the public information that I am requesting according to Chapter 132 of the General Statutes of the State of North Carolina’s General Assembly.
According to the North Carolina Public Records Law, “The public records and public information compiled by the agencies of North Carolina government or its subdivisions are the property of the people.” Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in my attempt, as a public citizen, to understand the facts of this issue.
Thank You,
(Your Signature Here)
Name
Address
City
Phone Number for contacting you
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Hounds Advice: If under any circumstances you are given the runaround, I want you to contact us at hickoryhound@gmail.com. We want to publicize such incidents and get to the root cause of why the City would not willingly provide the information.
If the city asks you to provide a request in writing for specific information that you may be looking for, let them know that it is a violation of State Law for them to require you to give them a written request or to explain who you are or what you want to see, pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 132-6.
If you need help with your letter of request, you can contact me at the e-mail address above and I will do my best to help you. Be nice to them, be accommodative, be courteous, but be assertive of your rights.
Place the Date on this line (ex: January 1, 2009)
Ms. Arnita Dula
Staff Attorney
City of Hickory
N. Center Street
Hickory, North Carolina 28601
Dear Ms. Dula, This letter is a request for all public documents pertaining to (The issue that you would like information on). I am entitled to the public information that I am requesting according to Chapter 132 of the General Statutes of the State of North Carolina’s General Assembly.
According to the North Carolina Public Records Law, “The public records and public information compiled by the agencies of North Carolina government or its subdivisions are the property of the people.” Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in my attempt, as a public citizen, to understand the facts of this issue.
Thank You,
(Your Signature Here)
Name
Address
City
Phone Number for contacting you
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Hounds Advice: If under any circumstances you are given the runaround, I want you to contact us at hickoryhound@gmail.com. We want to publicize such incidents and get to the root cause of why the City would not willingly provide the information.
If the city asks you to provide a request in writing for specific information that you may be looking for, let them know that it is a violation of State Law for them to require you to give them a written request or to explain who you are or what you want to see, pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 132-6.
If you need help with your letter of request, you can contact me at the e-mail address above and I will do my best to help you. Be nice to them, be accommodative, be courteous, but be assertive of your rights.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Nuisance Law is a Nuisance
I would like to address our city's use of the "Nuisance Law." I believe that this law is unconstitutional. Mayor Wright and the City Council brought this law about under the guise of the Buffalo's Sinkhole issue and now it is being arbitrarily used to intimidate certain businesses and individuals within our city.
Last week, in the Hickory Daily Record, we read about Fantasia's Nightclub being issued a temporary restraining order to keep them from operating. The city referenced generalities about many bad incidents that had happened there, but gave no specific details.
Assistant DA Eric Bellas stated, "Fantasia's must refrain from allowing any type of nuisance or illegal activity to occur on the property. If the establishment doesn't, the property will be subject to forfeiture."
The case "The City of Seattle vs McCoy" relates to a similar action in which city officials tried to use a nuisance statute to take possession of a bar when the owner wasn't participating in the illegal activity that the city considered a nuisance. The ruling found that taking this person's property this way, without compensation, was a violation of the man's rights under the 5th and 14th amendments to the Constitution.
Hickory city officials are already facing legal action, because of their steadfast resistance to allowing the Cercil brothers (who happen to be Hispanic) to open up an establishment downtown. They have used several questionable tactics to prevent this dance club from opening.
In the same article, Police Chief Tom Adkins said, "though Fantasias is in a commercial district and many of the businesses closest to it are closed, up for sale or shuttered, complaints continue to come from the club's business neighbors."
Should we close down Wal-Mart or McDonalds, because of what some of their customers do when they leave their premises?
Adkins further stated, "A nuisance action is a powerful tool we can use to eliminate problem establishments in Hickory, where traditional law enforcement methods have failed."
We don't want your Police State, Chief Adkins. It is not your job to decide what businesses are or are not viable here in Hickory. It is your job to enforce statutes that are on the books, not ones that are randomly enforced and subject to much philosophical and legal interpretation. How much is all of this legal wrangling costing this city?
What I have seen smacks of xenophobia and shows how small minded certain elements of our community are. This is not pre-1960; we shouldn't discriminate against people because they are different than us. It is time to accept the fact that there will be many culturally diverse elements within our community that we don't understand, but we must show tolerance toward.
