Thoughts about the Ridgeview Citizen Review meeting

Disappointing to see how few people in the Ridgeview community showed up for the "Citizen Review" that occurred on Tuesday. If they don't care about their community, then why should anyone else? Let's go back and look at how few people in Ridgeview have even bothered to vote in Hickory City elections, but will show up to vote in the national elections. That is the reason why Ridgeview falls behind, because they have chosen to be politically irrelevant... and they will continue to get what they want.

The majority of people who attended were ministers from inside and outside the Ridgeview community. They all seemed very enthusiastic about what has been presented so far. The ministers in the area that I have seen are very much hooked up with the Hickory Inc. structure. I interpreted what they were saying as that they were all in and going to work with the city and help sell this to their congregations.

There are still no specifics as to the 3Ps -- projects, priorities, and price. City Manager Berry has said that the City Council will prioritize the projects and the Bond Referendum will be broad and refer to categories such as "Business Park" and "Transportation" with monetary values attached to each, but the City Council will be the entity that decides on the projects and the priorities.

Last week the Mayor talked about the tipping point in this community and the reason why we need to act. I've told you and shown you that we are past the tipping point. Maybe we aren't past the tipping point for the Council, the local Powers that Be, or the upper echelons of Hickory City Staff. These people are in the upper 10% of wealth holders in this community. They cannot fully relate to the negative economic momentum that the people at lower income levels have dealt with.

Citizen Review - Power Point Presentation


Just The Facts about Hickory's Loss of the Younger Demographic: Mr. Berry is showing graphs that were available five years ago that show the job losses and the devastating losses in the younger demographics that we have seen in this community over the past decade. Also factor into this that we have the lowest Per Capita Income of any major Metro area in the State of North Carolina. The encouraging sign is that the local Powers that Be are starting to freak out about the signs. The signs have been there for years, but I guess they have finally come to the realization that we have structural problems in this community and this downturn is not part of a normal economic cycle.

Hickory Area Population Remains at a Standstill. There are at least 4,000 fewer (January 2013 numbers) people living in Catawba County today than were here in 2009. We know that the eastern part of the county (Sherrills Ford and West Denver) has grown, because of it's accessibility to Charlotte. So, if the area there has grown by 4,000 or 5,000 people, then what does that mean for western Catawba County? It means that we have lost several thousand people here and it will soon be reflected in the numbers. We are beyond the tipping point. 

The 1764 Business Park project is the type of economic investment we need to see. Mr. Berry talked about this business park being located at Robinson and Robinwood Roads over in the Startown Road area near CVCC and the Mall area. This type of Commerce Center can bring good paying jobs. These types of jobs can help with the underemployment issues we have been facing in this community.

If we are going to see the younger demographics come back into the community, then we are going to have to see these good paying productive jobs come to the community. The demographic structure of the community is not going to change because young people move here to be servants for Octogenarians. There is no money in that, but for a few doctors, some nurses, and a few administrators. They are going to move here if they can find stability and a career path created by complex industries.

The two main infrastructure project concepts that have been talked about are the Mainstreet Linear Park and the Lake Greenway at Geitner Park. The development at Geitner Park is already moving forward thanks to Bob Lackey and it is notable because we are seeing true public private development. The Mainstreet Linear park is pie in the sky. It is basically a $27 million dollar (the price mentioned late last year) sidewalk to connect Union Square to what has been defined before as the Wingfoot District and then up to Lenoir-Rhyne. There is already a sidewalk there and people use it all the time. It just seems that we are once again throwing Hickory Tax Dollars to the same ole group of people.

Make no mistake, most people aren't against infrastructure improvements. What they want to see are tangible benefits and mechanisms of accountability and fairness to ensure that we don't throw good money after bad in an effort that only benefits a few people. Every one of these cities that the Council has been to and touted have "Business Improvement District" Taxes for their Downtown areas. Why are Hickory citizens from the outskirts of town supposed to continue supporting Union Square through tax dollars, when about five people own the vast majority of property surrounding Union Square?

I've heard it bandied about by the oldsters here that support the proposed bond referendum that they are planting trees that they may never get a chance to sit under. Some of us view it as that you are writing checks that others are going to have to cover for you and there may not be money to cover those checks when the bills come due... but ain't that Amerika.

