Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 16, 2013

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

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

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

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

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.

City Website has changed - Here is a link to the City of Hickory Document Center

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

City Council Meeting Agenda -April 16, 2013 (7MB)


Invocation by Rev. Whit Malone, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church




Special Presentations
A. (2:40) - Business Well Crafted Award to Skipper Smith, Catawba Paper Box - Alan Jackson Presentation from the Business Development Committee - http://www.hickorywellcrafted.com/work/well-crafted/catawba-paper-box/


Persons Requesting to Be Heard

(11:10) Cliff Moone - Speaks about the video taping of meetings and speaks about already being recorded in relation to expanding knowledge of City Council. He also asked that bathrooms be opened to the public for the "Bloody Sunday" March taking place on April 20, 2013.

(13:00) Angela Hurd - City of Refuge Community Development Center, which is a Mission for Children in the community. Utilizes Ridgeview Parks and Recreation Building. It is an after school and summer program that has helped 250 children since its inception.

(16:25) Steve Ivester - Speaking on the State changing Economic Development Regions and Zones. Endorses City Council's Consent Agenda A, which is a Resolution Recommended by the Western Piedmont Council of Governments Policy Board Regarding the State Designation of Regions for Provision of Services. (If you care about Economic Development in the area, then this is an excellent summary of the crossroads that Hickory is at when it relates to Economic Development).

(22:25) Larry Pope - He spoke about his involvement in reporting and the actions taken relating to the materials illegally sold to recycling centers from the demolished city swimming pools a couple years ago. He would like to see a Citizen's Review Board instituted in Hickory.  He also asked that the bathrooms be opened to the public for the "Bloody Sunday" March taking place on April 20, 2013. Another group has been allowed to utilize City facilities for Church, he wants all groups to be treated equally.


Consent Agenda: (30:40)
A. Approval of a Resolution Recommended by the Western Piedmont Council of Governments Policy Board Regarding the State Designation of Regions for Provision of Services.  - Proposed legislation (Senate Bill 127 and House Bill 356) divides our region and many of the other Council of Government (COG) regions in the State. Any division of the State should utilize the COG regions. Since only seven State regions are proposed, the new State regions should include multiple COG regions but not divide any COG regions.

B. Approval of a Resolution in Support of the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. -  The proposed state budget reduces the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) to $15.5 million from $27.5 million and also removes its dedicated source of funding. The North Carolina Recreation and Park Association has requested that all local governments consider and approve a resolution in support of continued and dedicated funding of the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and, that a copy of the resolution be sent to each of the members of the General Assembly representing the citizens of Hickory.

C. Call for a Public Hearing – Voluntary Satellite Annexation of 2.67 Acres of property located at 3254 South NC Hwy 127, Hickory (Authorize Public Hearing for May 7, 2013)

 D. Approval to Apply for a Governor’s Highway Safety Program Grant to Purchase Twenty (20) In-Car Digital Cameras at a Cost of $120,000. - A standard marked Hickory Police Vehicle is equipped with a specialized Mobile Video In-Car Camera for all new police vehicles. Life expectancy will be five (5) to ten (10) years on the in-car cameras. These cameras can be reinstalled in new vehicles as required. The digital video recording system is to be installed in police vehicles at an estimated cost of $6,000 per in-car camera. If awarded the grant for twenty (20) digital video in car cameras at a cost of $120,000 the portion Governor’s Highway Safety Grant would match is $60,000. The City portion would be $60,000. Along with installing in-car cameras in new police vehicles, these cameras will replace any camera no longer working or supported by a vendor.

E. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 17
1. To budget a $1,500 donation from the Hickory Elks Lodge in the Parks and Recreation-Recreation Supplies line item for the 2013 Easter Egg Hunt. The City of Hickory's Park and Recreation Department coordinates this annual event.
2. To budget $6,200 of Parks and Recreation donations in the Parks and Recreation Departmental Supplies line item. These donations are Senior Games Sponsorships.
3. To appropriate $2,128 of Community Block Grant reimbursement revenues and transfer to the General Fund-Capital Improvements line item. These funds are necessary to pay for the permits, lighting and curb mix needed for the 400 Block of South Center Street paving project.
4. To appropriate $31,364 of General Fund Balance (Funds reserved from the State of North Carolina Un-Authorized Substance Tax revenue) and budget in the Police Department's Capital Improvements line item. This amendment is necessary to purchase the materials, including asphalt and concrete, for the parking lot located at 222 3rd St. SW, (Contiguous to HPD Headquarters property). The materials are necessary to grade, shape, pave, curb and gutter, storm drains, catch basins, trenching for data and phone lines, lighting and pole, fencing and repair disturbed areas of landscaping. The parking area will provide 48 additional spaces for parking and will connect to the existing parking lot of HPD. Funds are made available to the Police Department from the State and remain in General Fund Balance until appropriated.


Informational Items (30:55)
A. Report of Mayor Wright’s travel to Town Hall Day in Raleigh, NC on March 26-27, 2013 (Meals - $61.50; Mileage Reimbursement $189.84; Lodging - $101.48; Registration $35)

New Business -  Public Hearings
1. (31:40) Consideration of the City of Hickory’s 2013 Community Development Block Grant Budget and Action Plan. - The City of Hickory will receive approximately $272,574 in 2013 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and approximately $160,400 in program income for a total of $432,974. Funds will be used to develop stronger communities by providing decent housing, creating suitable living environments, and expanding economic opportunities, principally for people of low and moderate incomes. The Annual Action Plan is a yearly update to the City of Hickory's 5 Year Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan is a 5-year strategic vision for housing and community development needs within the City. The Annual Action Plan sets priorities among these needs and sets out the action plan for use of available funds on a yearly basis. This provides for flexibility in determining priorities as the needs of the community change from year to year. The Annual Action Plan will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on May 15, 2013 as the City's strategy for administering 2013 federal funds for community development and housing. This public hearing was advertised on April 5, 2013 and April 16, 2013 in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area.