This nuisance law is a bad law. Once again I say, enforce the existing laws. Do not use tyrannical systems that have been well established to be biased. If we don't protect the rights of all of the people, then our rights are no longer concrete and so they are basically non-existent.
Last week, in the Hickory Daily Record, we read about Fantasia's Nightclub being issued a temporary restraining order to keep them from operating. The city referenced generalities about many bad incidents that had happened there, but gave no specific details.
Assistant DA Eric Bellas stated, "Fantasia's must refrain from allowing any type of nuisance or illegal activity to occur on the property. If the establishment doesn't, the property will be subject to forfeiture."
The case "The City of Seattle vs McCoy" relates to a similar action in which city officials tried to use a nuisance statute to take possession of a bar when the owner wasn't participating in the illegal activity that the city considered a nuisance. The ruling found that taking this person's property this way, without compensation, was a violation of the man's rights under the 5th and 14th amendments to the Constitution.
Hickory city officials are already facing legal action, because of their steadfast resistance to allowing the Cercil brothers (who happen to be Hispanic) to open up an establishment downtown. They have used several questionable tactics to prevent this dance club from opening.
In the same article, Police Chief Tom Adkins said, "though Fantasias is in a commercial district and many of the businesses closest to it are closed, up for sale or shuttered, complaints continue to come from the club's business neighbors."
Should we close down Wal-Mart or McDonalds, because of what some of their customers do when they leave their premises?
Adkins further stated, "A nuisance action is a powerful tool we can use to eliminate problem establishments in Hickory, where traditional law enforcement methods have failed."
We don't want your Police State, Chief Adkins. It is not your job to decide what businesses are or are not viable here in Hickory. It is your job to enforce statutes that are on the books, not ones that are randomly enforced and subject to much philosophical and legal interpretation. How much is all of this legal wrangling costing this city?
What I have seen smacks of xenophobia and shows how small minded certain elements of our community are. This is not pre-1960; we shouldn't discriminate against people because they are different than us. It is time to accept the fact that there will be many culturally diverse elements within our community that we don't understand, but we must show tolerance toward.
This nuisance law is a bad law. Once again I say, enforce the existing laws. Do not use tyrannical systems that have been well established to be biased. If we don't protect the rights of all of the people, then our rights are no longer concrete and so they are basically non-existent.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Federal Deficit hits record $455 billion -- News -- Reviews
Federal Deficit hits record $455 billion - (From the Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-deficit15-2008oct15,0,2519168.story
U.S. deficit could hit $1 trillion (from UPI.com)
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2008/10/16/US_deficit_could_hit_1_trillion/UPI-95471224130313/
Fed official hints at recession (From CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/15/news/economy/yellen/?postversion=2008101508
Goldman-Sachs Treasury
http://thehickoryhound.blogspot.com/2008/10/goldman-sachs-treasury.html
Let's Add This Up -- $1.439 trillion and Counting
http://thehickoryhound.blogspot.com/2008/10/lets-add-this-up.html
The Cover Up and Encouragement of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
http://thehickoryhound.blogspot.com/2008/10/democrats-in-their-own-words-covering.html
The Federal Government's Ponzi Scheme
http://thehickoryhound.blogspot.com/2008/09/federal-governments-ponzi-scheme.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-deficit15-2008oct15,0,2519168.story
U.S. deficit could hit $1 trillion (from UPI.com)
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2008/10/16/US_deficit_could_hit_1_trillion/UPI-95471224130313/
Fed official hints at recession (From CNN Money)
http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/15/news/economy/yellen/?postversion=2008101508
Goldman-Sachs Treasury
http://thehickoryhound.blogspot.com/2008/10/goldman-sachs-treasury.html
Let's Add This Up -- $1.439 trillion and Counting
http://thehickoryhound.blogspot.com/2008/10/lets-add-this-up.html
The Cover Up and Encouragement of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
http://thehickoryhound.blogspot.com/2008/10/democrats-in-their-own-words-covering.html
The Federal Government's Ponzi Scheme
http://thehickoryhound.blogspot.com/2008/09/federal-governments-ponzi-scheme.html
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Expect delays on I-40 (Hickory Daily Record)
http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/content/2008/oct/14/expect-delays-i-40/
HICKORY - Drivers who use Interstate 40 in Catawba County can expect to get stuck in traffic sometime between now and June 2010.
