Future Economy Council Meeting #4 (6/18/2009)

I will go over this meeting chronologically, In my mind, this meeting showed a paradox of several different visions that this group is going to have to deal with over time. There are issues that must be dealt with in short order (i.e. Grant Monies) needed to help initiate start-up guidance and the requirement that the FEC develop a mission statement defining tangible goals and priorities that will lay the framework needed to develop credibility, which will foster buy-in from the community.

Welcome - Catawba County Chamber of Commerce President Danny Hearn started out the meeting by giving a general overview of what the structure of this meeting would entail. Danny addressed that Lenoir-Rhyne wants to be the site for a Master Capacity Builder Series.

Danny spoke to the fact that he feels he has done his job and we are organized and understand the gist of what this (the FEC) is about. We are functioning and have things in place. He made the recommendation that Terry Bledsoe be the Chairman of the FEC. The Council enthusiastically supported this decision.

Special Guest: Jim Hyder, Davidson, NC Creating a Diaspora for Catawba County - Mr. Hyder spoke to the issue of Diaspora. He spoke of his friendship with Rick Smyre. Mr. Hyder was born in Hickory. He spoke of his connections to Hickory. Mr. Hyder stated that he is interested in Hickory.

Mr. Hyder said he has kept up with Hickory issues and wants to help. He addressed the issue of people who have connections to Hickory that might also want to help get Hickory back on track. We need to reach out to these connections and see if they might be interested in helping. He doesn't know what he is to do. This is a work in progress. Maybe we could get School Principals to point to former successful students that might have a connection and want to help.

Rick Smyre stated that as we evolve this concept that there are people who may be interested in helping. He talked about Twitter and the impact it has had over the last few days (Iran). The connections of people throughout the world that may have an interest and empathy, in Hickory, is a wonderful opportunity to give us support. This can open up resources by creating ping pong effects. He said that where local people might not buy into what we are trying to accomplish, that a person from outside of the community may be able to bring a new perspective to the discussion and may change those people's minds that are stuck in the old ways of thinking.

Terry Bledsoe talked about Catawba County's utilization of Facebook. The idea was to gain participation from locals to get (county government) messages out. Unintentionally it was discovered that people all over the world have signed up for the page, because they want a connection with Catawba County.

Chuck Adair addressed the historical context of what the original Diaspora was about. The original diaspora was the displacement of the Jews from Jerusalem by the Romans.

Photo by Pat Appleson Studios









Special Guest: Gene Anderson, Entrepreneur from Gastonia Master Capacity Builder Trainee - He stated that his whole life he has been growing into the person he is now. He grew up poor in Globe, Arizona, because the city died during his formative years. He obtained 83 merit badges, while being in the Boy Scouts. This helped broaden the context from which he made decisions. This helped him in school, because he had information (context) that was broader than what the school offered. He loved to learn. This made decision making much easier.

He spent 11 years in the Army. The military understands that culture and sociology matter. He moved to Gastonia about 13 years ago. In 2001, he put his four children in a charter school and he joined the board of that school. That is where he met Rick Smyre and a discussion took place about preparing the children (of the school) for the future. Gene stated that he wanted to prepare the children for their future, not for "our" future, because I was prepared for my future and I found that preparation to be lacking.

The assumption that the board knew what the children's future would be was thrown out real fast. With the help of Rick, it was decided that they needed to help the children develop a capacity to handle the future, whatever that future might be. The real core issue became development of the capacity to help operate and thrive in a constantly changing environment. Over a five year period they worked with the board of directors and teacher's groups and started putting the techniques into the classroom, beginning in kindergarten. There are 12 to 15 core philosophies. One is and/both thinking. Another is listening for value in what the student is saying. This allows the teacher to take disparate ideas and focus them back into the direction that the class needs to be going.

The traditional problem solving function is too limited to carry people into the future. Master Capacity Builders have techniques that can expand the capacity of others. Capacities can be developed a little bit at a time. Developing it too fast can cause one to lose the access point into an organization or individual. Developing capacity is gradual, from several different directions, and often done obliquely. The goal is to help people deal with more complex issues in the future.

In the question answer phase, Gene stated, "We model how to connect disparate ideas and once those thought patterns are activated and one begins connecting disparate ideas, then one increases the capacity to increase disparate ideas." Followership is as important as leadership. Their are techniques that help achieve those capacities and help to teach that everyone has value and everyone should have input.

Thomas Jefferson Quote (about the University of Virginia) - "This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it."

Photo by Pat Appleson Studios









Futures Institute/Master Capacity Builder Training (Brzorad/Mauney) - A Lenoir-Rhyne University Partnership Effort - Dr. Brzorad and Bill Mauney have both met with Danny and Rick a couple of times. They have a couple of professors that seem like they would be interested in doing this. They want people to self-select for this. This will build up speed in the next month or so. There are a lot of implications in this pertaining to energy and the environment. This fall we should see some action taken on this.