 



*** Steve Ivester asked about the numbers above not adding up and it was eventually stated bu Brian Frazier that the numbers for the Bathroom Facility at Kiwanis had been accidentally omitted.

*** Larry Pope spoke and stated that he is concerned about the same groups constantly getting grants from the city. He specifically spoke about Exodus Homes and said that groups receive money at their inception, but eventually they should be weened. He has spoken about this over the last few years.

The Hound agrees with Larry Pope and many other Citizens in this community that the same groups should not be constantly receiving this Federal money year after year. I do think that there are many worthy groups in the community and many don't receive any funding. There needs to be a discussion a thorough discussion about this issue in this community.

New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. (44:55) Quarterly Financial Report -Presentation by Assistant City manager Warren Wood

Positives

* Will avoid third straight year of tax base decline
* Most other revenues are stable Multiple opportunities for financial partnerships to improve and/or upgrade City owned facilities
* General Fund Debt Free in 8 years = capacity
* Water and Sewer Fund on solid financial footing
* Airport Self Supporting

The Hound thinks that the city needs to look from a perspective of the citizenry every once in a while, in contrast to the effects on Hickory Inc.'s bottom line. Let's look at all of this in relation to the citizen's cost of living and a business's cost of doing business. I understand the need to look at aggregate revenues and related growth, but the city's financial health has very little to do with its tax base and a whole lot more to do with income growth and wealth (profits) of its citizenry and its businesses and its citizens' ability to pay taxes.  Income - Expenses = wealth (profit). Expenses are continuing to increase, while revenues have flatlined and wealth is shrinking.

As far as Hickory Inc.'s worries in relation to the State's proposed tax changes, This City Council seems to believe that a North Carolina State Sales Tax Increase is Regressive and Unfair? But then this same City Council believes a Hickory City Sales Tax instituted upon prepared foods is Good and Progressive? You know that doesn't make sense. I can't wait to hear them try to explain their way out of that one.

Mrs. Fox is correct about consumption being down and those effects upon these Sales Tax revenues. Increasing sales taxes (a regressive tax) in a bad economy will not increase revenues. They also need to look at citizen's opting out through a barter economy and black market activities. We cannot move towards eliminating taxes upon the wealthy with hopes that it will make us more competitive. The key should be to broaden the base, make taxes more equitable percentage wise, take the loopholes out of the system, and get it to where people have skin in the game in relation to how they benefit from the system. Whenever people look for someone else to pay besides themselves, then you land exactly where we are today.

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- April 14, 2013

Assault On Gold Update — Paul Craig Roberts - April 13, 2013 - I was the first to point out that the Federal Reserve was rigging all markets, not merely bond prices and interest rates, and that the Fed is rigging the bullion market in order to protect the US dollar’s exchange value, which is threatened by the Fed’s quantitative easing. With the Fed adding to the supply of dollars faster than the demand for dollars is increasing, the price or exchange value of the dollar is set up to fall.                        A fall in the dollar’s exchange rate would push up import prices and, thereby, domestic inflation, and the Fed would lose control over interest rates. The bond market would collapse and with it the values of debt-related derivatives on the “banks too big too fail” balance sheets. The financial system would be in turmoil, and panic would reign.                                 Rapidly rising bullion prices were an indication of loss of confidence in the dollar and were signaling a drop in the dollar’s exchange rate. The Fed used naked shorts in the paper gold market to offset the price effect of a rising demand for bullion possession. Short sales that drive down the price trigger stop-loss orders that automatically lead to individual sales of bullion holdings once their loss limits are reached.                             According to Andrew Maguire, on Friday, April 12, the Fed’s agents hit the market with 500 tons of naked shorts. Normally, a short is when an investor thinks the price of a stock or commodity is going to fall. He wants to sell the item in advance of the fall, pocket the money, and then buy the item back after it falls in price, thus making money on the short sale. If he doesn’t have the item, he borrows it from someone who does, putting up cash collateral equal to the current market price. Then he sells the item, waits for it to fall in price, buys it back at the lower price and returns it to the owner who returns his collateral. If enough shorts are sold, the result can be to drive down the market price.                               A naked short is when the short seller does not have or borrow the item that he shorts, but sells shorts regardless. In the paper gold market, the participants are betting on gold prices and are content with the monetary payment. Therefore, generally, as participants are not interested in taking delivery of the gold, naked shorts do not need to be covered with the physical metal.                         In other words, with naked shorts, no physical metal is actually sold.


