Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 15, 2012

This newsletter is about the Hickory City Council meeting that I attended this past week. City council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each Month in the Council Chambers of the Julian Whitener building.

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

You will find historic Agenda and Minutes links. Agendas show what is on the docket for the meeting of that date. The Minutes is an actual summary of the proceedings of the meeting of that date.

Here is a summary of the agenda of the 5/15/2012 meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below:

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

Invocation by Rev. Paul Birkedal, Chaplain, Lutheran Homes

Special Presentations:
A. Proclamation Regarding Charlotte Motor Speedway’s May Race to Education and Declaring May 19-27, 2012 as Kurt Busch Week in the City of Hickory

B. Presentation of Proclamation to Scott Caskaddon in recognition of his bravery and quick thinking at a car fire on May 3, 2012

C. Presentation of Proclamation to Chief of Police Tom Adkins Declaring the Week of May 13-19, 2012 as National Police Week in the City of Hickory

* Chief Adkins accepted the award and mentioned Gerald Wayne Maynard who passed away in 1977. 163 officers dies last year in the line of duty. One every 53 hours. He stated that each day these officers go out they are the line between those who abide by the law and those who commit crimes and disorder in our community.


D. Proclamation Declaring May 14-20, 2012 as “National Tourism Week” in the City of Hickory

* Bebe stated that citizens in our area save on average $117 in taxes each year, because of this industry.


E. Hickory Downtown Development Association’s “Community Vision for Downtown Hickory 2017” (Presentation by Rodney Swink, former Director of the North Carolina Main Street Program) - Four point approach of organization, promotion, design, and economic restructuring. Participating communities saw an increase of $800 million as a result. Communities without direction are like businesses without a plan. They are doomed to waste time, money, and effort. This is a shared effort between downtown and neighborhoods, business and civic interests.


F. Council Policy Regarding Consent Agenda Procedure -
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 15, 2012 -- Addendum on Consent Agenda Policies & Public Participation


Consent Agenda: All items below are considered to be routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Council Member so requests. In which event, the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered under Item VIII.

** At this point in the meeting, Larry Pope, a citizen of Hickory, approached the podium and began speaking regarding his request that Council Members discuss every item on the consent agenda before voting individually on each item. Mr. Pope stated that he asked for reasonable accommodations as outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mayor Wright declared Mr. Pope out of order several times, and Mr. Pope continued speaking. Council voted unanimously to recess the meeting, and after approximately 10 minutes, the meeting was reconvened. Mr. Pope continued, and Mayor Wright again declared Mr. Pope out of order, and informed Mr. Pope that the meeting was not the place to discuss the issue, and that Mr. Pope had legal recourse through the courts. City Attorney Crone then stated that disrupting a public meeting is a misdemeanor, and that Mr. Pope had been given ample time to speak and ruled out of order several times. Mr. Pope stated that he wanted a tape of the meeting, and he returned to his seat.





A. Call for Public Hearing on the City Manager’s FY2012-2013 Recommended Budget (Authorize Public Hearing for June 5, 2012) The 2012-2013 Recommended Budget has been distributed to City Council as required by law and is available for review in the Office of the City Clerk, Patrick Beaver Memorial Library and Ridgeview Library. *Alderman Lail moved, it was seconded and unanimously resolved, that Item A. be removed for discussion. City Manager Berry explained that this was simply a call for a public hearing on the budget. A public hearing will be held at the June 5th Council Meeting, at which time citizens may make public comment.

B. Future Annexation Agreement – Jimmy and Joyce Scott – 3131 7th Avenue SE – Forest Heights Subdivision (Catawba County PIN 3722-15-63-0572) - Jimmy and Joyce Scott have requested connection to the City’s water and sewer system without being annexed. They have agreed to be annexed at some time in the future when the City finds it economically feasible to do so. The property is located at 3131 7th Avenue SE, which is just off of Tate Boulevard behind Catawba Valley Medical Center in the Forest Heights Subdivision. None of the other properties in the subdivision have been annexed into the city limits. While the property is adjacent to the city limits, access to the property is through two streets not located within the city limits. Annexing one property of the subdivision is not economically feasible at this time. Staff recommends approval of the future annexation agreement.

C. Future Annexation Agreement - Joseph and Grace Vaught – 2906 Springs Road NE – Part of the E. H. Killian Property Division (Catawba County PIN 3723-06-48-8144) - Joseph and Grace Vaught have requested connection to the City’s water and sewer system without being annexed. They have agreed to be annexed at some time in the future when the City finds it economically feasible to do so. The subject property is somewhat isolated from other portions of the corporate boundary of Hickory. Small satellite annexations are located across Springs Road NE and further to the north and south of the property. Water and sewer services are available to serve the property, but do to its proximity to the principal corporate boundary, Staff does not recommend immediate annexation. Staff recommends approval of the future annexation agreement.

D. Proclamation Declaring May 20 – 26, 2012 as “National American Public Works Week” in the City of Hickory

E. Citizens’ Advisory Committee Recommendations for Assistance through the City of Hickory’s Housing Programs - The following request was considered by the Citizens’ Advisory Committee at their regular meeting on May 3, 2012:
 Marcia Taylor, 3333 Blue Sky Court SE, Newton, was awarded a City of Hickory Housing Rehabilitation Loan. The Citizens’ Advisory Committee recommends approval for assistance not to exceed $7,000 for repairs to her home. Assistance would be in the form of a 3% interest loan for a 10 year period. Funds are budgeted for these items through the City of Hickory’s Rental Rehabilitation Program income received in FY 2009 and/or program income received through the City of Hickory’s Community Development Block Grant Program. The Citizens’ Advisory Committee recommends approval of the above request.