Foundation Grant Project Updates:
1. Future Trends Dialogue Groups: Hickory Library- 7/9/2009 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM - Catawba County Library SW Branch in Mountain View, 7/10/2009 from 10:00 – 11:30 AM (Sizemore/Foss) - Council Members are encouraged to participate and an editorial will be in the paper on Sunday.

Photo by Pat Appleson Studios








2. Broadband Video Conference in August with Wilson, NC (Bledsoe) - This hasn't been confirmed, but Terry expects it to work. The City Manager or Technology Director will speak with us. Terry stated that one of the good things about the FEC, is that just having the discussions have moved things through the community. Some of the providers have come to Terry about Broadband concerns in our community. That is a good thing.

Baker's mountain now has better coverage. A company is looking at expanding options by using some 0f the (federal) stimulus money. Gaffney, South Carolina is looking to have fiber to the home in the next couple of years. The U.S. has fallen from 16th to 22nd in Broadband speed. Australia has a plan to get 100mb/sec connection to 90% of the country's homes. Finally, In Isse, France they have fiber in most homes and Wi-Fi throughout the city. 57% of their business is Telecom.

Photo by Pat Appleson Studios








3. FEC Web Site (Shell) - Project 3P - the Progressive Productive Proton Project - is the name of the blog that I have created. It is a play off of the Idea of the Creative Molecular Economy.

The words have a lot of meaning when it comes to what we are trying to achieve here:
1) Progressive – I’m not thinking politically here. I am thinking of the ideal definition. Favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are. The status quo.

2) Productive – having the power to produce, generate and/or create. Folks, we have to make things happen or we can choose to be roadkill on the highway of life. My choice is to leave a lasting positive legacy for the future generations of people who inhabit this area: whether I enjoy the fruits of this labor or not. This is the big picture.

3) Proton - a positively charged elementary particle that is a fundamental constituent of all atomic nuclei. The people in this room have voluntarily chosen to be part of this project. We are the bright lights in this community. We are going to be those positively charged molecules that bring the positive force that will lead to the ingenuity and innovation that will turn things around in this community.

The first step was to create the Blog and the address is http://project3p.blogspot.com
I have also purchased the domain www.project3p.net. Project3p.com isn’t available. It seems to be an underutilized home design blogging webpage.

I want to turn the website into a php message board in the near future. The idea being an accessible, user friendly forum that will take on an organic life of its own and evolve in whatever path it chooses to take. I honestly believe that open source contributions will be where innovation and development will come from. Ramo calls it mash-up - the collision of separate, distinguishable entities into something unpredictably new. And isn’t that what Evolution is all about?

4. Communi-Versity Series: “100 Most Creative People in Business”- Dr. Anthony Atala, Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine?(Hearn) - Danny says that this series is about future trends, weak signals, bringing in futurists, and talking about new technology. These are things that can change our future in medicine, economic development, or education.... He is saying Dr. Atala is an example of someone that our local Universities could reach out to. Since he is so close, we can call on him and ask him to come speak as a part of this series. Dr. Brzorad was very receptive to the idea and stated that he will definitely look into this opportunity.


Unifour Foundation Grant Update - Turned Down
Danny stated that we did not receive the grant. He said he was very disappointed and explained what the consequences of not obtaining the grant would mean to our group. This does not mean that the FEC will not move forward, but it is going to make the process much harder.

Dr.Brzorad said this leaves us two options. Go find another funding source or come up with the money on our own. We would be taking even more ownership if we fund it ourselves. Dr. B said the grant was good even though we didn't get it. I asked if we couldn't tweak it ourselves and apply for other grants? Danny said yes, but where will we send those grants to?

We had a thorough and lively discussion that followed.

Jay Adams had a solid statement - People will invest in things that they believe that they can get a return from and that's the bottom line. Until this group can demonstrate credibility, we are just begging. You've got to give some credible indication that putting money into it (the FEC) is going to generate a real rate of return. People are looking for results or a high likelihood of results.

Terry Bledsoe said he had asked Danny Hearn, in the beginning, what is this group really all about. We haven't set any goals. Is this just a thinktank? Are we just trying to get information out to the people? What are we going to produce? Terry's summation is that we have one product on the table and that is with Lenoir-Rhyne and the Master Capacity Building Program. There is a great program with the Chamber called Leadership Catawba. He believes that the two could be merged. Maybe we could get funding that way.

Steve Ivester said there are places (Morristown, NJ; Silicon Valley; Research Triangle Park) that are hot houses and businesses are just blossoming. If we have a goal, it should be to cause and create this process in Hickory. Making Hickory an incubator of lots of new businesses and investment opportunities. We're a little to early to say that you should invest because of it.

Harry Hipps said we need to communicate by e-mail and create a mission statement. We have discussed some tangible assets, such as Master Capacity Building and Broadband.