Why Are The Banksters Telling Us To Sell Our Gold When They Are Hoarding Gold Like Crazy? - The Economic Collapse Blog - Michael - April 10th, 2013 


100 Years Old And Still Killing Us: America Was Much Better Off Before The Income Tax - Michael - April 14th, 2013 -  Did you know that the greatest period of economic growth in American history was during a time when there was absolutely no federal income tax?  Between the end of the Civil War and 1913, there was an explosion of economic activity in the United States unlike anything ever seen before or since.  Unfortunately, a federal income tax was instituted in 1913, and this year it turned 100 years old.  But there was no fanfare, was there?  There was no celebration because the federal income tax is universally hated.  Sadly, most Americans just assume that there is no other option to an income tax.  Most Americans just assume that it has always been with us and that it will always be with us.  This year, the American people will shell out approximately $4.22 trillion in state and federal income taxes.  That amount is equivalent to approximately 29.4 percent of all income that Americans will bring in this year, and that does not even take into account the dozens of other taxes that Americans pay each year.  At this point, the U.S. tax code is about 13 miles long, and those that are honest and pay their taxes every year are being absolutely shredded by this system.  But wouldn't the federal government go broke if we didn't have a federal income tax?  No, actually the truth is that the federal government did just fine before there was an income tax.  In fact, the U.S. national debt has gotten more than 5000 times larger since the federal income tax and the Federal Reserve were created by Congress back in 1913.  As I have written about previously, the Federal Reserve system was actually designed to trap the United States in a debt spiral from which it could never possibly escape, and the federal income tax was needed to greatly expand the size of the federal government and to soak the American people of the funds necessary to service that debt.  But it doesn't have to be this way.  America was once much better off before the income tax and the Federal Reserve were created, and we could easily go to such a system again...


Fed doves play down threat of U.S. inflation - Reuters - Jonathan Spicer and Alister Bull - April 13, 2013 - Federal Reserve policymakers went out of their way on Saturday to play down the risk that aggressive measures to bolster the U.S. economy would lead to inflation in the future, in a clear signal of support for its ongoing actions to spur growth.                    The U.S. central bank last month maintained a controversial program of buying $85 billion of bonds a month, while pledging to keep interest rates near zero until unemployment hits at least 6.5 percent, so long as inflation stays under 2.5 percent.                          Two of the central bank's most dovish officials - Chicago Federal Reserve boss Charles Evans and Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota - pushed back against recent signals from Fed hawks who want to taper those bond purchases.                   "Without signs of actual inflation, many inflation-risk discussions ultimately raise this specter of ... unlocking the long-ago-vanquished inflation demons from the dungeon," said Evans, a voting member of the Fed's policy committee this year.



Producer prices post biggest drop in 10 months - Reuters - April 12, 2013 -  Producer prices recorded their biggest drop in 10 months in March as the cost of gasoline tumbled, according to a government report on Friday that supported the case for the Federal Reserve to maintain its very accommodative monetary policy.                             The Labor Department said its seasonally adjusted producer price index fell 0.6 percent last month, the largest drop since May, after increasing 0.7 percent in February.                             Economists polled by Reuters had expected prices received by the nation's farms, factories and refineries to fall only 0.2 percent.



US STOCKS-Wall St retreats from record on retail data, bank results - Reuters - April 12, 2013 -  U.S. stocks fell on Friday from the previous session's record levels after an unexpected drop in retail sales last month and lackluster results from two major banks.                             The rally that has taken the S&P 500 index more than 11 percent higher this year has made stocks vulnerable to a pullback...                           Data showed retail sales fell 0.4 percent in March, while February's strong gain was revised down slightly. Consumer spending plays a key role in the U.S. economy, accounting for two-thirds of activity.                           Another report showed consumer sentiment fell to a nine-month low in early April amid gloom about the long-term health prospects for the U.S. economy.                             Investors have been rattled by indications economic growth could be softening, particularly after last week's disappointing jobs number, though that has not derailed the market rally so far.                       The advance in equities in recent months was partly buoyed by the Federal Reserve's economic stimulus efforts, and analysts are viewing the first-quarter earnings season as a test for whether those gains are justified by corporate performance.


12 Banks Got the Fed Minutes a Day Early - CNBC - John Carney - April 10, 2013 - It wasn't just Capitol Hill staffers and trade groups that received the Federal Reserve minutes a day early. Many banks and other financial institutions also got an early look at the minutes.                         The U.S. Federal Reserve building is seen in Washington. A list of recipients obtained by CNBC reveals that at least 12 banks, a Wall Street law firm, a hedge fund, and a private equity fund were on the distribution list that got the minutes early.                         The banks included Fifth Third, Citigroup (NYSE:C), UBS, Barclays, U.S.Bank, Goldman Sachs (GS), Wells Fargo (WFC), HSBC, BNP Paribas, BB&T, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and PNC.                    Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the most powerful Wall Street law firms, also got the email.


JC Penney: Can this company be saved? - AP through USA Today - Anne D'Innocenzio - April 9, 2013 - J.C. Penney late Monday brought back former CEO Mike Ullman after Ron Johnson's risky turnaround strategy backfired and led to massive losses and steep sales declines.                 But will Ullman try to save the struggling retailer or just keep the seat warm until the board hires a fireballing successor?                          Penney's board of directors ousted Johnson as CEO Monday after only 17 months on the job and rehired Ullman, 66, who was CEO of the department store chain for seven years until November 2011.                        The announcement came after a growing chorus of critics, including a former Penney CEO, Allen Questrom, called for Johnson's resignation as they lost faith in an aggressive overhaul that included getting rid of most discounts in favor of everyday low prices and bringing in new brands.                        The biggest blow came Friday from Ullman's strongest supporter, activist investor and board member Bill Ackman. Ackman had pushed the board in the summer of 2011 to hire Johnson to shake up the retailer's dowdy image. Ackman, whose Pershing Square Capital Management is Penney's biggest shareholder, reportedly told investors that Penney's execution "has been something very close to a disaster."