A marketplace is all about people. I have also heard the notion of marketing Hickory as a small town. Folks, that is what got us here. That was exactly what they were pushing in the early 2000s, when the goose got cooked. I don't like the idea of a Quaint Hickory. I want to see a Hustling-Bustling Hickory like we were 20 years ago. Hustling and Bustling people in a contemporary reality. That is what leads to growth.

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Steve Ivester and Harry Hipps have talked about developing clusters around our existing industries. Any economic development we see should center around development of Cluster Industries in our area. Harry gets it right in what he writes below:

Harry Hipps speaks about The Gallup-Healthways Survey

20140527 - Inspiring Spaces - Ridgeview Citizen Review

City Manager Mick Berry speaks about the Inspiring Spaces program and the proposed upcoming bond referendum. I'm not going to comment tonight. If you have any comments send them to hickoryhound@gmail.com

I will give my thoughts tomorrow. I'd like to hear what some of you think and I will be speaking with my go to guys as usual.

Citizen Review - Power Point Presentation

Economic Relevance - Retail Deathtrap

Hound Notes: This is what happens when you destroy the middle class and thus the market place.

RETAIL DEATH RATTLE GROWS LOUDER - The Burning Platform - May 25, 2014

Retail store results for the 1st quarter of 2014 have been rolling in over the last week. It seems the hideous government reported retail sales results over the last six months are being confirmed by the dying bricks and mortar mega-chains. In case you missed the corporate mainstream media not reporting the facts and doing their usual positive spin, here are the absolutely dreadful headlines:

Wal-Mart Profit Plunges By $220 Million as US Store Traffic Declines by 1.4%

Target Profit Plunges by $80 Million, 16% Lower Than 2013, as Store Traffic Declines by 2.3%

Sears Loses $358 Million in First Quarter as Comparable Store Sales at Sears Plunge by 7.8% and Sales at Kmart Plunge by 5.1%

JC Penney Thrilled With Loss of Only $358 Million For the Quarter

Kohl’s Operating Income Plunges by 17% as Comparable Sales Decline by 3.4%

Costco Profit Declines by $84 Million as Comp Store Sales Only Increase by 2%

Staples Profit Plunges by 44% as Sales Collapse and Closing Hundreds of Stores

Gap Income Drops 22% as Same Store Sales Fall

American Eagle Profits Tumble 86%, Will Close 150 Stores

Aeropostale Losses $77 Million as Sales Collapse by 12%

Best Buy Sales Decline by $300 Million as Margins Decline and Comparable Store Sales Decline by 1.3%

Macy’s Profit Flat as Comparable Store Sales decline by 1.4%

Dollar General Profit Plummets by 40% as Comp Store Sales Decline by 3.8%

Urban Outfitters Earnings Collapse by 20% as Sales Stagnate

McDonalds Earnings Fall by $66 Million as US Comp Sales Fall by 1.7%

Darden Profit Collapses by 30% as Same Restaurant Sales Plunge by 5.6% and Company Selling Red Lobster

TJX Misses Earnings Expectations as Sales & Earnings Flat

Dick’s Misses Earnings Expectations as Golf Store Sales Plummet

Home Depot Misses Earnings Expectations as Customer Traffic Only Rises by 2.2%

Lowes Misses Earnings Expectations as Customer Traffic was Flat

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- May 25, 2014

The Solution To Record Meat Prices: The Return Of Pink Slime - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - Mat 25, 2014 - According to the USDA, reported by Reuters, conditions in California could have "large and lasting effects on U.S. fruit, vegetable, dairy and egg prices," as the most populous U.S. state struggles through what officials are calling a catastrophic drought. Alas, the USDA had nothing to say about the Fed's unprecedented desire to reflate the US economy which is still suffering from the catastrophic depression which started nearly 7 years ago.
More:

The consumer price index (CPI) for U.S. beef and veal is up almost 10 percent so far in 2014, reflecting the fastest increase in retail beef prices since the end of 2003. Prices, even after adjusting for inflation, are at record highs.                          "The drought in Texas and Oklahoma has worsened somewhat in the last month, providing further complications to the beef production industry," USDA said.                    Beef and veal prices for the whole of 2014 are now forecast to increase by 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent, a sharp advance from last month's forecast for a 3 to 4 percent rise. Pork prices are set to rise by 3 percent to 4 percent, up from a 2 to 3 percent advance expected a month ago.                       The USDA said overall U.S. food price inflation for 2014, including food bought at grocery stores and food bought at restaurants, would rise by 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent in 2014.                      That is up from 2013, when retail food prices were almost flat, but in line with historical norms and unchanged from April's forecast.                          "The food-at-home CPI has already increased more in the first four months of 2014 then it did in all of 2013," USDA noted. At-home spending accounts for about 60 percent of the U.S. food CPI.

The Social Cost of GMOs — Paul Craig Roberts - May 22, 2014 -
Monsanto has reduced the measured cost of food production by producing genetically modified seeds that result in plants that are pest and herbicide resistant. The result is increased yields and lower measured costs of production. However, there is evidence that the social or external costs of this approach to farming more than offsets the lower measured cost. For example, there are toxic affects on microorganisms in the soil, a decline in soil fertility and nutritional value of food, and animal and human infertility.
When Purdue University plant pathologist and soil microbiologist Don Huber pointed out these unintended consequences of GMOs, other scientists were hesitant to support him, because their careers are dependent on research grants from agribusiness. In other words, Monsanto essentially controls the research on its own products. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/18/gmo-foods-inflammation.aspx?e_cid=20140518Z1_SNL_Art_1&utm_source=snl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20140518Z1&et_cid=DM45056&et_rid=524903968
In his book, Genetic Roulette, Jeffrey M. Smith writes: “Genetically modified (GM) foods are inherently unsafe, and current safety assessments are not competent to protect us from or even identify most dangers.” The evidence is piling up against such foods; yet the US government is so totally owned by Monsanto that labeling cannot be required.
Pesticides damage birds and bees. Some years ago we learned that ingestion of pesticides by birds was bringing some species near to extinction. If we lose bees, we lose honey and the most important pollinating agent. The rapid decline in bee populations have several causes. Among them are the pesticides sulfoxaflor and thiamethoxam produced by Dow and Syngenta. http://earthjustice.org/features/the-case-of-the-vanishing-honey-bee?utm_source=crm&utm_content=button Dow is lobbying the Environmental Protection Agency to permit sulfoxaflor residues on food, and Syngenta wants to be able to spray alfalfa with many times the currently allowed amount of thiamethoxam.
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=13999
As the regulators are more or less in the industry’s pocket, the companies will likely succeed in their efforts to further contaminate the food of people and animals. The profits of Monsanto, Dow, and Syngenta are higher, because many of the costs associated with the production and use of their products are imposed on third parties and on life itself.
Many countries have put restrictions on GMO foods. Lawmakers in Russia equate genetically engineered foods to terrorist acts and want to impose criminal penalties. http://rt.com/news/159188-russia-gmo-terrorist-bill/ The French parliament has approved a ban on GMO cultivation in France. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/05/france-gmo-idUSL6N0NR2MZ20140505 However, Washington lobbies foreign governments on behalf of its agribusiness and chemical donors. Dick Cheney used his two terms as vice president to staff up the environmental agencies with corporate friendly executives. Just as the political appointees at the SEC would not let SEC prosecutors bring cases against the big banks, environmental regulators have a difficult time protecting the environment and food supply from contamination. The way Washington works is that the regulators protect those they are supposed to regulate in exchange for big jobs when they leave government. The economist, George Stigler, made this clear several decades ago.
The public favors labeling of genetically engineered food, but Monsanto and the Grocery Manufacturers Association have so far been successful in preventing it. On May 8 the governor of Vermont signed a bill passed by the state legislature that requires labeling. Monsanto’s response is to sue the state of Vermont.