Danny's Summation for the day - When people say, "who is the beneficiary?" He can't go to someone and say give me $10,000 and you will get this in return. This is not that investment. We are selling the invisible. If we continue to take this economy in the direction that we have always taken it, we aren't going to get anywhere. The Economy has totally changed. What we had prior to 2000 is gone. We have to reinvent ourselves. If we don't do that, then we are in big trouble. It is the thinking of elected officials, business, and education of changing the way we do things and that investment can't be shown. The community better embrace it and understand it. We can't even get our local officials (hmm hmm I'll say it Rudy) to read a document about Mobile Governance that Rick wrote. There are (forward thinking) investment ideas out there, that no current elected official will look at, but people (I'll say it - not lost in yesterday) who are prone to understand this and reach outside of their comfort level and try to embrace it, all of a sudden, an idea that a traditional thinker will not do, we might. Those ideas are achievable.

The Hounds Take is that the general consensus is we are going to develop a core subgroup of FEC people that will design a mission statement. This mission statement should entail a project that has a high likelihood of succeeding and the group should apply to funding sources that might achieve a real rate of return as a result of investing in the group that supports that project.

Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 3rd Meeting

This meeting is to be held tonight at the Highland Recreation Center starting at 6:30pm. Due to a conflict with my work schedule I will not be able to attend. I hope that anyone who reads this blog and is able to attend will send me any interesting information or details that will be brought forward at this meeting. You can e-mail me at hickoryhound@gmail.com.

Here are articles that relate to the past meetings.

Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 2nd Meeting
Why the original Hickory By Choice doesn't work
Hickory By Choice 2030 Workshop: 1st Meeting
Studio Cascade awarded contract at November 4, 2008 City Council meeting

THE WEAK SIGNAL OF MOBILE GOVERNANCE by Rick Smyre

Rick Smyre is our Catawba County Future Economy Council Guru. He might not accept such a label, but I am going to give it to him anyway. Rick has been a Futurist for years and has spoken at many conferences on Futurism. Rick is the President of the "Communities of the Future" organization.

Below is an article that he has written about "Mobile Governance." I hope that you are willing to give it more than a quick glance. This article deserves to be read a couple of times. You know how sometimes you will listen to a new album and think it isn't good, but you give it a second try and then another as you start to enjoy its nuances. I believe that this is that type of article. I would love to have a thorough discussion of this article in the comments section. So without further ado, here is a new dynamic governing philosophy called "Mobile Governance."

We live in a time of great historical disruption and transition from the Industrial Age to what some are calling the Connected Age, where a new language will be needed to identify ideas and methods not a part of present reality. No longer will traditional thinking and action be able to adapt to a society and economy that is constantly changing, interconnected and increasingly complex.

Nowhere will this need to anticipate a different type of future be more important than in the area of governance for a democracy. It is my contention that we are reaching the upper limits of representative democracy that is based on checks and balances. We need to begin to dialogue about a new concept of democracy that utilizes the emerging connective technologies that will allow citizens to provide their existing knowledge and opinions and enter into decision making from any place at any time. At the same time, growing groups of citizens capable of identifying weak signals and emerging ideas, and conversant with new knowledge and able to use emerging mobile technologies will be required for the next phase of democracy to be successful.

Our representative system of democracy originally was established on certain assumptions. One was that those who were the most talented would be elected and not those who had the most wealth. A second was that virtue would be at the core of those who were elected. A third was that wisdom in the sovereignty of the people would provide the common sense needed for effective decision making for democracies. A fourth was that checks and balances would prevent power from residing in only one branch of government.

Over the years, this traditional approach has served us well until recently. With the advent of technologies that connect people and growing challenges in real time from throughout the world, the interlocking complexity of issues have reached a point where the knowledge of experts is not enough, and, at times, counterproductive. This is especially true when any emerging challenge requires new knowledge based on what is in the process of developing and not what has occurred in the past.

As a result, it is my opinion that we are on the brink of a true transformation in democratic governance that will exploit the potential of new technologies when combined with new capacities of leaders able to facilitate new processes that can access the opinions and ideas of a broad, diverse, knowledgeable and interested pool of citizens. What will begin to dawn on people is that there are no experts in a time when the very undergirding ideas and methods that made traditional society effective are no longer valid. We are in a time of such historical transformation that we will need the interest, involvement and knowledge of many people working in collaboration to deal with the congruence of major challenges such as climate change, peak oil and shift of energy systems, biodiversity loss, population growth and the interaction and impacts of multiple new technologies. We are entering an age of societal research and development that has historical implications….none less so than rethinking how democracy may evolve and be aligned with the needs of a new type of society that is more distributive and organized around interlocking networks.

With this in mind, there is a weak signal that I see beginning to appear in various areas of the country. It is becoming more and more obvious that many local leaders are not familiar with trends and weak signals, and, as a result, are not able to ask appropriate questions and help facilitate effective strategies for emerging issues. As a result there is a new process beginning to emerge that I think will become more and more important…..a process I have dubbed "mobile connecting" that links those interested locally (especially non-leaders) in a search for key people anywhere in the world to bring new ideas and weak signals to the attention of existing key local groups responsible for making decisions for the present and the future. With the advent of smart phones and GPS systems, we are entering a new age that will reshape how our society operates and that will allow citizens to have the flexibility to connect their needs to the common good. In fact, in an interconnected, systemic age, self-interest and common good become one.