F. Amendment to NC DOT/Division of Aviation Block Grant/VISION 100 Grant No. 36237.66.3.1 for Construction of New Aviation Fuel Farm at Hickory Regional Airport With this amendment, the City will accept $474,918 in grant funds and commit to a city match of $52,768 - The City of Hickory received an e-mail on March 19, 2012 from the NC DOT Airport Project Manager that states that the Division of Aviation approves Hickory Regional Airport to use the airport’s non-primary entitlement (VISION 100) funds to construct the new aviation fuel farm. This funding includes existing and future VISION 100 funds consistent with the grant modification requested today which will be made available to the City as they are received from the FAA fund allocations as long as all current programs continue. The next fund allocation from the FAA is anticipated to be in the August, 2012 timeframe. The new fuel farm will allow the airport to have additional fuel storage capacity enabling the City to extend lower and more competitive fuel prices to its customers. Staff recommends approval.

G. Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 22
1. To budget $800 of Unity Fair donations in the Unity Fair expenditure line item. The Unity Fair is part of the International Spring Fest.
2. To budget $185 of Library donations from several donors in the Library Books line item.
3. To appropriate $18,066 of Miscellaneous Insurance Claim Payment from Trident Insurance Company and budget in the Fleet Maintenance-Maintenance and Repair of Vehicles line item.
4. To appropriate $52,768 of Transportation Fund Balance and transfer to the Hickory Regional Airport Fuel Farm Project. $52,768 represents the 10% City grant match required by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).

H. Grant Project Ordinance Amendment No. 11
1. To accept and appropriate $474,918 in FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) grant revenue and to transfer $82,558 in existing FAA grant revenue to be utilized for the construction phase of the Hickory Regional Airport Fuel Farm Project. A City grant match of $52,768 is also required. Once this Grant Project Ordinance Amendment is approved, construction can begin.


New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 23
This budget ordinance amendment budgets $900,000 for Jet A and 100 Low Lead wholesale bulk fuel purchases which are then resold through the Hickory Regional Airport’s retail fueling operation. This budget amendment is required to keep the revenues and expenditures of the Airport's fuel inventory in compliance with statutory budget requirements. This budget amendment was not done earlier in the year due to uncertainty about the volume of fuel the Airport would be purchasing/selling on a monthly basis. We now have 5 months of financial history which allows us to make this budgetary projection.

Assistant City manager Warren Wood presented the information. The City took over rthe FBO on December 9, 2012. The City had to move fast to make sure there were no disruptions. Moved fast to set up funds to operate the airport. Start up enterprise...  Not a whole lot of data to go on. Knew personnel and some operational numbers, didn't have financial numbers. Have been building a financial history. Using this for budget projections for this year and next year. Did not budget the purchase of wholesale aviation fuel that will be resold as part of the aviation fueling operation. They had a projection that they could back into, but they weren't sure because they had never done it before and weren't sure that they could rely on the previous FBO's numbers.

Historic responsibilities of the city include runway, ground, building, tenants, control tower, and fire station no. 4. FBO responsibilities are service related and include fuel and hangar management. They will contract out maintenance. They are providing red carpet service for base and transient customers. Customer service is a big emphasis.

Currently have two fuel farms. North Ramp has 100 low lead (12,000 gallons) and Jet A fuel (12,000 gallons).  South Ramp has just Jet A fuel (12,000 gallons). Action tonight creates a new fuel system that will even accept credit card purchases. It will be 100,000 gallons of 100 Low Lead and 12,000 gallons of Jet A fuel.  This will help with after hour purchases that were not available before. This gives a third option.

They are selling between 30,000 and 40,000 gallons of fuel per month. This mis self funding because you are buying wholesales and selling retail. They have to agree with this or they can't sell the fuel. Alderman Guess and Alder Patton both stated that they have heard nothing but good things from people that utilize the airport. The mayor concurred.

The Hound has heard nothing but good things about the city's operation of the airport and is glad that the city finally took over the FBO and believes that this will help with its future viability.


2. Resolution of Support – NC Main Street Solutions Grant Application for Redevelopment of Hollar Hosiery Property Located at 883 Highland Ave SE, Hickory - The Main Street Solutions Fund Program is administered by the NC Department of Commerce, Division of Community Assistance, and its purpose is to provide maximum support to small businesses in designated North Carolina Main Street Communities. The program is intended to strengthen the economy of the municipality and its role as a regional growth and employment hub. This is accomplished by leveraging the state’s resources for small business development spurring private investment, and by providing economic development planning assistance and coordinated grant support. The City of Hickory must be the recipient of the grant funds and must administer the grant. A total of $200,000 is available, and it is a 2 to 1 match – 2 local/private dollars for every dollar of grant funding. In order to apply for the entire amount, the Hollar Project will need to show a minimum of $400,000 in local and private funds. In addition, the project will need to maintain 8 full time jobs. The vacant building grant match funds ($30,000) can be used towards the local match as the City’s contribution, as well as all of the private funds put into the project by the project partners and the tax credit investors. City Staff must attend a mandatory workshop in Raleigh in order to apply for the grant. The grant application is due before the end of May. Staff requests approval of the resolution in support of submitting Hollar Hosiery for the Main Street Solutions Grant.