Today, expect delays westbound on the interstate between exits 126 and 128. Work could stretch to exit 125, depending on how much work got done last night, said Anne Schley, a resident engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Repaving crews that began work in westbound lanes around exit 128 last week will keep going west until they reach exit 119 in Burke County.
Every night except Friday and Saturday, workers will repave the right lane. Every day except Friday, Saturday and Sunday, they will work on the left lanes.
After that, crews will work back through Catawba County on the eastbound side of I-40, alternating lanes the same way until they reach exit 146 in Iredell County. The completion date for the entire repaving project is June 30, 2010, Schley said.
By the end of this year, she said contractors plan to finish westbound lanes to exit 119 and eastbound lanes from exit 119 to exit 128.
Crews will replace old concrete on I-40 with new asphalt. The result should be smoother roads, Schley said.
One More Thing : I'd like for this project to get done in less that the alotted 21 month period, but thank you State of NC for finally getting around to what you were supposed to do long ago. We'll still be keeping an eye on the progress.
HICKORY - Drivers who use Interstate 40 in Catawba County can expect to get stuck in traffic sometime between now and June 2010.
Today, expect delays westbound on the interstate between exits 126 and 128. Work could stretch to exit 125, depending on how much work got done last night, said Anne Schley, a resident engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Repaving crews that began work in westbound lanes around exit 128 last week will keep going west until they reach exit 119 in Burke County.
Every night except Friday and Saturday, workers will repave the right lane. Every day except Friday, Saturday and Sunday, they will work on the left lanes.
After that, crews will work back through Catawba County on the eastbound side of I-40, alternating lanes the same way until they reach exit 146 in Iredell County. The completion date for the entire repaving project is June 30, 2010, Schley said.
By the end of this year, she said contractors plan to finish westbound lanes to exit 119 and eastbound lanes from exit 119 to exit 128.
Crews will replace old concrete on I-40 with new asphalt. The result should be smoother roads, Schley said.
One More Thing : I'd like for this project to get done in less that the alotted 21 month period, but thank you State of NC for finally getting around to what you were supposed to do long ago. We'll still be keeping an eye on the progress.
Good to see that this issue is resolved. Now we can move down the checklist towards some other issues that need some closure. We'll be forcing the issue on those as well. This is the beginning folks. With your help, we can right this ship and make this the 21st century city that it should be.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Inflation will be price of growing debt
Submitted by Harry Hipps II (published in the Hickory daily record on 10/10/2008)
Those of us who were raised by parents who survived the Great Depression should be ashamed for not listening to the lessons they learned. They knew that we should save some money for a rainy day, don't waste and be thankful for what we have.
For years, individuals, corporations and government at all levels have spent all the income available and then borrowed to finance things we couldn't afford. Individuals read books touting the virtue of using "other people's money."
Corporations leveraged themselves to the max, and governments decided to create a program for every need and want rather than encourage self-sufficiency. Well guess what? The rainy day finally came.
Maybe now we will start living the lifestyle we can afford, pay off credit cards, save some money and demand that our government learns to do the same. The federal debt is $10 trillion and rising rapidly. Do you still believe that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will go on funding a comfortable retirement for all of us?
There are only three options. Raise taxes, cut benefits or inflate the currency. I believe they will inflate the currency. Raising taxes or cutting benefits is politically unpopular. There are no courageous leaders in Washington willing to tell the truth so the currency will be inflated.
Retirees will still get their $1,000 check from Social Security but inflation will be so high that it will only buy $500 worth of goods. So they will pay the obligations but it will not be sufficient to live on. People should start preparing now for leaner times.
Brother, can you spare a dime?
Harry Hipps
Those of us who were raised by parents who survived the Great Depression should be ashamed for not listening to the lessons they learned. They knew that we should save some money for a rainy day, don't waste and be thankful for what we have.
For years, individuals, corporations and government at all levels have spent all the income available and then borrowed to finance things we couldn't afford. Individuals read books touting the virtue of using "other people's money."
Corporations leveraged themselves to the max, and governments decided to create a program for every need and want rather than encourage self-sufficiency. Well guess what? The rainy day finally came.