This will become more and more important in my opinion, and eventually lead to a new concept ,"mobile governance," where those elected officials and staff members, especially of medium size and smaller communities, begin to realize that they are not able to keep up with new ideas and methods. These leaders will develop new "knowledge connection" processes that will utilize the community members (especially the millennials under 32) to find cutting edge ideas and send them to their existing organizations as well as build new local and regional interlocking networks as appropriate . This will be one of the most important outcomes of this type of process....leading eventually to a shift of the norm from radical individualism and turfdom so rampant in our society, to levels of deeper collaboration.

Ultimately, a transformational governance and decision making structure will emerge, in my opinion, due to mobile technologies in which as many people in the community as are interested are involved in research and development ( of ideas and projects ). The weak signal of this emerging systemic change is seen in the way President Obama and his staff are utilizing the Internet for multiple purposes of citizen involvement. These purposes will be as diverse as searching for new knowledge, identifying key issues and emerging ideas, developing collaborative strategies, and participating in real time decision making for those who want to be involved. There may even be a new connection between governance and economic development in the way revenue streams are created for local people who identify emerging ideas and methods that are adopted by the community.

What is being realized by more and more people is that in this age of emerging systems, creating dynamic connections among people, new ideas and networks will be the lubricant and the glue to insure vibrant and sustainable democracies in a different kind of future. The age of representative democracy will slowly fade into the dimming glow of Industrial Society. It has served us well, but is too limited and too slow to anticipate and adapt to constantly changing conditions. What is emerging from the mist of the future is unknown at this time, but I Phones, smart mobile technologies, cloud computing and a different kind of leader able to facilitate connections and ask appropriate questions, will be key factors in the emerging next phase of democracy.

Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 16, 2009

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's Local Government 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 6/16/2009 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below.

Invocation by . Bill Garrard of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church

Special Presentations:
Presentation of Proclamation Declaring June 16, 2009 as “Tabernacle Christian School Girl’s Basketball Day” in the City of Hickory. The Tabernacle Christian School has won 4 straight state championships in there division and 3rd straight national titles. The Mayor commended them on their competitiveness, sportsmanship, and strong devotion to academics.

Consent Agenda:
Proclamations - Declare 6/6/2009 as “Mr. & Mrs. Bliss Teague Day” in the City of Hickory Recognizing Their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Declare 6/7/2009 as “The Reverend Doctor Randolph Curtis Ferrebee Day” in Hickory as He Retires as Rector from St. Albans Episcopal Church With Thirty-six Years of Service.


Resolution – Approve Resolution to Accept American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 Funds and Loan Regarding the Cripple Creek Outfall Sewer Line Project in the Amount of $1,938,000.00 – The annual interest rate is not to exceed 0%, with half of the loan principal to be forgiven. The financing term shall not exceed 20 years from closing. The Resolution authorizes the Finance Officer to execute and deliver any financing documents and to take all such further action as they may consider necessary or desirable to carry out the financing of the project as contemplated by the proposal and this Resolution. The City has permission from the NC Local Government Commission to accept and utilize these funds.

Approval of the North Carolina Records Retention and Disposition Schedule Prepared by the NC Department of Cultural Resources Dated 5/19/2009 - Prepared by the NC Department of Cultural Resources - updated in accordance with the provisions of Chapters 121 and 132 of the N.C. General Statutes. The schedule allows such records to be destroyed or otherwise disposed of by the official having custody of them without further reference to or approval of either the City of Hickory or the NC Department of Cultural Resources. If not approved by City Council, the City is obligated to obtain the Department of Cultural Resources’ permission to destroy any record, no matter how insignificant. This schedule was last updated and approved by City Council on 8/15/1997

Approval to Apply to US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 Grant - Applying for the grant would be in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and will focus on revitalization of 8th Avenue Drive, SW (Ridgeview and Green Park area). The grant is for local governments facing problems related to housing foreclosure and abandonment. HUD has made funds available under the Title III of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 and the City is eligible to apply for a minimum of $5 million. The funds may be used to acquire land and property, demolish or rehabilitate abandoned properties, down payment and closing cost assistance to low to moderate income homebuyers and creating land banks. HUD encourages partnerships between local government and non-profit agencies that specialize in housing activities. Grant guidelines state that applicants must target areas of high poverty. The Citizens’ Advisory Committee recommends approval.