Andrea Surratt presentation. Will create a key destination point on LR Boulevard in traveling to the LR Campus. Owner Equity around $500,000, bank loan is $2.9 million, and investor proceeds will be around $2.1 Million. Total project is $6.4 million.

Skull Coast to Dock in Hickory - NC Brewing.orp - April 20, 2012 
New Brewery on Tap - Observer News Enterprise - Michael Willard - April 27, 2012 - (Good Article explains the vision) 
Old Hosiery Building behind the Granary - Houndvision on Youtube - September 13, 2009

Recognition of Persons Requesting To Be Heard
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 15, 2012 -- Addendum on Consent Agenda Policies & Public Participation

A. Jody Inglefield spoke regarding the Mayor’s comments on a morning radio show and stated that he is disappointed that the opportunity for a citizen to remove an item from the consent agenda is not more democratic and open. He also asked that Council Members speak into the speakers because it is hard for citizens to hear. He further he didn’t think it would be difficult to put the proposed budget on the internet so that citizens can view it.

B. Rebecca Inglefield also spoke on the Mayor’s comments on the morning radio show and hoped that the process regarding the consent agenda can be clarified. She discussed the need for a public pool, and continued by discussing other very real needs in the city.

C. Walter Witherspoon spoke about the cost of the downtown structure and the need for a swimming pool. He discussed a document whereby the City Manager stated that the City will save $825,000 by not operating the pools, with the downtown structure costing a million and a half dollars.

D. Jimmy Davis commented about two general ways of looking at city government – how it is set up and how it functions. He stated that the citizens elected Council Members to serve their interests and to take care of business. The citizens gave Council Members their votes and trust them; therefore, they want to look at the official action.

General Comments
A. Alderman Seaver invited everyone to attend the Kiwanis Pancake Feast this weekend at St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Viewmont and support the children of Catawba County.

B. Alderman Guess invited everyone to attend the event at the Zahra Baker Playground on Saturday at 11:00 am. Mayor Wright added that he looks forward to the benefits that the playground will provide for young people in the future.

Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 15, 2012 -- Addendum on Consent Agenda Policies & Public Participation

Council Policy Regarding Consent Agenda Procedure - Presentation by City Manager Mick Berry -



The Hound on the Deal: I am sorry that I have to be dead level forward about these issues. My intention is not about attacking the City Manager. It is talking about Principles of Governance. Sometimes I am told by people in positions of power that I don't understand. Here is the deal. If I don't understand something, then it is your responsibility to educate me. That doesn't mean that I am going to just regurgitate what you say. We already have several media representatives to do that. That is the reason the Hound came into existence.

Now, I'm sorry, but I think the City Manager was talking passed the issue and frankly those who read this blog have already seen me address this. He is talking about Citizen Participation in Terms of Public Hearings. He is reiterating the points that he has already made in the Hickory Daily Record:

1) He says this is a review not a recommendation for changes. This is the code of the Council per 1998.
2) The Consent Agenda is part of the Agenda code and he doesn't just make that up.
3) You can get on the Agenda the prior Wednesday before a City Council Meeting.
4) The Agenda comes out on the internet for all to see the Friday before the meeting, so there is public notice.
5) He talks about how most items placed on the Agenda come through the Departments and cites examples.
6) He goes over the process for Citizens requesting to be Heard. Done by noon on Friday to be in the Agenda, but that isn't a Deadline, you can sign up at the meeting.
7) He went into the issue of second readings, which he stated is unique to the City of Hickory for binding decisions.
8) He talked about changes to be made to the cover sheet. Which he states shows the rules of the meeting verbatim.
9) Public Hearings have their own set of rules. They have added a suggestion sheet to the agenda pamphlet.
10) Talks about the address of city council is not a dialogue or debate. From a staff standpoint they don't know the question ahead of time. They don't want to answer with misinformation or tell the wrong thing. It is an opportunity to voice concerns. They will get right back with the citizen. This is not a time for an exchange back and forth.

The Hound wants to reiterate that this was not about policies of City Council meetings. The people that I associate with as a collective know just as much if not more than the City Council about the processes of City Council meetings. How do you think this maneuver happened to start with? 

The Brass Tax is that the Consent Agenda has been abused. Items that deserve to have a public discussion have been put on the Consent Agenda to keep debate from occurring before a vote is taken. It may not say that the City Manager can't put $423,000 of spending on a Consent Agenda, but it also doesn't say that you can and the people that I have spoken to believe that nothing where tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent should ever go on the Consent Agenda. It is about Representation and Accountability. The rest of this discussion about how citizens are to address the council is apples and oranges stuff.

Citizens Requesting to Be Heard

Dr. Joseph Inglefield - He stated that he is disappointed that the opportunity to approach the Council before the meeting to have an item removed from the consent agenda is not more Democratic and more open. He said it is hard to hear the council and he thinks it is important that they speak into the microphone so that we can hear them. It is important that we hear what they say and that is part of what Mr. Pope is after. (The Hound - I will address Larry's standoff with the council in the full newsletter). He says that the proposed budget should be available on the internet. Still hasn't had an answer about when can we have a dialogue. People come before the council because this is the only opportunity we have to speak publicly. We think the City Council should go on the record. That does not happen in one-on-one situations. It is more Democratic and open.

Rebecca Inglefield - Talked about the (Hal Row) radio program and the Hickory Hound and how she thought it was just great that you could hear what was said. The mayor stated on Hal Row's show that whatever changes were made would be clarified in the interest of greater transparency and greater citizen involvement not less. We can ask that anything be removed from the consent agenda, but as she understands it it has to be (removed) by a majority vote. There is no guarantee that a citizen will have any kind of direct impact.