J.C. Penney can sell Martha Stewart goods - AP through USA Today - April 12, 2013


Consumer Confidence Plummets To Nine Month Low, Biggest Miss To Consensus On Record - Tyler Durden - April 12, 2013 - Well if this doesn't send the market into all-time record high territory, nothing ever will: seconds ago the UMich Consumer Confidence plummeted from 78.6 to 72.3, on expectations of an unchanged 78.6 print. This was not only a 9 month low in the index, but more importantly the biggest miss to expectations in recorded history! Both conditions (84.8, Exp 89.5, Last 90.7) and expectations (64.2, Exp.70.0, Last 70.8), imploded, with the current conditions number the worst print since July and posting the biggest drop since August 2011. Surely if retail sales was not a sufficient Conviction Buy signal for the Fed, then Consumer Confidence should send Kevin Henry, who is now mainlining a trail mix cocktail of Redbull, Caffeine and Meth, into F5 overdrive. And if that doesn't do it, the final economic miss of the day, Business Inventories which also missed expectations of a 0.4% print, and dropped from 0.9% to 0.1%, the lowest since September 2011 and biggest miss since September 2012, should certainly cement today's 1600+ S&P close.


Clinic For Uninsured Shuts Down Updated - WLOS - Mario Boone - Asheville, NC - April 9, 2013  -  A healtOSh care center that serves uninsured people in Buncombe County is closing. Three Streams Family Health Center has been in operation for 12 years. The clinic's founder, Father Chris Newcomb, tells News 13 that dwindling donations, increasing deficits and ballooning costs forced the closure. Long time patients say they're saddened to see the clinic go. The clinic will remain open on limited hours for the next four weeks to help patients with medical records and prescriptions.


Word of the Day: Unemployment (U3 and U6)

Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 2, 2013

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

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

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

Here is a summary of the agenda of the 4/2/2012 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.

City Website has changed - Here is a link to the City of Hickory Document Center

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

City Council Meeting Agenda -April 2, 2013 (13MB)





Invocation by Cliff Moone


Special Presentations
A.Presentation for National Public Safety Telecommunications Week Presented to Shelley Davis and Nicole Sain, Telecommunicator Supervisors for Hickory Police Department.

B. Proclamation for Fair Housing Month Presented to Lois Leonard from the Board of Realtors.


Persons Requesting to Be Heard
Several people spoke during Citizens Requesting to be Heard on a wide array of topics.

1) (11:30) - Bob Anderson speaks about televising City Council

2) (14:10) - Dr Joseph Inglefield - The need for an Aquatics facility (Link to Transcipt)

3) (19:00) - Slade Kosova - The need for an Aquatics facility

4) (22:35) - James Thomas Shell - Unfair Assessments and Unethical Practices
(Link to Transcipt)

5) (30:05) - David Zagaroli - Public Arts - World Renowned Studio of Clay Structures designed by John Hare

6) (31:40) - John Hare - Official Sculptor for the Olympics in the past and he wants to create a sculpture park here in Hickory.

7) (36:05) - Cliff Moone - Speaks about Video Taping the meetings and speaks about North Carolina House Bill 150. We need to have an educated citizenry. The Legislature is moving towards usurping local government authority.

8) (40:25) - J. Franklin Davis - Speaks about the Gallup-Healthway study and other studies and obesity and health in this community.

Consent Agenda:  
A. Approval of Proclamation for Child Abuse Prevention Month, April 2013.


B. Approval of Proclamation for Arbor Day, April 20, 2013.

C. Request Approval to Submit a Grant to the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC), in the amount of $5,000. The City of Hickory Fire Department requests approval to submit a grant to the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) grant process for acquiring a multi-as detector, an electrical exhaust fan for firefighting operations, and digital camera equipment for fire investigations. The grant request is for $5,000, of which there is no matching fund requirement.

D. Approval of a Partnering Agreement between Catawba County and the City of Hickory for
the Disposal of Household and Commercial Solid Waste. This Agreement states the City will bring all its household and commercial waste it collects within the City limits to the Catawba County landfill for an initial period of five (5) years and automatically renews for one additional five (5) year period unless either party notifies the other to terminate the agreement after the first five (5) year period. Catawba County guarantees the current tipping fees will not increase in any one year by more than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the fees may only be adjusted annually effective July 1 of each year. This Agreement allows for the City to continue to dispose or sell any recycled products as
it deems necessary. The County agrees to receive yard waste from the City at no cost and the City is eligible to receive back from the County ground mulch up to 50% by weight of yard waste delivered to the Coun ty. This partnering agreement gives the County more secure source of waste and it
gives the City a more secure and stable tipping fee structure for the future.

E. Special Event/Activities Application for Music Under the Sails on the Square, Mandy Pitts,
Communications Director and Brand Manager, for May 3, May 10, May 17, May 24, May 31, June 7, June 14, June 21, and June 28, 2013, from 4:00 p.m. To 8:30 p.m. at the Sails on the Square in Downtown Hickory.

F. Special Event/Activities Application for Symphony Under the Sails “A Patriotic Celebration”, Reggie Helton, Western Piedmont Symphony, for June 30, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Sails on the Square in Downtown Hickory.

G. Special Event/Activities - Application for Kontras Under the Sails, Mandy Pitts, Communications Director and Brand Manager, for April 19, 2013 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Sails on the Square in Downtown Hickory.

H. Special Event/Activities Application for Hickory Alive, Amber B. Detter, Hickory Jaycees, for May 31, June 7, June 14, June 21, June 28 and July 5, 2013 from 5:30 p.m. to 11:30p.m. at the City Hall Parking Lot.

I. Request Approval to Close Patrick Beaver Memorial Library and Ridgeview Branch Library on Monday, May 20, 2013 and Tuesday, Many 21, 2013. Request approval to close both locations of Hickory Public Library to the public on Monday, May 20, 2013 and Tuesday, May 21, 2013 to provide training for all library staff in all aspects of the new integrated library system (ILS) with The Library Corporation (TLC). The intense training will be conducted by staff of TLC as part
of the contract that City Council approved on February 15, 2013. The new system should launch to the public on May 22, 2013.