Many U.S. families report feeling strapped - CBS Moneywatch - Alain Sherter - May 22, 2014 - Roughly half of all American families who define themselves as middle class say they are just getting by, struggling financially or feel poor, according to a new study by Allianz. The financial firm, which polled more than 4,500 households with annual incomes of at least $50,000, also found that more than 40 percent of respondents report living paycheck-to-paycheck.                   "The economy is picking up, but it doesn't seem to be trickling down to American families," said Katie Libbe, vice president of consumer insights with Allianz Life, a unit of the company that offers retirement products and services.                           If the sluggish economy is chiefly responsible for that hardship, how families are structured also appears to affect their relationship to money and finances. Less than a fifth of U.S. households today consist of married, heterosexual couples with kids, down from roughly 40 percent in 1970, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, while non-traditional family arrangements are increasingly the norm.
Other findings from the study:

• 36 percent of modern families have collected unemployment benefits, versus 21 percent of traditional households
• 35 percent of modern families have unexpectedly lost a main source of income, compared with 23 percent of traditional households
• 22 percent of modern families and 11 percent of traditional households have declared bankruptcy
• 25 percent of modern families and 20 percent of traditional ones aren't saving any money

Electric bills expected to rise with closing of coal-fired plants - AP through Tulsa World News - May 25, 2014 - Electricity prices are probably on their way up across much of the U.S. as coal-fired plants, the dominant source of cheap power, shut down in response to environmental regulations and economic forces.                New and tighter pollution rules and tough competition from cleaner sources such as natural gas, wind and solar will lead to the closings of dozens of coal-burning plants across 20 states over the next three years.                          And many of those that stay open will need expensive retrofits.                         Because of these and other factors, the Energy Department predicts retail power prices will rise 4 percent on average this year, the biggest increase since 2008. By 2020, prices are expected to climb an additional 13 percent, a forecast that does not include the costs of coming environmental rules.                 The Obama administration, state governments and industry are struggling to balance this push for a cleaner environment with the need to keep the grid reliable and prevent prices from rocketing too much higher.                       "We're facing a set of questions that are new to the industry," says Clair Moeller, who oversees transmission and technology for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which coordinates much of the electric grid between Minnesota and Louisiana.                       Coal is the workhorse of the U.S. power system. It is used to produce 40 percent of the nation's electricity, more than any other fuel. Because it is cheap and abundant and can be stored on power plant grounds, it helps keep prices stable and power flowing even when demand spikes.                        Natural gas, which accounts for 26 percent of the nation's electricity, has dropped in price and become more plentiful because of the frackingboom. But its price is on the rise again, and it is still generally more expensive to produce electricity with gas than with coal. Also, gas isn't stored at power plants because the cost is prohibitive. That means it is subject to shortages and soaring prices.                             During the brutally cold and snowy winter that just ended, utilities in several states struggled to secure natural gas because so much was also needed to heat homes. Some utilities couldn't run gas-fired plants at all, and power prices soared 1,000 percent in some regions.


Sears reports wider loss, may close more stores - USA TODAY - David Carrig - May 22, 2014 -
Sears Holdings reported a wider loss in the first quarter as the retailer continued to struggle to turnaround its business.                   Sears CEO Edward Lampert said the company may also close more stores this year in addition to the 80 locations now being closed.                 The parent company of Kmart and Sears said it lost $402 million, or $3.79 per share, for the period ended May 3. That compares with a loss of $279 million, or $2.63 per share, in the same period a year ago
Excluding certain items, the retailer lost $2.24 per share. That was worse than the loss of $1.91 a share expected by analysts, according to FactSet.                        Revenue fell 6.8% to $7.88 billion, which was better than the $7.72 billion analysts expected.



Target has lost its cheap, chic edge - USA TODAY - Hadley Malcolm - May 21, 2014 - Target may have been knocked down by a huge holiday season data breach last year, but its most recent quarterly earnings report and continuing replacement of top management show the retailer has other, bigger problems to address.                         Target's Canadian expansion has suffered from poorly managed inventory planning and a lack of understanding of the Canadian market. Meanwhile, merchandise even in U.S. stores has lost its gotta-have-it quality, and foot traffic had been slowly declining, even before the breach happened...                       In the first quarter, Target's net earnings fell 16% to $418 million, or 66 cents a share, compared with $498 million in the same period last year, the company announced Wednesday. Sales increased 2.1% over last year to about $17 billion. Earnings related to U.S. stores decreased 13.5% to about $1.1 billion from about $1.2 billion last year.                       For the year, Target cut its estimated earnings per share to between $3.60 and $3.90 compared with prior guidance of $3.85 to $4.15. Brian Yarbrough, an analyst with Edward Jones, suspects that's because the chain plans to be highly promotional to try to get customers back in stores, which will eat into profit margins.