She talked about the Mayor on Hal Row talking about being in the sign business and understanding wind loads through a computer program. The mayor also said that there were no efforts to conceal the costs of the structure. She was encouraged to request public records and the staff was prompt. She asked for a detailed item list of what has been paid for so far, but unfortunately she can't understand what she received and it appears that only $30,000 has been spent and she isn't sure why they asked for the additional amount of money. The current balance is $275,000. She isn't clear as to why there had to be an additional infusion of money into the project. She asked if they would respond or should she put in an additional request.

She next addressed the Inspiring Spaces project. The public will be invited to be involved and she is looking forward to that. She said she would put a request in writing to request the itemized expenditures and budget (for the structure downtown) so that she can understand this next time, but also who is on the committee to choose the name.

Three minutes was called and Walter Witherspoon said that he would yield his time and the Mayor stated that yielding time is not covered in our Code.

Rebecca asked when is the time to discuss the issues we want to discuss, when is the time? Hal Row asked you that and you didn't answer it. The Mayor says you have it right now. Rebecca states there is no discussion. The Mayor says you have my cell phone. Rebecca says In public with the whole Council with the public involved on the record. When is the time to do that?

She talks about the December 20, 2011 meeting and states that it is fascinating. It was stated there that we have plenty of money. When we bulldozed the pools, we had plenty of money then to bring the pools up to code. We had $1.8 million in the parking fund and over $8 million in the capital reserve fund. The Mayor clarified on the radio that there are no legal restrictions to the parking fund. That money could have been used to fix up the swimming pools. The Mayor retorted by asking if "are you going to be able to wrap this up."

She stated that the Mayor had said that the pools were the very first matter on the agenda for Parks and Rec. We are looking for that as part of the Inspiring Spaces. She talked about grocery stores and Ridgeview being a "Food Desert." That is a part of the health downfall we see in our community. She talks about Exodus Homes lack of budget. She says she is glad to see that there is money to go ahead and do that now.

She finished by talking about the $30,000 survey to see if the city wanted pools and people from every quadrant of the city said yes. The Parks and Rec has changed the priority, because of the city council.


Walter Witherspoon stated he was there for the Downtown structure. Mr. Lail said it might have been a little hasty, in the paper the other day, and he appreciates him speaking out on it. He sees six members there and one member stuck up. On the swimming pool item from May 18, 2010. The City manager reports in his proposed budget that we are going to save $825,000 on the pools. Two years hence, we are talking about one and a half million dollars Where is that money?

Jimmy Davis asked to speak. He spoke about the responsibilities of government. He talked about two important questions. Who have out elected and appointed officials been helping and Why?

There are two ways to look at our city government -- It's structure and it's function. Structure equals the city charter. It is important to ask about function. What our people have or have not done this side of those structures both as individuals and as a group. We put you there to serve our interests and take care of our business. We gave you our vote and our trust so therefore we want to look closely at your official action on issues that are important to us.

When you look at the City Government function you look at two broad categories -- fiscal and legislative. The first has to do with city money. Who gets our tax money and the second has to do with the laws and acts of the Mayor and City Council.


The Hound enjoyed these addresses of the Council. There were certainly some nuggets to think about there. Yes, the sound is terrible in the Council chambers and something should have been done about that long ago. Second, the $1.8 million balance in the parking fund is a very interesting number. That is one heck of a slushy there. I understand Walter' question. It isn't pools every year, so it wouldn't be $1.5 million, but if it is $825k plus operations, then it would be a about a million and we would certainly like to know how we have benefited from that money not being spent. We certainly don't see any money being spent on much of anything other than the Tent being paid for by the Slushy funds. And Jimmy posed some pretty good questions there. Oh and we are working towards bringing you these Council meetings in more of a 21st Century fashion. Hope someone cares.


Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 1, 2012 -- Rebecca Inglefield requests items F & G be removed from the Agenda

The Socialist Republic of Hickory HooDoo (Part 2)

So we have to go through a Council Member to get an item removed from the Consent Agenda and if they don't agree, then it won't be pulled from the Consent Agenda. Again, what do these people have against citizens having a voice. They state that they are worried about the process being abused over petty issues. We are upset because this Council has consented to allowing the City Manager to abuse the Consent Agenda process and way to go Hickory Daily Record for once again toting the city's water without asking a freaking critical question. The HDR continually shows in the end whose side they are on.

From Harry Hipps: The "fix" they have articulated is that you can talk to a council member before the meetings if you want something removed from the consent agenda. They are supposed to hang out in the lobby or in chambers to listen to citizens prior to  going in to conduct business. The problems are: 1) the council member may be disinterested and not inclined to support the citizen's request, 2) the council member has no time to research the concern or reflect on any new facts or perspectives that may come to light, 3) the conversation with the council member is informal and is not publicly recorded which doesn't allow for other citizens learning of the concern and is wide open for a misinterpretation or denial of the private conversation held, 4) the citizen still doesn't have the opportunity to voice their concern and would probably do so more passionately and comprehensively than the council member who just had something dropped in their lap, and finally, 5) the members probably have a consensus position already and it would be an uphill climb to stop and reverse an immanent action.

Again, we see the control freak mentality. Citizens can't vote and we're just asking to comment. The power of the vote still rests with the council members and they really want to act without question. The abusing of the process argument is a straw man. Yes, it could happen, but they could restrict the abusers time or even call them out of order and have them removed from the podium. I don't see this happening often, though there is the possibility it could happen. Which begs the question: Should we risk the occasional outburst to increase public participation? My answer: yes.