J. Capital Project Ordinance Number 1.
1. To accept and budget a $44,000 appropriation from General Fund Balance and to budget $176,000 of Federal Miscellaneous Revenue in the Falling Creek Bridge 3 replacement project. This budget amendment provides a total of $220,000 of funding, 80% at the Federal level and 20% at the Local level, for the projects initial preliminary Engineering work.

K. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 16.
1. To appropriate $88,636 of General Fund Balance (Funds reserved from the State of North Carolina Un-Authorized Substance Tax revenue) and budget in the Police Department's Capital Improvements line item. This amendment is necessary to pay for the second phase of the renovation to property located at 222 3rd St. SW, (Contiguous to HPD Headquarters property) which was purchased by the City in 2011. The second phase is to provide additional parking for the renovated HPD office space. The scope of work includes grading and shaping, paving, curb and gutter, storm drains, catch basins, trenching for data and phone lines, lighting and poles for lighting, fencing, and landscaping disturbed areas. The parking area will provide 48 additional spaces for parking and will connect to the existing parking lot of HPD. Funds are made available to the Police Department from the State and remain in General Fund Balance until appropriated.

2. To appropriate $202 of General Fund Balance (Funds reserved from the State of North Carolina Un-Authorized Substance Tax revenue) and budget in the Police Department's Non-Inventory line item. This appropriation is to budget necessary funds to cover shipping charges for the Special Operations Team vests and armor plates. Funds are made available to the Police Department from the State and remain in General Fund Balance until appropriated. This amendment is also necessary to decrease the Hickory Police Department’s operational budget by $3,863 of unspent Unauthorized Substances Tax funds and return to General Fund Appropriated Fund Balance.

3. To appropriate $44,000 of General Fund Balance and budget in the Falling Creek Bridge Capital project. This represents the required local matching funds for the initial preliminary engineering project budget for the replacement of Bridge No. 327 located on Falling Creek Road. The North Carolina Department of Transportation agreement provides 80% Federal funding in the amount of $176,000 and requires a 20% Local match of $44,000 for a total of $220,000.

New Business - Public Hearings1. Consider Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice and Plan to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing. As an entitlement recipient of Community Development Block Grant Funds, the City of Hickory is required to affirmatively further fair housing in the community. The majority of the actions described in the plan relate to increasing the awareness and education in the community to ensure that all citizens are aware of their rights to fair housing. In addition, the City will take  actions to protect the City’s stock of affordable housing and ensure that all citizens are able to access affordable housing. The public hearing was advertised in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area on March 23, and April 2, 2013.

2. Consider Amendment to the City’s Community Development Block Grant Budget and Action Plan.

New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. Consideration and Approval of a Facility Lease Agreement with Hickory Music Factory, Inc. - The Hickory Music Factory, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization for students, teachers, artists and patrons to learn, create and experience all things music. The mission of the Hickory Music Factory is to provide and help preserve music in the community through lessons, performances and outreach programs. The leased facility is a building within Jaycee Park; located at 1515 12th Street Drive NW, which formerly housed the primary administrative offices for the Parks and Recreation Department. The leased facility will be used by the Hickory Music Factory to house its business headquarters and operations. The lease agreement will be for an initial period of five (5) years, with an option to renew for an additional five (5) years. In consideration of the lease, Hickory Music Factory will pay to the City of Hickory an annual rental fee of one dollar per year, payable by January 31st of each year. Hickory Music Factory will have use of the facility daily between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., along with use of the existing parking lot during the same hours. Any alterations, additions and improvements to the leased premises are at the sole expense of Hickory Music Factory. The City of Hickory will be responsible for all structural maintenance and building systems repairs and replacements.

* Hickory Music Factory will have use of the existing parking at the leased premises during operating hours.
* Will be allowed to install an identification sign on the building.
* Any alterations, additions, and improvements to the leased premises aree at the sole expense of Hickory Music Factory.

 

* Rental Fee is $1.00 per year
* The leased premises will be used by Hickory Music Factory to House is Headquarters and Operations
* Operating Hours will be 7am to 9pm

2. Settlement Offer in the HUD Housing Discrimination Complaints, Billy Sudderth et. al. vs City of Hickory. - In February of 2013, nine complaints were served electronically on the City from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmeSnt (HUD). All of these complaints allege the City of Hickory, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Citizens Advisory Committee engaged in discriminatory housing practices against the complainants on the basis of race. Specifically the complaints allege the following occurred: “Discriminatory terms, conditions, privileges or services and facilities and refusing to provide municipal services. These discriminatory practices allegedly happened when the City demolished the Ridgeview and West Hickory swimming pools despite opposition from the African American community.”


The Hound: Below are the Power Point  Story Boards related to the proceedings regarding this case. Since this case is proceeding forward, we should allow this to play out without much commentary at this time. There are a few items related to the city's response where they have their facts/assumptions wrong. Also, the city has asked frequently how this has anything to do with a Housing case; conveniently, it seems, forgetting HUD's mission related to Urban Development. The issue is that the city is taking Federal funds and they aren't allowing the public to play a role in how those funds are dispersed. The local bureaucracy has its own agenda.