Approval of Citizens’ Advisory Committee Recommendations for Assistance Through the City of Hickory’s Housing Programs. The following applicant is being recommended for approval for assistance under the City of Hickory’s First-Time Homebuyers Assistance Loan Program:
Carlos & Jenny De Los Santos 513 12th Avenue, NE Approved for up to $10,000.00

Funds are budgeted through the City of Hickory’s former Rental Rehabilitation Program income received in FY 2008. The following applicants are being recommended for approval for assistance under the City of Hickory’s 2009 Urgent Repair Program for repairs not to exceed $5,000.00:

Delilah Oliver 852 7th Street, SE
Mary Rippy 516 F Avenue, SE
Sible Sims 1721 10th Avenue, NE
Sharon Watts 1115 12th Street, NE

Approve Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funding Agreement With Aids Leadership Foothills Area Alliance, Inc. for FY 2009-2010 in the Amount of $7,883.00 - 2 public meetings were held on 1/28/2009 and 2/4/2009 to meet with non-profit organizations regarding their funding requests for the upcoming year. The funding will be used for ALFA to continue to provide case management and client services for people living with HIV/AIDS and to offer HIV prevention education to the community

Approve Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funding Agreement With Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry, Inc. for FY 2009-2010 in the Amount of $7,883.00 - 2 public meetings on 1/28/2009 and 2/4/2009 with non-profit organizations regarding funding requests for the upcoming year. The funding is to be used for the GHCCM to continue to provide medical services for the City’s lower income citizens.

Approve Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funding Agreement With City of Refuge for FY 2009-2010 in the Amount of $11,825.00 - 2 public meetings were held on 1/28/2009 and 2/4/2009 to meet with non-profit organizations regarding their funding requests for the upcoming year. The Citizens’ Advisory Committee approved funding for in order for them to continue to provide after school programs and summer enrichment camps to school-aged children.

Approve Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funding Agreement With Exodus Outreach Foundation, Inc. for FY 2009-2010 in the Amount of $11,825.00 - 2 public meetings were held on 1/28/2009 and 2/4/2009. The Citizens’ Advisory Committee approved funding for them to continue to provide shelter, counseling and rehabilitation services to chronically dependent and homeless men and women. Part of the funding includes an Employment Coordinator to assist in securing job training and employment.

Approve Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funding Agreement With Hickory Soup Kitchen, Inc. for FY 2009-2010 in the Amount of $7,883.00 - 2 public meetings on 1/28/2009 and 2/4/2009. The Citizens’ Advisory Committee approved funding in order for them to continue to provide meals to the City’s homeless and/or low income population.

Approve Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funding Agreement with Inter-Faith Housing Development Corporation for FY 2009-2010 in the Amount of $30,000.00 - 2 public meetings on 1/28/2009 and 2/4/2009 The Citizens’ Advisory Committee approved funding in order for I-FHDC to continue to assist lower income families in the purchase of a home through the City’s First-Time Homebuyer’s program that began in 1986 and has assisted approximately 165 families to achieve their dream as a homeowner.

Award Bid to Public Works Equipment and Supply, Inc. for the Purchase of a Compressed Natural Gas Powered Street Sweeper in the Amount of $246,972.00 - The street sweeper will be used for the sweeping of City streets and the cleaning of storm drains. The CNG street sweeper will replace a 1989 sweeper and will be one, if not the first, CNG powered street sweeper along the east coast. The City has qualified for a Clean Air Grant in the amount of $80,000.00 from the State of North Carolina. The City has been notified of the grant award and will go before Council in July for acceptance. This grant is a reimbursable type grant. 2 companies provided bids and Public Works Equipment and Supply, Inc. was the lowest bidder while meeting the specifications. Brad Lail asked that this be removed for further clarification. The grant covers the cost between the cost of a diesel vehicle and this unique vehicle. It gained unanimous content. The Hound is glad this was pointed out and I feel that this is a good investment.

Approval to Apply for a Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) in the Amount of $48,250.00 - Funding has been offered to the Hickory Police Department based upon the Uniform Crime Reports. If the grant application is approved and awarded, the City’s Police Department would be awarded $48,250.00 with no required match. The City of Hickory and Catawba County received notification of approval to receive a combined allocation of $64,563.00 under the 2009 JAG program. Each city or county are awarded funds based on their crime statistics. JAG funds can be spent on virtually any purpose that benefits law enforcement. The City has agreed to serve as lead agency in the grant application process. These grant funds will be used to purchase workout equipment, speed measuring devices, additional shotguns, tasers and tactical equipment.

Approval of Quitclaim Deed for Property Located at Main Avenue Way, SE and Highway 127 - Upon surveying this City owned property, it was discovered that a small strip of land was not covered by any City of Hickory deeds. A search was performed at the Catawba Register of Deeds without revealing any deed to the City or to any other individual. The City has used, mowed and maintained this small parcel strip as if it were City-owned property for twenty-plus (20+) years. Thus, giving the City rights to the strip through adverse possession under North Carolina State Statutes. Therefore, to clearly establish a chain of title, a quitclaim deed from the City of Hickory to the City of Hickory is needed.

Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 21 - (Due to the closing of FY 2008-2009, a second reading is requested during the 6/16/2009 meeting.
Appropriate and budget a total of $1,962 of Local Government Revenue in the Police Department Overtime line item - time spent when accompanying involuntary commitment patients for the months of April ($430) and May ($1,532). Appropriate $40,625 of Transportation Fund to Transit Equity. Appropriate $50,000 of the Insurance Fund to Insurance Fund Workers Compensation - used for any additional claims in the Workers Compensation budget prior to the end of the fiscal year.