Maybe now we will start living the lifestyle we can afford, pay off credit cards, save some money and demand that our government learns to do the same. The federal debt is $10 trillion and rising rapidly. Do you still believe that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will go on funding a comfortable retirement for all of us?
There are only three options. Raise taxes, cut benefits or inflate the currency. I believe they will inflate the currency. Raising taxes or cutting benefits is politically unpopular. There are no courageous leaders in Washington willing to tell the truth so the currency will be inflated.
Retirees will still get their $1,000 check from Social Security but inflation will be so high that it will only buy $500 worth of goods. So they will pay the obligations but it will not be sufficient to live on. People should start preparing now for leaner times.
Brother, can you spare a dime?
Harry Hipps
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 7, 2008
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 the bottom right of this page under main information links is a Hickory, NC link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the bottom of the page you will see the future dates for meetings scheduled for this year.
At the top of the page, if you click on the “Documents” link, 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 10/7/2008 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below.
The invocation was from the Reverend Reggie Longcrier. I may not agree with a lot of the political people that he supports, but I really do admire this man. I met Reverend Longcrier 9 years ago at my church, Mt. Olive Lutheran. His outreach program has helped a lot of people when they were down and out. The Reverend had us go to the Prison camp at Newton and read scripture with the inmates there. These people need the message of redemption and hope that spirituality brings.
If you ever get the chance to meet Reverend Longcrier, I hope that you will accept. His message is an uplifting one. He is a man that accepted the consequences of his youth, righted the wrongs, and has fought for the greater good of our community. We need more men like the Reverend that will stand up for the least of us.
Jennifer Helton of the Community Appearance Commission handed out awards for various voluntary beautification projects done throughout Hickory. Tim Cline received an award for the renovation of the arcade downtown. Bishop and Terry Jackson received an award for work done at a location on 127 north. Other projects were at Hickory High and the Salvation Army.
Phil Barringer made a presentation about the new Art Benches that have been placed around town. The council unanimously approved to allow the Public Art Commission to solicit money from the private sector to produce more of the benches. The City is not being asked for any more money.
The mayor and State Representative Ray Warren presented the Order of the Long Leaf Pine to Dr. Ed Rogers. Greg McGuiness, Mr. Rodgers long time friend and town manager of West Jefferson, asked Governor Easley to bestow North Carolina’s highest civilian honor to Dr. Rodgers. Dr. Rodgers has apparently been very instrumental in a lot of work done by the Habitat for Humanity. If anyone would like to send me a bio on Dr. Rodgers, I would very much like to post it.
The Council confirmed several projects including a couple of annexations. Recognitions were approved for National Family Day on 9/22/2008, Financial Planning Week 10/6-12/2008, and Respiratory Care Week 10/19-25/2008. The Library has been approved to have a book sale 10/9-12/2008.
Hammer Properties was awarded grants of $10,437 for landscaping and appearance improvements at 432 4th st SW. The City amended its parking lot agreement with Transportation Insight, Inc.
The city approved a lease agreement with the Hickory Downtown Development Association to Lease vacant property at 24 1st ave NE. The city is leasing the property for an annual fee of $1 for 5 years. The HDDA will be responsible for maintenance and repairs of utilities up to $1,000. The HDDA currently budgets $3,000 annually for these expenditures. The City of Hickory currently appropriates $50,000 annually to the HDDA.
In the Hounds Opinion: This is a backdoor attempt by the city to increase its investment in the Downtown Development Association. I would like to know what are we getting for our investment in this association? In my opinion, the problems with our downtown have nothing to do with the amount of money that we continuously throw at it and have everything to do with the viability of our city as a whole.
It is time that the city freezes any expenditures aimed at downtown, have these people fend for themselves, and start focusing on the greater areas of need throughout the city. Downtown will start hustling and bustling when we rectify the economic integrity of the city as a whole.
The Budget was amended to the tune of $109,750. This included $71,503 for the Clement Boulevard Extension Project. The cost is to pay Duke Power to relocate utility lines along the project.
New Business
1) The City approved an assessment to install curb and guttering along 7th ave NE.
2) Assistant City manager Andrea Surratt brought up for discussion the issue of Wayfinding. She said that this subject was first addressed at the February 2008 retreat. She thoroughly discussed the issue as a way of reducing sign clutter, projecting community image, projecting consistency, and safety.