 

 

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- April 7, 2013

21 Statistics About The Explosive Growth Of Poverty In America That Everyone Should Know - The Economic Collapse Blog - Michael - April 4th, 2013 - f the economy is getting better, then why does poverty in America continue to grow so rapidly?  Yes, the stock market has been hitting all-time highs recently, but also the number of Americans living in poverty has now reached a level not seen since the 1960s.  Yes, corporate profits are at levels never seen before, but so is the number of Americans on food stamps.  Yes, housing prices have started to rebound a little bit (especially in wealthy areas), but there are also more than a million public school students in America that are homeless.  That is the first time that has ever happened in U.S. history.  So should we measure our economic progress by the false stock market bubble that has been inflated by Ben Bernanke's reckless money printing, or should we measure our economic progress by how the poor and the middle class are doing?  Because if we look at how average Americans are doing these days, then there is not much to be excited about.  In fact, poverty continues to experience explosive growth in the United States and the middle class continues to shrink.  Sadly, the truth is that things are not getting better for most Americans.  With each passing year the level of economic suffering in this country continues to go up, and we haven't even reached the next major wave of the economic collapse yet.  When that strikes, the level of economic pain in this nation is going to be off the charts.                 The following are 21 statistics about the explosive growth of poverty in America that everyone should know...


60 Completely Outrageous Ways The U.S. Government Is Wasting Money - The End of the American Dream - Michael - March 24, 2013 - Is there anyone better at wasting money then the U.S. government?  Despite the sequester and all of the talk about “deep cutbacks”, the federal government continues to waste money in some of the most outrageous ways imaginable.  For example, does the U.S. government really have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to study the size and shape of the reproductive organs of ducks?  Does the U.S. government really have to spend 1.5 million dollars to study why so many lesbians are overweight?  There is so much waste that could still be cut out of the federal budget, and yet the very small sequester cuts that just happened are being described as “catastrophic” by many of our politicians.  But you know what?  The federal government will still spend more money in fiscal year 2013 than it did in fiscal year 2012 even after the sequester cuts are factored in.  So if this is how much whining our politicians will do even though government spending is still going up, what would they do if we were actually forced to start living within our means at some point?  That is something to think about.  In any event, please show this article to anyone that believes that the U.S. government is actually “tightening the belt”.  Sadly, the truth is that the federal government is still wasting our money in some of the most frivolous ways that you could possibly imagine.                         The following are some of the completely outrageous ways that the U.S. government is wasting money…


People Not In Labor Force Soar By 663,000 To 90 Million, Labor Force Participation Rate At 1979 Levels - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - April 5, 2013 - Things just keep getting worse for the American worker, and by implication US economy, where as we have shown many times before, it pays just as well to sit back and collect disability and various welfare and entitlement checks, than to work .The best manifestation of this: the number of people not in the labor force which in March soared by a massive 663,000 to a record 90 million Americans who are no longer even looking for work. This was the biggest monthly increase in people dropping out of the labor force since January 2012, when the BLS did its census recast of the labor numbers. And even worse, the labor force participation rate plunged from an already abysmal 63.5% to 63.3% - the lowest since 1979! But at least it helped with the now painfully grotesque propaganda that the US unemployment rate is "improving."                        People not in labor force:

Job Gains Slow Amid U.S. Unemployment at Four-Year Low - Bloomberg - By Alex Kowalski - April 5, 2013

Weak job gains hurt economic outlook - Reuters - Jason Lange - April 5, 2013

Job Insecurity High as Layoffs Show Huge Surge - Reuters through CNBC - April 4, 2013


Wal-Mart's Food Fight: Betting on Data, Not Workers - Reuters through CNBC - Martha C. White - April 5, 2013 - The company is throwing its supply-chain and inventory management expertise behind the delicate logistics of stocking and selling products that can wilt or sour, but if a data-driven solution to what historically has been perceived as a people problem fails, it won't just be the groceries that spoil.

"It's one of the top issues they face," said Gary Giblen, an independent retail industry consultant. "You only get one time at bat with perishables," he said.                  Groceries are a big opportunity for Wal-Mart. "About half of meals eaten in this country include one fresh item," said Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst for the NPD Group.                       "The general megatrend is that people are eating more fresh food ...it's growing faster than the packaged food sector," consultant Giblen said...                            "Our grocery business continues to be a key traffic driver," executive vice president and president of Wal-Mart U.S. William Simon told investors when the company reported its quarterly earnings in February. That month, the company's grocery business got a high-profile boost when Michelle Obama visited a Walmart store in Missouri and touted its healthy eating initiatives, part of the First Lady's Let's Move! anti-obesity campaign.                     But this attention comes as the retail giant comes under media scrutiny for what critics say are chronically understaffed stores.

"Don't have items they are looking for-can't find it," was one complaint detailed in an internal memo obtained by the New York Times that addressed the issue of staffing, noting that customers "lose trust" when this happens.


Feds offer new hope for avoiding 'robocalls' - Jennifer C. Kerr, Associated Press through USA Today - April 2, 2013 - There may soon be another way to fight those annoying recorded phone pitches known as robocalls.                   The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday announced winners of a national contest to develop new blocking technology for illegal sales calls.                  Recorded commercial robocalls are illegal even if a consumer is not on the do-not-call list. Those calls may only be placed if someone has given their consent.                  The winners are Aaron Foss, a freelance software developer based in Long Island, N.Y., and Serdar Danis, a computer engineer who did not wish to disclose his hometown. Each winner will receive $25,000.                     The technologies developed by Foss and Danis involve software that could analyze and filter calls to screen out those being placed from a computer or from someone who has been identified as an unwanted caller.                        The judges also selected two Google computer engineers as winners of a separate category, which did not include a cash prize, for organizations that employ 10 or more people...