Proposed Amendment to Hickory City Code, Chapter 2, Article VII, Section 2-211 “Public Art Commission” - Discussion was previously held by City Council on 6/2/2009 regarding amending the ordinance governing the Public Art Commission by adding an additional at-large seat. The Public Art Commission was established by Article VII of Chapter 2 of the Hickory City Code and must be amended by Ordinance. The proposed amendment would increase the number of at-large members from 5 to 6 members. Adding another at-large member will help resolve some attendance issues by increasing the Commission’s membership while keeping quorum at 6. Staff Attorney Arnita Dula addressed the issue. The commission was established by ordinance and originally consisted of 10 seats - One seat appointed by each Ward, 3 at-larges by the Mayor, and 1 youth council member. Amendment in 2004 added 2 additional at-larges to be appointed by the Mayor. This would add another at-large to be added by the Mayor. This would mean that 6 members would be appointed by ward and 6 would be appointed by the Mayor.

Phil Barringer, the co-chair of the committee said that he was against adding another member. Adding another member will not solve the quorum issue. He said most of the members on the committee were opposed to doing this. He stated that they had a small, but hard working, active group and they would like to keep it that way. They have sent out notes about attendance and are going to keep council abreast of the situation. This will not solve the problem.

Z. Anne Hoyle said that she has spoken with an individual (who she appointed) who felt liket they were not being heard. She said that if the committee is expanded, that you will still have that same issue. This individual feels that the commission does a good job, but they don't clearly represent everyone that is on the commission. She stated the Mayor having 5 or 6 people on the commission will only represent his point of view. The Mayor said that was a bad example, because he doesn't even know who his representatives are, but he does understand her point.

Jill Patton said it is Alder's responsibility to see that their own wards are well represented by their appointees. It shouldn't be up to staff to decide whether an absence is excused or unexcused keep up with attendees and it isn't the responsibility of staff to do this. They want people that are committed and a wonderful group... We need to make sure that people are committed to it. It is not right to abdicate the responsibility of our very own wards.

Sally Fox said it is incumbent upon council to check the reason that they missed. She would like the ordinace left as is -- and Alder Patton seconded it. The Mayor said he would like to see further discussion. The Mayor asked if Alder Patton wanted to do away with excused absences? Alder Patton stated no, she said it was an unfair burden on staff to write whether an absence was excused or unexcused and how to make the call. The Mayor asks who makes the call.? Alder Patton said they are just absent... They are their or they're not. It is up to the alders to look at attendance and find out if there is a problem.

Alderman Meisner stated that the good that has come out of this is that they are aware or will become more aware of the problem of attendance. Alder Patton stated that this gives them impetus to fill unfilled positions. Sally Fox said that one of the beauties of the excused absence is that the member has to call in advance, so that a body is going to know in advance, if they are a no-show, the we're back where we started from about absences.

Alderman Lail asked if it would be appropriate to convene all of the members of the boards and commissions and talk about duties and responsibilities. The Mayor stated that that was for new members. Alderman Lail said this would be a way for these group to get together and network. He doesn't believe that that would be all bad.

The Mayor asked, How about bwe have abscence with notification and absence without notification? We want to treat these people like adults. Alderman Seaver said that we need to remember that these people are volunteers. The Motion to vote against was unanimous.


The Hound thinks that the energy spent on this issue was a colossal waste of time. Once again we were back to fighting the windmill argument that it is council members responsibility to make sure that their appointee shows up to these committees. I agree that our elected officials do have a responsibility to make government work, but is that really the most important issue or are we going to see the structure of Commissions and Committees addressed?

Once again, look at all of the Commissions, Committees, and Councils we have in this city: Brownfield Advisory Group, Community Appearance Commission, Community Relations Council, Hickory International Council, Hickory Regional Planning Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, Library Board, Parks & Recreation Commission, Public Arts Commission, Recycling Advisory Board, Youth Council, HBC 2030, and the new Small Business Task Force Council.

Will the issue, that we might have too many of these entities ever be addressed or is it always going to a be a process of slapping another band-aid on Frankenstein? Further, I have heard the same argument made that Mrs. Hoyle brought up. Why would anyone want to serve on a committee where they are actually not allowed any input, because they aren't part of the "in" group. I am not saying there is anything definitely wrong with the shaping of directives from these committees, but they definitely need to be audited occasionally to make sure that their mission is functioning properly.

In my last newsletter about the council meeting of 6/2/2009, I addressed my concerns. I appreciate what Alderman Lail proposed about getting the groups together and discussing the mission, but I also think that it might be time to step back and look at the mission statements of these committees and assess whether or not we are just adding more layers to a bad onion.

You shouldn't insist on keeping these committees the way they are just, "Because that is the way that we have always done it." It is time to ask, just because we have done it this way, is that the best way to do it?