Chattanooga's super-fast publicly owned Internet - CNN Money - James O'Toole - May 20, 2014 - Chattanooga, Tenn., may not be the first place that springs to mind when it comes to cutting-edge technology. But thanks to its ultra-high-speed Internet, the city has established itself as a center for innovation -- and an encouraging example for those frustrated with slow speeds and high costs from private broadband providers.                        Chattanooga rolled out a fiber-optic network a few years ago that now offers speeds of up to 1000 Megabits per second, or 1 gigabit, for just $70 a month. A cheaper 100 Megabit plan costs $58 per month. Even the slower plan is still light-years ahead of the average U.S. connection speed, which stood at 9.8 megabits per second as of late last year, according to Akamai Technologies...                           The city had to contend with lawsuits from Comcast and local cable operators as it worked to get the network up and running. But aided by an $111 million stimulus grant from the Department of Energy, the service was up and running by September 2009. The EPB currently has around 5,000 business customers along with 57,540 households, which have access to "triple play" bundles of video, phone and Internet service just like they would from a private provider.                        "Deploying a network for telecommunications is not fundamentally different from deploying a network for power," said Benoit Felten, a broadband expert with Diffraction Analysis. "Chattanooga is the prime example of that, and it's absolutely worked."                              The Federal Communications Commission recognizes the potential of muncipality-run broadband, saying earlier this year that it will push for the repeal of state and local laws supported by the cable industry that make it harder for cities to set up their own networks.                          Chattanooga officials say the network has helped spark a burgeoning local tech scene and the relocation of a number of businesses, drawn by both the fast Internet and the reliability offered by the smart grid.                            Hunter Lindsay, regional director of IT services firm Claris Networks, said the 85-person company moved its data-center operations from Knoxville to Chattanooga "just because of the network."

Economic Relevance - Inflation in commoditoes + Deflation in property = the Great Reset - The Hickory Hound - May 23, 2014

Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 20, 2014

I began video recording the City Council in 2012, because of my desire that the City do it on their own as any modern 21st century community began doing long ago. I had people tell me that they couldn't make it to the meetings, but they would like to see what is going on. I was also told by some council members that my summaries did not truly reflect the record, so having a video/audio recording cannot be misinterpreted.

So below is the City Council meeting. With each agenda item, you can click on the links and it will take you to that specific point in the meeting. You can always drag the marker on the video display to the point in the broadcast that you are interested in seeing.

Agenda about the City Council meeting of May 20, 2014

Inspiring Spaces Committee Final Report 

Thoughts about last night's Hickory City Council meeting - May 20, 2014




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 The Hound's Notes: 

There are a couple of things about the Inspiring Spaces presentation that took place before the City Council meeting. First, Meg Locke went right to the point when she articulated her unrequited trust of Hickory Inc. Ms. Locke is a Hickory insider and Hickory Inc. has done more for her than they haven't. There aren't many people in this community that can say that. We'd like to live in Ms. Locke's world for a day. That doesn't mean that we are jealous. We'd like to trade shoes for perspective.

Some of the Inspiring Spaces projects might be ok, but I'm not so sure I'm as trusting as she is based upon Hickory Inc.'s track record. City Manager Berry made it clear that the bonds would be for a list and not specific projects and timetables. Hickory Inc. will be setting the priorities and the objectives. Just remember "the Sails" and the Farmer's market sit outside Ms. Locke's business on Union Square and now we are supposed to build a $27 million sidewalk to her other business at Hollar Mill. That is where her perspective lies. How many of us are on committees that can make decisions where community interests can be entangled with our own?

Look at what we see with this committee, lots of connections to one another and the City Council. Also, lots of wealth on this committee compared to most Hickory citizens. Can these people relate to your average Hickory citizen? What a few hundred dollars means to them is completely different from what it means to most.