Auto Lending Bubble Inflates, And the Fed May Be Responsible - Reuters through CNBC - April 3, 2013 - ... At car dealers across the United States, loans to subprime borrowers like Nelson are surging — up 18 percent in 2012 from a year earlier, to 6.6 million borrowers,according to credit-reporting agency Equifax Inc. And as a Reuters review of court records shows, subprime auto lenders are showing up in a lot of personal bankruptcy filings, too. It's the Federal Reserve that's made it all possible.                   In its efforts to jumpstart the economy, the U.S. central bank has undertaken since November 2008 three rounds of bond-buying and cut short-term interest rates effectively to zero. The purchases of mostly Treasury and mortgage securities - known as quantitative easing and nicknamed QE1, QE2 and QE3 - have injected trillions of dollars into the financial system.                          The Fed isn't alone. Central banks from Tokyo to Frankfurt to London are running their printing presses overtime. The heavily indebted advanced economies are trying to reflate their way out of the prolonged bout of crisis and recession that crystallized with the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings in 2008.                  That crisis, of course, followed a nearly decade-long cycle of easy money and exotic financial products that itself began with the collapse of the tech-mania bubble of the late 1990s.                The Fed's program, while aimed at bolstering the U.S. housing and labor markets,has also steered billions of dollars into riskier, more speculative corners of the economy. That's because, with low interest rates pinching yields on their traditional investments, insurance companies, hedge funds and other institutional investors hunger for riskier, higher-yielding securities — bonds backed by subprime auto loans, for instance.                  Lenders like Exeter have rushed to meet that demand. Backed by Wall Street banks and big private-equity firms, they have been selling ever-greater amounts of subprime auto loans in the form of relatively high-yield securities and using the proceeds to fund even more lending to more subprime borrowers.                    Expansion of the subprime auto business was chronicled in a 2011 Los Angeles Times series. Since then, growth has continued apace. Consider that in 2012, lenders sold $18.5 billion in securities backed by subprime auto loans, compared with $11.75 billion in 2011, according to ratings firm Standard & Poor's.                The pace has continued so far this year, with $5.7 billion of the securities issued, compared with $4.4 billion for the same period last year, according to Deutsche Bank AG. OnMonday alone, three deals totaling $1.6 billion of subprime auto securitieswere announced by Wall Street banks.                 To make up for the risk of taking on increasing numbers of high-risk borrowers,subprime auto lenders charge annual interest rates that can top 20 percent.                       The Exeter loan Nelson and his wife got, for example, carried a 21.95-percent rate. Exeter, which is majority-owned by private-equity giant Blackstone Group, assumes that one in four borrowers will default on their loan, according to an Exeter investor pitch book reviewed by Reuters.


David Stockman - Head of Reagan's Office of Management and Budget on the Current Economy - The Reaganomic's Team - The Great Deformation

Fox Business -



Bloomberg -



CNBC -



 - Peak Prosperity

Hickory City Council Audio - 4/2/2013

A.Presentation for National Public Safety Telecommunications Week Presented to Shelley Davis and Nicole Sain, Telecommunicator Supervisors for Hickory Police Department.

B. Proclamation for Fair Housing Month Presented to Lois Leonard from the Board of Realtors.

Several people spoke during Citizens Requesting to be Heard

1) (11:30) - Bob Anderson speaks about televising City Council

2) (14:10) - Dr Joseph Inglefield - The need for an Aquatics facility

City Council members and staff:

A Vision for Aquatics Well-Crafted:

It is time to jump in the pool with a splash! The door to the pool is open and the water feels great. Now is the time to embrace the opportunity that has been presented to the City of Hickory, a time for Aquatics well crafted. According to your own survey the entire city of Hickory embraces this central aquatics facility. 82 % of residents, whom you represent, who voted for you want this facility. Thirty thousand dollars worth of community input should be persuasive?

The Rudy Wright Memorial competition pool would be a fitting name for the showcase venue of the Aquatics center. Imagine the cannonball splashes at the ribbon-cutting?

Imagine swim teams from the area, potentially nationwide, in competitions, family members splashing, playing, enjoying the water. Imagine all the children of Hickory learning the lifelong skill of swimming and water safety. Since Mayor Wright has said and promised on many occasions every child in Hickory should be a swimmer. Imagine Hickory could produce more college-level swimmers with full scholarship rides to universities like Virginia Tech, Harvard, Yale, Duke and UNC. Lenoir Rhyne University swimming teams hosting local collegiate competitions, Hickory High swim team hosting regional and state championships. Hickory has a proud history of swimming success with great coaches like Paul Schiffel with his LRU and CVAC teams, Jon Jolly and the Seahorses at the Y , and Cathy Hitchcock at Hickory High Red Tornados or should it be Typhoons for the watery setting? Imagine what they can do with a facility that meets their talents and those of the swimmers???

Let's think even bigger maybe some Olympians? Yes, Hickory Aquatic Olympians well-crafted. I challenge the Park and Rec to produce Olympic athletes in any sport, but especially in the aquatic arena. This would be an inspiration to all the citizens of Hickory. Sails in the Square could lead to Sails on Lake Hickory with sailing regattas, paddleboard competitions, open water swims, but this all starts with a aquatic facility.

This is not an "amenity"! Look at the statistics for deaths from drowning versus deaths from fires. We have a fine fire department with a great record, what we need is a Department of Water Safety. This is a public health issue. This is an economic issue, with jobs springing from training of fire and rescue personnel, lifeguards, recreational professionals, jobs that lead to healthier lifestyles and less Misery. Sorry the HDR missed reporting it but we are the 5th most miserable place to live in the country, and we all know misery loves company, so let's snap out of it City Council be leaders well crafted, be city staff well crafted.