Sad sad sad. But it befuddles me that they are so scared of losing control. Once again Rudy promises better and we get worse. And this man ran unopposed.

The Hound: If it is such a bad thing for the people of Hickory to have a voice within their governance and the only governmental process that is afforded is through the directives of an established Commissar with no checks and balances, then we no longer live under the established principles in which this nation was founded. Although I have no voice in any matters related to our governance and the people of Hickory have shown an unwillingness to take ownership of their personal role in the format of Republican Democracy, I would like to suggest that we do away with the outdated and unrecognized creed of the Pledge of Allegiance. Liberty and Justice for all - what kind of fantasy world is that?

Who are we pledging to anyway? Honestly, the real pledge should be to serve oneself and those who can personally enrich us. That is what we have seen in this country. I won't stand for this Anthem, but I think many would be more comfortable with its theme. Its not the words. Its the attitude.



And this is cynical, but it comes from frustration in dealing with By Hook or By Crook Governance.

City of Hickory HooDoo about Consent Agenda Process & Citizens

We need Citizens at the City Council Meeting this Tuesday night. Reading the May 15, 2012 City Council meeting Agenda Packet online surely does not make it appear that the City Manager, the Mayor, and City Council are going to make the removal of Consent Agenda items a more Democratic Process as the Mayor stated on Hal Row's show last week. It sounds like they are just going to remove the language allowing the Citizens to remove the items.

First of all, this is being presented as a Special Presentation. Once again they use a process that does not allow Citizen input. Special Presentations do not allow Citizen input. This is once again presented on Friday afternoon to where no one grasps it until the weekend is wrapping up and 48 hours before the meeting. That is the reason they put it out on Friday, hoping no one will pay attention. What is up with these people? Are they against the Democratic process and more in favor of manipulation of structures of governance?

First of all, by presenting this in a formal document, I believe that they are being dishonest with the public through obfuscation. Anyone utilizing the Removal of Consent Agenda Items process precedent as set forth on the City Council Agenda Pamphlet is not asking for a Public Hearing, they are following a process that has been endorsed by the Council for years. The issue is that someone has finally utilized the process and the City Council does not like it and they want to quickly sweep it under the rug before it settles into accepted normalcy.

When the City Administration's words state about the changing of the cover sheet,

  "We hope this cover sheet is clear and easy to understand and will help citizens effectively participate in City government."

It needs to be understood that we believe this change gives the appearance of an attempt to make the Council meetings even less citizen friendly, and is obviously an attempt make the civic process less responsive to citizen input. Furthermore, politically, it looks like a way to avoid public debate on issues potentially important to the community. The above statement was true with the way things were/are now prior to the impending changes. The entire Council needs to be dressed down on this issue Tuesday night. What do these Council members have against the citizens they say they represent?

Look at the wording in the City Council Agenda packet where it says Alderman Lail made "comments at the May 1, 2012 Council meeting for staff to rectify the erroneous information related to consent agenda items that was written on the cover sheet of the council agenda’s available to the public at council meetings." No! Alderman Lail made a motion and then was interrupted by City Manager Mick Berry and they never revisited the motion, because the Mayor said that he took it as more of a comment. It is all recorded. Once again they are making rules up to suit their personal agenda.

They are trying to say for a citizen to remove a Consent Agenda item that it must be as a petition through the City Manager through the "Public Hearing" process. We aren't asking for a public hearing. The Consent Agenda obviously has nothing to do with public hearings. And again, how are we supposed to ask to be placed on the agenda on Wednesday in response to items on an Agenda that doesn't come out until Friday on the internet?

Also on the radio (Hal Row's show), Rudy Wright said that the council didn't want citizens abusing the process by pulling items that were (paraphrasing) petty in nature. If that was our goal, then would we have not done this before now? We waited nearly five months for the City Manager to attempt another HooDoo through illegitimate process. A $285k or $137k item does not belong on the Consent Agenda. It doesn't matter whether they are using their Parking Slush Fund or not. That is the reason why we stood up. This is an important issue that citizens deserve to have input on and they wanted to railroad this through and they don't want anyone to be able to introduce resistance and push back to their personal agenda.

As has been stated, this is an issue of Precedent. No matter how the language found its way onto the pamphlet, this became the rule through practice, until someone had the audacity to use it. So, while it may not have been 'officially' adopted through vote of council, and that is certainly not the gospel given that, "Staff was unable to find when that rule was included," it became inclusive through practice until Rebecca Inglefield stood up and used it.