Here is a link to a wayfinding system in New York City. http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/udny/Section4-1c.htm
Ms. Surratt wants a Committee to be formed to look into this issue before hiring a consultant. This system will be unique to our community identity. The main purposes of such a system are to help people find their way around and help benefit local destinations in helping people identify and successfully find their locations.
She stated that this would be good for downtown, but also stated that this system will have to be flexible as we move forward to the future. Paraphrasing, she said that the city would have to work with the Department of Transportation on color schemes and consistency.
Mayor Wright asked what she was wanting from the council tonight. Ms. Surratt said that she was just updating the council on where the staff was in the process. (Paraphrasing) Councilor Lail said that she was making a proposal to move forward. Mayor Wright said this was a good idea. We need to sell our image…clean up sign clutter…most places do this. City Manager Mick Berry said we need to consolidate and streamline signs in the city.
The Hounds Take : I think this is an excellent idea. It may be because I am from here, but I have never had a problem getting around this city. If you have a mind that thinks mathematically, then the grid system isn't that hard to adapt to. But, if people are having trouble getting around Hickory, we need to make it more user friendly.
The only issue that gives me any apprehension about this plan, is the conspiracy theorist in me has me thinking that this is just another scheme by Downtown Special interests to point the way towards Union Square. I do believe that Downtown is an integral part of the community and they should play a big role in such a project, but they should not be the focal point of this project and it should not be done at the expense of other areas that need to be lifted up. If this project were to turn into a Downtown marketing tool, then I believe that a light should be shone on it and I would have to fight it.
On the other hand, if this project is developed in such a way to help businesses and organizations in every quadrant of our city, then I think it will be a wonderful thing. It would be a great benefit to the small businesses interspersed throughout our city. It also would collaterally help businesses near those destinations. So I really do think that this will be a great project for 21st century Hickory, if the focus is right.
3) Warren Wood was next and he gave a summary of the City’s investments during these tumultuous economic times. He stated that our investments are regulated by the North Carolina Local Government Commission.
The North Carolina Local Government Commission is a part of the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer which was created after the Great Depression to assist local North Carolina
governments in decision making involving large financing projects such as bond issues. The
commission is chaired by the North Carolina State Treasurer..
Mr. Wood stated that the city has $42.7 million basically invested 1/3 in CDs (with 60 to 90 day
maturity) and they are presently earning around 2.7% interest annually, another 1/3 is invested in US agency securities which have a 2 to 5 year maturity and these assets are earning around 4% annually, and the last 1/3 is invested in the North Carolina Capital Trust – these are the most liquid assets – which earn 2.5% interest. The trust is the most volatile of these investments.
Mr. Wood stated that the city does it’s banking with BB&T. The city keeps around $850,000 in this account. It is used for payroll and to do daily business.
The city’s finances are reviewed by North Carolina Independent Auditors twice per year. City staff report to council annually. The city’s view toward investments is that safety and liquidity are more important than yield. The city believes in taking a conservative view towards investments and projections.
The city is looking to issue bonds very soon for the upcoming water and sewer project in Northeast Hickory. Because of present circumstances, the issuance of these bonds is still up in the air. The city has a revolvong loan available from the state for $17.5 million dollars that can be utilized to buy time and get the project off and going. Mr. Wood said that the city may wait until next spring to offer the bonds. When Mr. Wood was through with his summary presentation the mayor subsequently closed the meeting.
The Hound Believes: If you have read any of this blog, then you will understand that I believe that the United States macro economy is shot. If there is one thing I can say about our Mayor (and city staff) it is that I agree with the way that they have managed our city's finances. We don't need to be taking an aggressive viewpoint as to our outlook and making investments based on overly optimistic numbers.
Where I differ is on the the cost-benefit analyses related to growth. If an investment doesn't create value, then let's just call it what it is, a social outlay. We can have a small percentage of our budget directed towards this, but they cannot be priorities. These are totally discretionary (and some have been frivolous) expenditures. They definitely aren't necessities. If times become hard, then this stuff is going to have to take a backseat.
We need projects that create value. If a project, that the city fosters, overtly tries to control growth, then the end result is that it will most likely stifle growth. When this happens, then we don't mature, our standard of living stagnates, and most parts of our community will fail.