It seems to me that this proposal was going to lead to subtraction by addition. We have already seen this attempted once, according to Attorney Dula in 2004, Maybe we should see the opposite happen? Let the student council member participate in a mentor-protege role, but they shouldn't receive a vote, then through attrition lose those 2 added at-large members that were added in 2004. With addition by substraction ( a consolidated group), we would see a more effective group in my opinion.

But, what I would truly prefer to see is a consolidation of the entire board and commission structure in the city. I do not see all of this plethora of volunteer candidates that Mrs. Fox and Mrs. Patton claim are waiting in the wings. I think that the council has been begging a lot of people to participate and if the passion is not there, then the current structure will collapse under its own weight, as evidence suggests.

New Business - Public Hearings
1. Second Reading - Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 21

2. Report on Community Development Block Grant Loan Portfolio - The City of Hickory housing loan programs began in 1980 with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds being their source of funds. In 1980 this program started with 5 loans and has grown to 108 loans and a portfolio of $1,579,191.70. Due to the present economic climate, loan payments have decreased and delinquency rates have increased. Staff will continue with collection efforts. Todd Hefner addressed council. He stated that the budget for the upcoming year is $455,373. The total of loans in the portfolio are 97 and they equal $1,561,527.75. Of the loans in the portfolio, 80 are to Homeowners for = $835,745.77, 10 are for rental units = $365,042.14, and 7 are for renovations = $360,739.84.

37% (actually 36%) of these 97 loans are delinquent, of those 24 are in arrears for 90+ days, which is 65% (actually 67%) of the delinquent loans. Mr. Hefner further broke down the loans in several different ways according to several criteria. Several questions were asked. Alderman Lail said that it appeared that many of these delinquencies were homeowners. Mr. Hefner concurred. The Mayor said the delinquent numbers were the (arrear) payment amounts and not the loan balances are much higher. Mr. Hefner concurred.

Mr. Hefner further showed that $1,505, 956.61 of the loans were current and $55,571.24 were past due. 96.4% of loans are current. 3.6% are in arrears. The Mayor stated that the important aspect is the loan balance. We may need to push harder for collections. Mr. Hefner stated that the city tries to collect through phone calls and what has proven to be most effective is collection through (liens on) state taxes. Anyone delinquent for more than 90 days is (and will be) referred to Family Guidance Center for debt counseling. Mr. Hefner stated the average of these loans is $15,000 to 20,000. Hickory chose loans and the housing rehab system is self supporting.

The Mayorstated that most of these aren't bankable loans. Under normal conditions, these people would not be receiving a loan. Mr. Hefner stated that they were able to receive these loans due to their economic status. The Mayor stated that these people aren't going to be able to get any bank to do a second mortgage for them. The Mayor is glad we are doing loans instead of grants. More people have benefited from the hel -- because the money is paid back and then loaned again.

Sally Fox asked how many of these people with delinquent loans are currently receiving guidance and Mr. Hefner stated presently none, but they are recommending the 24. Alderman Lail said that it might be good to get these people involved with the Western Piedmont Council of Governments. Mrs. Fox stated that she is a softy and foreclosure should be a last resort, there are other avenues. Alderman Seaver asked how flexible these loans are. Mr. Hefner stated that the loans are 3% over 20 years. (And further) Many of the people who are 90+ days over due have seen that happen over several years, not at one time. They may have missed 1 payment per year over the last 3 years. The Mayor said we are not harrassing these people. and we don't want Mr. Hefner to.

The Mayor and Council made a few remarks and then went into closed session.

The Hound once again believes that this is an issue of the current economic times in this area. The discussion seemed to be a little Twilight Zonish to me and it didn't focus on the issue at hand. Ignorance is not a calamity unless it is used for action.

As Mr. Hefner and Mayor Wright surmised, these people aren't going to usually receive a regular loan from a bank, so it should be naturally expected that you will see a higher rate of default. That is the reason why, many times, you see people from this socio-economic level paying higher percentages for credit, be it bank loans or credit card debt.

The city is going to have to assess a greater percent of interest on these loans to factor in the risk-return ratio associated with defaults. Otherwise you may as well have debt forgiveness for those who can't pay back the loan, because let's be honest, some people are just not going to pay back loans and that is why they have bad credit. You certainly can't argue that a 3% loan is exorbitant.

I like the debt counseling idea. It may truly help some who just don't know how to budget. But, it certainly must be realized that you can't bleed a turnip in these times of economic hardship. Those that have shown a good faith effort to pay back their loans should definitely be worked with, given a grace period until times get better, and have their payback period extended without penalty.

It is easy to tell which group these loanees belong to by auditing their finances and I hope that is the first course of action that is taking place. Call the people up and ask them to visit with a city official to develop lines of communication to assess what the problem is. Counsel them that we understand the plight and make sure that they understand the purpose of loans like these. By not paying back the loan they are hurting others that could also use the help, so paying back your obligation is important.



Cleared out Council Chambers. Picture taken by James Thomas Shell for the Hickory Hound.