Hickory City Council Agenda packet for May 15, 2012 - Beginning on Page 10

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- May 13, 2012

Poll shows Americans' pessimism on economy growing - AP through WRAL.com (Raleigh) - By JENNIFER AGIESTA, Associated Press; TOM RAUM, Associated Press - May 10, 2012 - Americans are growing more pessimistic about the economy and handling it remains President Barack Obama's weak spot and biggest challenge in his bid for a second term, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.                   And the gloomier outlook extends across party lines, including a steep decline in the share of Democrats who call the economy "good," down from 48 percent in February to just 31 percent now.                         Almost two-thirds of Americans — 65 percent — disapprove of Obama's handling of gas prices, up from 58 percent in February. Nearly half, 44 percent, "strongly disapprove." And just 30 percent said they approve, down from 39 percent in February.                      These findings come despite a steady decline in gas prices in recent weeks after a surge earlier in the year. The national average for a gallon of gasoline stood at $3.75, down from a 2012 peak of $3.94 on April 1.                        U.S. presidents have limited ability to affect gas prices, which are determined in international markets. However, the party out of power always blames whoever is president at the time for high gas prices, as Republican Mitt Romney is doing now and as Democrat Obama did in 2008 when George W. Bush sat in the Oval Office.               Of all the issues covered by the poll, Obama's ratings on gas prices were his worst.                      The public's views tilt negative on his handling of the overall economy, 52 percent disapprove while 46 percent approve. In February, Americans were about evenly divided on his handling of the issue.               The economy is the No. 1 issue in the presidential race, thanks to the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression and one of the shallowest-ever recoveries.                     While the recession officially ended in summer 2009, unemployment remains stubbornly high, at 8.1 percent in April. Some 12.5 million Americans are out of work.                   The increasing skepticism toward the recovery tracks a weakening overall economy as measured by the gross domestic product, and matches economic growth downgrades by many economic forecasters.                      Against this background, the weak economy looms as a huge liability for Obama, and any drop in public confidence in his ability to deal with it can threaten his re-election prospects. Although Obama held broad advantages over Romney on handling social issues and protecting the country, when it came to the economy about the same percentage said they trust Romney to handle it as trust Obama.




Ridiculous Claim: Fed Policy Not To Blame For Rising Food and Gas Prices; The Dollar Hasn’t Gone Down - SHTFplan.com - Mac Slavo - May 7th, 2012 - Government mouthpiece and well known Keynesian economist Paul Krugman makes the case for monetary easing and Fed intervention by claiming that the rising cost of food and gas has nothing to do with the Federal Reserve or the free money they’ve dished out to banks, both foreign and domestic, to the tunes of not billions, but tens of trillions of dollars.                  The latest economic theory from the Nobel Prize winning economist suggests that the Fed and government intervention couldn’t possibly have anything to do with US dollar depreciation – not for the last hundred years, and certainly not today.

The Hound: Paul Krugman should be fired for Economic malpractice. The dude just does not understand economics. Paper does only represents value. The actual (real) value lies in the actual commodities. Sure paper versus paper is maintaining its price parity, but the paper versus the commodities (Fuel, Sugar, Beef, Corn, Precious Metals, etc.) is falling drastically. What we are seeing is inflation is Necessities and deflation in discretionary items. The problem relates to dollars flushed into banks using that money to invest through speculation in commodity markets. The amount of commodities is finite, but the amount of fiat money chasing them is potentially infinite. Until we put a control mechanism on currencies, since the people running monetary policy throughout the world apparently lack self-restraint, we are going to see rampant inflation worsening until ultimate collapse, because this game cannot go on forever. If market mechanisms are not reliable, they eventually collapse.

Economic Alert: If You’re Not Worried Yet…You Should Be - Alt-Market.com - Brandon Smith -  May 8, 2012 - ...At the end of January, I covered the incredible nosedive of the Baltic Dry Index (a measure of global shipping rates that signals a fall in global demand) to historic lows.  I pointed out the tendency of stocks and the general economy to crash around 8 months (sometimes a little longer) after the BDI makes such a dramatic downturn.  Mainstream analysts, of course, attributed the fall to an “overproduction of ships”, which is the same exact excuse they used when the BDI collapsed back in 2008 just before the derivatives bubble burst.  It would seem that the cable TV talking heads were wrong yet again, as the international market facade quickly evaporates right in line with the BDI’s almost prophetic knack for calling an economic derailment in advance...                                  Former officials like Nicolas Sarkozy may have claimed to be distanced from the socialist ideal, but, as with all globalist puppets, their actions did not match their rhetoric, and they have always supported policies of centralization and big government.  The French and the Greeks have essentially replaced closet collectivists with outspoken collectivists, and will see NO relief from the crisis in the Euro-zone as a result of the political reordering.  In fact, the stage has now been set for a volatile chain of dominos.  Germany, which is the only economy left holding the EU together, has been unyielding on austerity cuts.  A conflict between France and Germany is now inevitable.  Neither will compromise their position, and I can see no other eventual result than a reexamination and perhaps abandonment of the EU charter.                       How does this affect America?  Being that international banks and corporations have forced our countries into interdependency through the engineered chicanery of globalization, any collapse in Europe is going to strike hard around the world, but the worst will hit the U.S. and China.  Which is probably why China is disengaging trade away from the U.S. and the EU and focusing on other developing nations:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/08/us-china-economy-trade-idUSBRE84702N20120508

Spain is next in line, with a 25% official unemployment rate and a massive black market economy forming.  As I have been saying for years now, when governments disrupt the financial survival of the people, they WILL form their own alternatives, including black markets and barter markets.  It is about survival.  The Spanish government does not care much for these alternatives, though, and has now banned cash transactions over 2500 euros in a futile attempt to squeeze taxes out of the populace through digitally tracked payment methods:
http://thedailybell.com/3814/Spain-Bans-Cash