At the bottom right of this page under main information links is a Hickory, NC link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the bottom of the page you will see the future dates for meetings scheduled for this year.
At the top of the page, if you click on the “Documents” link, 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 10/7/2008 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below.
The invocation was from the Reverend Reggie Longcrier. I may not agree with a lot of the political people that he supports, but I really do admire this man. I met Reverend Longcrier 9 years ago at my church, Mt. Olive Lutheran. His outreach program has helped a lot of people when they were down and out. The Reverend had us go to the Prison camp at Newton and read scripture with the inmates there. These people need the message of redemption and hope that spirituality brings.
If you ever get the chance to meet Reverend Longcrier, I hope that you will accept. His message is an uplifting one. He is a man that accepted the consequences of his youth, righted the wrongs, and has fought for the greater good of our community. We need more men like the Reverend that will stand up for the least of us.
Jennifer Helton of the Community Appearance Commission handed out awards for various voluntary beautification projects done throughout Hickory. Tim Cline received an award for the renovation of the arcade downtown. Bishop and Terry Jackson received an award for work done at a location on 127 north. Other projects were at Hickory High and the Salvation Army.
Phil Barringer made a presentation about the new Art Benches that have been placed around town. The council unanimously approved to allow the Public Art Commission to solicit money from the private sector to produce more of the benches. The City is not being asked for any more money.
The mayor and State Representative Ray Warren presented the Order of the Long Leaf Pine to Dr. Ed Rogers. Greg McGuiness, Mr. Rodgers long time friend and town manager of West Jefferson, asked Governor Easley to bestow North Carolina’s highest civilian honor to Dr. Rodgers. Dr. Rodgers has apparently been very instrumental in a lot of work done by the Habitat for Humanity. If anyone would like to send me a bio on Dr. Rodgers, I would very much like to post it.
The Council confirmed several projects including a couple of annexations. Recognitions were approved for National Family Day on 9/22/2008, Financial Planning Week 10/6-12/2008, and Respiratory Care Week 10/19-25/2008. The Library has been approved to have a book sale 10/9-12/2008.
Hammer Properties was awarded grants of $10,437 for landscaping and appearance improvements at 432 4th st SW. The City amended its parking lot agreement with Transportation Insight, Inc.
The city approved a lease agreement with the Hickory Downtown Development Association to Lease vacant property at 24 1st ave NE. The city is leasing the property for an annual fee of $1 for 5 years. The HDDA will be responsible for maintenance and repairs of utilities up to $1,000. The HDDA currently budgets $3,000 annually for these expenditures. The City of Hickory currently appropriates $50,000 annually to the HDDA.
In the Hounds Opinion: This is a backdoor attempt by the city to increase its investment in the Downtown Development Association. I would like to know what are we getting for our investment in this association? In my opinion, the problems with our downtown have nothing to do with the amount of money that we continuously throw at it and have everything to do with the viability of our city as a whole.
It is time that the city freezes any expenditures aimed at downtown, have these people fend for themselves, and start focusing on the greater areas of need throughout the city. Downtown will start hustling and bustling when we rectify the economic integrity of the city as a whole.
The Budget was amended to the tune of $109,750. This included $71,503 for the Clement Boulevard Extension Project. The cost is to pay Duke Power to relocate utility lines along the project.
New Business
1) The City approved an assessment to install curb and guttering along 7th ave NE.
2) Assistant City manager Andrea Surratt brought up for discussion the issue of Wayfinding. She said that this subject was first addressed at the February 2008 retreat. She thoroughly discussed the issue as a way of reducing sign clutter, projecting community image, projecting consistency, and safety.
Here is a link to a wayfinding system in New York City. http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/udny/Section4-1c.htm
Ms. Surratt wants a Committee to be formed to look into this issue before hiring a consultant. This system will be unique to our community identity. The main purposes of such a system are to help people find their way around and help benefit local destinations in helping people identify and successfully find their locations.
She stated that this would be good for downtown, but also stated that this system will have to be flexible as we move forward to the future. Paraphrasing, she said that the city would have to work with the Department of Transportation on color schemes and consistency.