Exciting Times Coming Over the next few Weeks

City Council tonight (Last one of fiscal year 2008-2009) - Report by tomorrow AM

Future Economy Council meeting on Thursday morning - Report and the implications and impact of what we are doing by Friday AM.

Expansion of the Hickory Hound and Project 3P projects are continually happening with lots of new and original content to come. So I hope that you will keep checking out the Hickory Hound and spreading the word.

Document Links for Project 3P are now available

See what we have been up to in trying to move this community into the future:
Document Links and Agendas for the Future Economy Council of Catawba County

Just Remember Folks, "It's the Climb" - bwahahaha!!!

Hickory needs Real Transformation

I just finished reading Joshua Cooper Ramo's book - The Age of the Unthinkable - Why the New World Disorder Surprises Us and What Can We Do About It. Rick Smyre, our Future Economy Council Mentor, suggested it as a way to gain comprehension of the current context of the world around us and the role we play in it.

After reading the book, I decided to jot down some thoughts on how this book might relate to the current state of Hickory. I think that our leaders can get a lot out of this book. You do have to cut to the chase after winding through the soliloquies of Mr. Ramo's travels, but the message is consistent. As he states in his summaries towards the end of the book, "There are moments, and this is one of them, when we are not spectators to history but participants." We do not have to choose to be passive participants in this world, as individuals we can make changes and when those changes are made, they will lead to results that are greater than the sum of their parts.

I truly believe that Hickory's leadership has tried to do what they believe is best for the community. They have been very innovative in ways that they have limited expenses in our city's budget. During the drought, they promoted and began selling rain barrels as an alternative way to water vegetation, they used leaves and other refuse to create a composting facility, and they have consolidated the region's interests in our water resources by becoming the regional operator and provider of water.

But, for years many of these same leaders have gone too far, by trying to hoard control and that has, in my opinion, stifled the creative and innovative energies that are needed to progress. Many of these individuals seem to think that their answers are best, their solutions should be policy, and that if the regular folks will just fall in line, then we can move forward. What they fail to recognize is if no one follows, then they aren't leading. We need leaders that will get local citizens, who have felt disenfranchised and are therefore ambivalent, to buy into our transformation.

As Ramo states, "We owe everything to Human Creativity." "We need to empower as much of the world as we can, even if at times that means encouraging forces that make us uneasy at first glance." Our leaders need to decentralize the power in this area and I know that it is going to be hard to get some people to buy into that philosophy. It seems that we are not trusting the average person in this area, that they are basically being called uneducated or ignorant. I just ask our leaders, "Do you really think you have all the answers?"

I have read and listened for months about how the Hickory Metro Area's problems are not our fault, we have no control, that it is all caused by Raleigh and Washington. I think that there is nothing wrong with a leader (or anyone) admitting that they don't know what the solutions are, but there has to be something that can be done. We cannot afford to spend endless years of abrogating the issues we can control involving our economic plight.

You want an example. Last month we heard the Mayor, City Manager, and City Council talk a good game about this Small Business Job Growth Team. Why has this not gotten off the ground yet? This was discussed at the City Council Meeting on May 5, 2009. It sure seems to me that this admittedly great idea has been a ruse. If this is so important, then why is it taking upwards of six weeks to get the people onboard to get it started. It is just sad that this seems like it is not being taken seriously -- One word, ACTION!!!

Once again we apparently can't find people to serve, why? Could it be that we have too many of these commissions? Could it be that the upper echelons of Hickory's leadership want to fully control the process and its outcome? Could it be that when they agree to their findings that the City Officials don't act on them and go off in their own direction of personal self interest? How many times have we seen exactly that happen before?

I have personally been flat out told that the reason people don't serve is because City Officials are not willing to listen. They basically want people to wrap their (the leadership's) views up in a neat little package, so that they can present them as "The People's Idea." When the leadership does not like the task force's findings, and then they take the ball and run in a different direction, then the participants feel disenfranchised and no longer want to participate in any city processes. That folks, is what has led to the ambivalence we find amongst the go-getters and movers and shakers in this community. Have you noticed that our developers are taking their monies and influence to the fringes of Hickory (Granite Falls, Conover, Claremont). Hmmm, I wonder why that has happened?

It is time to get people to buy in. Joshua Cooper Ramo displays, in this book, ways that we can get people to buy in and collaborate. It is not a blueprint, because innovation cannot be defined and the future is naturally ambiguous. There are no magic bullets and we cannot shape life into the neat little package that we want, but we can have influence over it. That influence can be good or bad. There are reasons why this community is in desperate economic straights. We cannot see our community at the bottom of unemployment numbers in the nation and absolve ourselves of any blame.

Past and current leadership has laid the foundation that we now stand upon. Not all of it is bad and some of it is excellent, but we most certainly need to improve the structure. It is time to build a new foundation and there are ideas out there that will help us do that. I hope that you, as individuals or as a group, will get this book and think about the implications of what Mr. Ramo espouses. We must renew the Can Do spirit that originally built this community and unleash its full potential as we work to rebuild a more sure footed and stronger foundation designed for a brighter and more positive future.