Here is the bottom line; U.S. growth is a theater of shadows.  There has been no progress, no recovery, only the misrepresentation of statistics.  Millions of Americans have fallen off unemployment rolls because they have been jobless for too long, which lowers the unemployment rate, but does not change the fact that they are still without work.  Durable goods orders are dropping like an avalanche.  U.S. credit has been lowered yet again by ratings agency Egan-Jones.  With China making bilateral trade deals in numerous countries on the condition that the dollar be dropped as the primary purchasing mechanism, and with the EU turning to economic mulch, the currency’s safety is nonexistent.  Traditional investors who cling to the idea that a falling Euro spells dollar strength will be sorely disappointed when the currency is suddenly being rejected in international currency markets.                                  The Federal Reserve has already stated that any signs of “relapse” into recession (the recession that we never left) will be met with all options on the table, including QE3:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/12/us-usa-fed-idUSBRE83B1KD2012041

The real beginning of today’s collapse is tied to the events of 2008.  The pace of it has been deceptive, but also, in a way, it is a gift.  Over the past four years, I have personally seen the awakening of thousands of people that may have never had the chance if the system had gone into full spectrum breakdown right away.  The question now is, how much longer can the U.S. wobble along on one wheel?  In my view, and from the evidence I see in markets at the moment, not much longer.                           It is hard to set aside any expectations that the next leg down will be easy to digest for the populace.  The reality of our predicament is starting to hit home.  All the tax return checks have been spent.  The credit cards have been maxed.  The new cars have been sold off and traded in for ghetto-mobiles.  The good jobs have been replaced with Taco Bell slavery.  A trip to see The Avengers is now the family vacation.  And, the distractions of reality TV just aren’t buttering our bread anymore.  It’s the little things at first that really signal the financial mood of a society, as well as reveal the more vital and looming issues just over the horizon.                          All indicators suggest that this year will be unlike any other before.  In 2008, we saw the first trigger events for the collapse.  In 2008/2009, we saw the creation of the bailout culture, setting the stage for inflation and dollar disintegration.  In 2010, we saw the first bilateral trade deal cutting out the dollar between China and Russia, which is now the template for trade deals all over the globe.  In 2011, we saw the first downgrade of the U.S. credit rating and the crisis in the EU become epidemic.  In 2012, I see not just another difficulty to add to the mountain, but a culmination of all these detriments to produce something entirely new; a vast and subversive realignment forcing many of us to take a more aggressive stance in the fight for an economically and socially free America...

The 2 Billion Dollar Loss By JP Morgan Is Just A Preview Of The Coming Collapse Of The Derivatives Market - The Economic Collapse Blog - When news broke of a 2 billion dollar trading loss by JP Morgan, much of the financial world was absolutely stunned.  But the truth is that this is just the beginning.  This is just a very small preview of what is going to happen when we see the collapse of the worldwide derivatives market.  When most Americans think of Wall Street, they think of a bunch of stuffy bankers trading stocks and bonds.  But over the past couple of decades it has evolved into much more than that.  Today, Wall Street is the biggest casino in the entire world.  When the "too big to fail" banks make good bets, they can make a lot of money.  When they make bad bets, they can lose a lot of money, and that is exactly what just happened to JP Morgan.  Their Chief Investment Office made a series of trades which turned out horribly, and it resulted in a loss of over 2 billion dollars over the past 40 days.  But 2 billion dollars is small potatoes compared to the vast size of the global derivatives market.  It has been estimated that the the notional value of all the derivatives in the world is somewhere between 600 trillion dollars and 1.5 quadrillion dollars.  Nobody really knows the real amount, but when this derivatives bubble finally bursts there is not going to be nearly enough money on the entire planet to fix things.                        Sadly, a lot of mainstream news reports are not even using the word "derivatives" when they discuss what just happened at JP Morgan.  This morning I listened carefully as one reporter described the 2 billion dollar loss as simply a "bad bet".
And perhaps that is easier for the American people to understand.  JP Morgan made a series of really bad bets and during a conference call last night CEO Jamie Dimon admitted that the strategy was "flawed, complex, poorly reviewed, poorly executed and poorly monitored".                            The funny thing is that JP Morgan is considered to be much more "risk averse" than most other major Wall Street financial institutions are.                               So if this kind of stuff is happening at JP Morgan, then what in the world is going on at some of these other places?                    That is a really good question.                  For those interested in the technical details of the 2 billion dollar loss, an article posted on CNBC described exactly how this loss happened...                        
According to the Comptroller of the Currency, the "too big to fail" banks have exposure to derivatives that is absolutely mind blowing.  Just check out the following numbers from an official U.S. government report....

JPMorgan Chase - $70.1 Trillion
Citibank - $52.1 Trillion
Bank of America - $50.1 Trillion
Goldman Sachs - $44.2 Trillion


(T. Boone) Pickens: 'I Am Through With Washington' After Gas Fight - CNBC - Jeff Cox - May 10, 2012 - T. Boone Pickens says his effort to convert the government trucking fleet to natural gas is his last go-round with Washington politicians, whom he insists don't care about the country's energy independence. Pickens has been trying — and failing — to get Congress to pass what is now called the Energy Security Act, aimed particularly at the development of natural gas and breaking the country free of its dependence on Middle East oil.