The citizens of Hickory want an aquatic facility that meets the same standards of being well-crafted that City Council has set. You, City Council, have set the bar high so now is the chance to show us what you are made of. Don't be petty, be crafty, embrace it! Enjoy it, revel in it, and remember it is for all of us but especially the kids. Imagine if little Zahra Baker had been on the city's swim team? Just maybe someone would have noticed the bruises and abuse. Let's honor her and build a swimming facility and provide the programming that can make this swimming facility a home for all our citizens and future Olympians.

3) (19:00) - Slade Kosova - The need for an Aquatics facility

4) (22:35) - James Thomas Shell - Unfair Assessments and Unethical Practices

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

I would like to start out by speaking to you about Jesus Parables of Minding your own business and Looking out for number one.

Have any of you heard those? You haven't, because they don't exist. And yet it is the advice that has been prevalently given to me over the years in this community and is one of the biggest problems that we face. A community that looks out towards everyone's interests is a community with a more solid foundation. The resilient community that we wish to be.

The first issue that I would like to address is the property that was 1859 Cafe. This was my Aunt's Restaurant. This property was assessed for $184,200 in 2003 and in 2007 the assessment was raised to $205,100. She is in the process of closing on the property and selling it for... $35,000.

I have learned a lot about the predatory aspects of the local economy through this process of my Aunt shedding herself of the burden that 1859 became. She wanted to sell the restaurant when my Grandmother was in the process of passing away, because she was putting all of these hours of work into the place and she was losing money. She has been paying hundreds of dollars a month at the commercial rate to Hickory Inc. and Duke Power even after she had closed the business and y'all hadn't even picked up the garbage in months.

My whole family sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears in that place for 27 years. My Uncle died while running an errand for items Jane needed on the morning of March 31, 2007. We buried him six years ago tomorrow.

This city has sat back and allowed that side of town to become run down. We never felt like y'all were on our side. That area used to have several viable businesses that have all left one by one over the last decade and now all that is left are rundown buildings and thrift stores and other non-profit endeavors related to poverty.

This woman was contracted to sell my Aunt's property as an agent and auctioneer, including the building, and she did not operate in my Aunt's best interest. She really made no attempt to sell the building and the items inside the building were literally sold for pennies on the dollar and she stripped the hood and ansul system and a walkin cooler from the kitchen and sold them for scrap to one of the local recycling businesses, destroying the viability to use the place as a restaurant any longer. That drastically reduced the options to market the place and thus cost my Aunt a lot of money. Basically my Aunt was robbed in plain daylight.

I personally contacted the North Carolina Auction Licensing Board and this woman has been reprimanded and sanctioned for what she did, but the damage has been done to my family and pardon me for not chugging from the Fountain of Optimism I hear in here on a continuous basis. Oh and that is the Link House, the second oldest building in Hickory, and it will be demolished by the new owners.

My mother owns a Townhouse in West Hickory and it is on the books assessed at $53,000 by Catawba County. She is in charge of the homeowners association where she lives. She knows what is going on. This is not conjecture. The last couple of properties sold where she lives have sold for less than $40,000. A property there has currently gone through the foreclosure process and the agent placed in charge of its sale told my mother that they hoped to get $35,000 for that property.

Better yet, there are people that have fallen way behind on their Homeowners Association dues including the properties that have been foreclosed on. The banks say that they aren't going to pay the Homeowner's Association dues in arrears, present, or future. These people have walked away from their obligations and the other homeowners are going to have to eat these amounts in arrears at the same time that they are paying taxes on assessments that clearly aren't valid.

What is my solution? Reality. I will talk to Catawba County about this, but it is high time that these property assessments match the realistic value of these homes. I can go on and on about unrealistically assessed properties in this community.

We need to get real. Anyone with a clue understands that two factors go into the local property tax bills. The assessed property value x The Property Rate = The amount owed. You basically claim that you haven't gone up on property taxes in 18 years, when I think everyone here would say that their taxes have gone up over that span. It is a disingenuous claim. Fix the assessments and raise the rates if you have to, but it is high time to be honest about the realities of the marketplace and it is high time to be more vigilant about these unethical practitioners that I have mentioned. It is time to stop turning a blind eye towards this stuff.

I have a Long Memory. This is my family that has been taken advantage of, don't think it can't happen to you.

The anger, the bitterness, the resentment that I feel towards some of what I have witnessed in this community has been honed and forged in steel. It is a feeling that many have in this community, but instead of sitting back in hopelessness and despair, I have resolved to take a stand, with the help of a few, to move this community forward into dealing with reality. As long as I am here, I will continue to do my part.

Matthew 25:40 talks about looking out for the "Least of These." It is time to start looking out for our neighbors. I am not the Judge. There is a higher Authority.

5) (30:05) - David Zagaroli - Public Arts - World Renowned Studio of Clay Structures designed by John Hare

6) (31:40) - John Hare - Official Sculptor for the Olympics in the past and he wants to create a sculpture park here in Hickory.

7) (36:05) - Cliff Moone - Speaks about Video Taping the meetings and speaks about North Carolina House Bill 150. We need to have an educated citizenry. The Legislature is moving towards usurping local government authority.

8) (40:25) - J. Franklin Davis - Speaks about the Gallup-Healthway study and other studies and obesity and health in this community.


Public Hearing -
1. (52:10) - Consider Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice and Plan to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing.

2. (1:01:20) - Consider Amendment to the City’s Community Development Block Grant Budget and Action Plan

Departmental Reports

1. (1:10:45) - Consideration and Approval of a Facility Lease Agreement with Hickory Music Factory. Inc.

2. (1:22:20) -  Present Offer in the HUD Housing Discrimination Complaints, Billy Sudderthet al vs the City of Hickory