Mayor Wright asked what she was wanting from the council tonight. Ms. Surratt said that she was just updating the council on where the staff was in the process. (Paraphrasing) Councilor Lail said that she was making a proposal to move forward. Mayor Wright said this was a good idea. We need to sell our image…clean up sign clutter…most places do this. City Manager Mick Berry said we need to consolidate and streamline signs in the city.
The Hounds Take : I think this is an excellent idea. It may be because I am from here, but I have never had a problem getting around this city. If you have a mind that thinks mathematically, then the grid system isn't that hard to adapt to. But, if people are having trouble getting around Hickory, we need to make it more user friendly.
The only issue that gives me any apprehension about this plan, is the conspiracy theorist in me has me thinking that this is just another scheme by Downtown Special interests to point the way towards Union Square. I do believe that Downtown is an integral part of the community and they should play a big role in such a project, but they should not be the focal point of this project and it should not be done at the expense of other areas that need to be lifted up. If this project were to turn into a Downtown marketing tool, then I believe that a light should be shone on it and I would have to fight it.
On the other hand, if this project is developed in such a way to help businesses and organizations in every quadrant of our city, then I think it will be a wonderful thing. It would be a great benefit to the small businesses interspersed throughout our city. It also would collaterally help businesses near those destinations. So I really do think that this will be a great project for 21st century Hickory, if the focus is right.
3) Warren Wood was next and he gave a summary of the City’s investments during these tumultuous economic times. He stated that our investments are regulated by the North Carolina Local Government Commission.
The North Carolina Local Government Commission is a part of the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer which was created after the Great Depression to assist local North Carolina
governments in decision making involving large financing projects such as bond issues. The
commission is chaired by the North Carolina State Treasurer..
Mr. Wood stated that the city has $42.7 million basically invested 1/3 in CDs (with 60 to 90 day
maturity) and they are presently earning around 2.7% interest annually, another 1/3 is invested in US agency securities which have a 2 to 5 year maturity and these assets are earning around 4% annually, and the last 1/3 is invested in the North Carolina Capital Trust – these are the most liquid assets – which earn 2.5% interest. The trust is the most volatile of these investments.
Mr. Wood stated that the city does it’s banking with BB&T. The city keeps around $850,000 in this account. It is used for payroll and to do daily business.
The city’s finances are reviewed by North Carolina Independent Auditors twice per year. City staff report to council annually. The city’s view toward investments is that safety and liquidity are more important than yield. The city believes in taking a conservative view towards investments and projections.
The city is looking to issue bonds very soon for the upcoming water and sewer project in Northeast Hickory. Because of present circumstances, the issuance of these bonds is still up in the air. The city has a revolvong loan available from the state for $17.5 million dollars that can be utilized to buy time and get the project off and going. Mr. Wood said that the city may wait until next spring to offer the bonds. When Mr. Wood was through with his summary presentation the mayor subsequently closed the meeting.
The Hound Believes: If you have read any of this blog, then you will understand that I believe that the United States macro economy is shot. If there is one thing I can say about our Mayor (and city staff) it is that I agree with the way that they have managed our city's finances. We don't need to be taking an aggressive viewpoint as to our outlook and making investments based on overly optimistic numbers.
Where I differ is on the the cost-benefit analyses related to growth. If an investment doesn't create value, then let's just call it what it is, a social outlay. We can have a small percentage of our budget directed towards this, but they cannot be priorities. These are totally discretionary (and some have been frivolous) expenditures. They definitely aren't necessities. If times become hard, then this stuff is going to have to take a backseat.
We need projects that create value. If a project, that the city fosters, overtly tries to control growth, then the end result is that it will most likely stifle growth. When this happens, then we don't mature, our standard of living stagnates, and most parts of our community will fail.
There has to be accountability when it comes to our city's investments. We should not enter into any agreements that don't have checks and balances, aren't results oriented, aren't flexible towards the needs of the community, and/or don't allow the city a way out.
No matter what, we are headed towards a difficult macro economic environment. Money is going to be hard to come by from the State and Federal government. We aren't in good shape locally and it is going to take an innovative governmental system to turn the tide. We cannot copycat other communities to get ahead. We need to be at the forefront of whatever we do. We need people coming to us and not us going to them, because we will always be playing second fiddle and lucky if we get scraps under those conditions.
I hope that the Mayor and Council understand that it it is time to quit worrying about frivolities and time to take our city's role in this world seriously.
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