A teen with a job becomes a rarity in US economy - Life Inc. Today MSN & Reuters - Allison Linn - May 3, 2012 - Only about 25 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds currently are working, a drop of 10 percentage points from just five years ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The percentage of teenagers who have jobs, expressed as the ratio of employment to population, hovered between 40 and 50 percent for much of the 1980s and 1990s. The percentage began dropping about a decade ago, but the declines have been especially steep since the beginning of the Great Recession in late 2007.                            With summer approaching and the job market showing signs of improvement, teens could have a better shot at getting hired than they have had in years. But it could take many more years for teens to resume working at pre-recession levels.
The April employment report, due out Friday, will offer more clues into how things will look in the coming months.                           Part of the issue is that fewer teens either want to work or think they can get a job. The labor force participation rate, which measures both teens who are working and those actively seeking work, also has fallen sharply since 2000.                            The White House pledged on Wednesday to help lower-income youth find summer jobs in a move likely to appeal to younger voters crucial to President Barack Obama's re-election campaign.                       The initiative is in partnership with the cities of Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco and is meant to add 110,000 jobs, internships and mentorships to the 180,000 summer work opportunities for 16-24 year olds that Obama has promised to create for 2012.                       Still, most teens are facing a job market in which there are fewer positions to be had. What’s more, many believe the jobs that are available are increasingly going to adults who are desperate enough to take a job that might once have gone to a teenager.



49% of Americans aren't saving for retirement - CNN Money - Blake Ellis May 10, 2012 - America has a serious problem saving for retirement.                     About 49% of Americans say they aren't contributing to any retirement plan, according to a new survey conducted by LIMRA, a trade association for the financial services industry.                        "The findings from this survey were disturbing, given that people will increasingly need to rely on their personal savings to make ends meet in retirement," said Matthew Drinkwater, associate managing director at LIMRA's retirement research division.                     People ages 18 to 34 are the least likely to be saving, with 56% reporting that they are not currently contributing to a retirement plan like an IRA or a 401(k).


The Evil of Monsanto

TEDx Hickory April 21, 2012 - Part 6 - Cooper and Washco

DeFeet International
People you should know on the Mesh

Video is Courtesy of Dave Washco's Youtube page




The Edison Project - Good News and Great Ventures - 9/19/2011
“Promoting Entrepreneurship in Our Community” - CVCC Forum - March 6, 2012

Harry Hipps submission to the HDR - (Unedited) - THE MAYOR’S POSITION ON FIRST TALK

The Hickory Daily Record requests that submissions for Letters to the Editor be limited to 400 words. Below is Harry's initial submission before edited. This submission is in today's May 11, 2012 Hickory Daily Record on page 4. Please print this out for your friends who may not have the internet and pass it along for them to read and fully understand that Harry's problem is not the structure per se. It is about the process that led to the structure and the problems associated with it. Harry would like to thank the HDR for allowing him the opportunity to express himself to the public in their forum.

THE MAYOR’S POSITION ON FIRST TALK

Much of the First Talk with Hal Row show on WHKY this Monday morning pertained to the tent being erected on Union Square. In time, we will see if this “investment” is worth the cost. It’s not what I would have done but I’ll keep an open mind until things come to fruition. What I see, though, which seems to be the source of a lot of the acrimony is how the City goes about selecting and implementing where funds will be spent.

Mayor Wright stated that there is now a partisanship in Hickory politics that hasn’t been there in the past and in his view is “a shame”. I find scant evidence that partisanship, that is to say Republican and Democratic party involvement is at work here. There may be some, and probably everyone on Council or attending meetings has some party affiliation, but does that make it partisan? There’s none that I can see.

The Mayor may have been referring to the fact that there are now more people looking at Council’s actions and modus operandi and not liking what they see. Well, grow up. Competition of ideas and aspirations are usually present in a healthy democracy, and it’s long past due in Hickory. For too long the Council has done whatever they wanted with virtually no checks on their actions. Most citizens do not vote in municipal elections due to apathy. The local media is very weak and in my opinion are mostly tied together with the status quo. It’s time people start taking notice and speaking up. It’s a good thing.

The City was embarrassed at the last Council meeting by not knowing about the instructions for citizens removing items from the consent agenda THAT HAS BEEN THERE FOR YEARS. Why has it been there for years and it is just now an issue? Because no one has spoken up before now and Council runs partly on auto pilot and they obviously don’t even read their own publications. Now people are becoming aware and it’s a positive development. The Mayor has stated that they are reviewing the process on this issue and will make it more democratic, not less. I trust he will do what he has stated.

Beyond this, we should also have televised meetings like other municipalities have on cable government channels, records and transcripts should be on the internet within days. Public documents should be on the internet and a citizen shouldn’t have to travel to City Hall and grovel for staff to access a document for them. Closed session minutes aren’t released in a timely manner. And the agenda should be published on the internet with enough time for citizens to review it and plan to comment if desired. In short, it’s time to join the 21st century.

The City has a history of not listening to the public and showing citizens disrespect. A survey was taken years ago about the farmers market. A majority wanted the Springs Rd area, it went downtown. A survey was taken on the pools, the majority said they wanted pools in each quadrant of the City, the Council said no. People from neglected areas of the City have sought some efforts at revitalization but to no avail. While I want a nice downtown area, as most do, there seems to be scant concern for the whole city and there seem to be conflicts of interest on downtown issues. So it’s not a surprise that there is not unanimity of opinion on City issues.

Finally, and in my opinion most importantly, these projects seem to come off the cuff. We need a strategic, long term plan to get Hickory back to good health again. The Mayor is on record, on the First Talk show, going back years stating that he thinks "this is going to be Hickory’s year. Things will soon be turning around." It seems that we are just drifting and hoping something will turn up if we just put a little more money into downtown development. There is no cost/benefit analysis done, little or no public vetting or input, and no review after the fact to see if, in fact, public dollars did lead to a positive return on the investment. A little more professionalism and public dialogue would go a long way to getting the public to buy in and less acrimony. Partisanship is not the problem, a government that is not adapting to the 21st century is.


Rudy Wright's and this Council's Philadelphia moment?