Another point, I don't see how they can claim that the widening of LR Blvd led to the private investment at Hollar Mill or Moretz Mill. Yes, Hollar Hosiery was redeveloped, but no one ever said that they were waiting for that road to open before moving forward with its renovation.  Let us also remember that with the "Economic Incentives" that the city has outlayed to these projects, it will be a few years before they "increase the tax base." Two properties, Piedmont Wagon and Lyerly Mill will be paying no City of Hickory Property Tax for seven years, so they are definitely not increasing the tax base. If our overall tax receipts don't rise, how can it be claimed that this was an increase as opposed any normal remodeling/developing that occurs?

Yes, we are glad to see these properties renovated and yes, we hope for their success; but we should not focus city dollars in one small part of the city, while continuing to ignore the others. I'm all for this Wingfoot area continuing to move forward in association with a redefined Downtown. That is the reason why I think a Business Improvement District Tax for the newly redefined Downtown is the way to go to raise the monies necessary to do what the property and business owners of that area want to do in that area.

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Invocation, Susan Smith, Exodus Homes

Special Presentations
A. Business Well Crafted Award to Mark Romeo, Cox Manufacturing

Persons Requesting to Be Heard
A. Dan Green, In House Counsel for Meridian Senior Living, Information Regarding a Golf Tournament for National Alzheimer’s Awareness. - (per Hickory Inc.) - Mr. Dan Green presented information to City Council regarding “A Round to Remember”, a golf tournament, which is a grassroots program that works to educate people about Alzheimer’s and to raise awareness for those facing the disease. Over five million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and there are 15 million people acting as their caregivers. The golf tournament is being sponsored to benefit Alzheimer’s, jointly sponsored by Conde Nast Media Corporation. The tournament will be held at the Ole Still Golf Club in Oliver’s Landing Section on June 19, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. There are other opportunities for other individuals and entities to be sponsors and donate to the tournament for the benefit of Alzheimer’s. Mr. Green can be contacted for information regarding entry fees and registration.

B. Cliff Moone once again spoke regarding his support of Inspiring Spaces and the City Council. - (per Hickory Inc.) - addressed Council on his support, and encouragement of Inspiring Spaces. He was concerned that Council was in a contemplative mood about this. He stated that the Inspiring Spaces report was an excellent report, very interesting, and very well presented by Mr. Shuford. Mr. Moone commented that when he came to Hickory in 1988, Hickory was really taking off and doing a lot of wonderful things,a lot of growth, and a lot of excitement. In 2002, he had a very mild heart attack and ended up having surgery at Frye Hospital. While he was in the hospital his heart stopped for 15-30 seconds. He was awakened by a nurse slapping him in the face, saying not on my watch you don’t. It reminded him that we have gone through 10 to 12 years of not being dead, for certainly, no this City. But being a City that has been in some ways on life support. He stated that the comment was made not on your watch let this happen, we have an opportunity here. He wants Council to have the May 20, 2014 enthusiasm that Ms. Locke has, moving this thing forward. Because it is up to Council, the leaders of the community, and others to go out and let the folks know the information about how much it is going to cost. He is one of those people that has a house that is just a little over that $150,000 dollar range that is the average home in Hickory. For Council to raise his taxes over that period of ten years, $120 isn’t fearful for him at all. It is something that says I am going to invest in this City for the next 30, 40, 50 years, and after I am gone planting those shades. He read that the fastest growing area in Catawba County is Sherrills Ford. He doesn’t want to see his City left behind. He doesn’t want us to be on this side of 40 falling behind when we can be moving ahead. He asked Council to aggressively go forth, and support the Inspiring Spaces initiative as he will as well.

Consent Agenda: 

Informational Item
A. Report of Mayor Wright’s travel to Raleigh, North Carolina

New Business - Public Hearings:
1. Consideration of Amending Chapter 2, Article 8, Youth Council, of the Hickory City Code of Ordinance of the City of Hickory by Amending Sections 2-240, 2-242(a)(c), and 2-245.

2. Voluntary Contiguous Annexation of 1515 Cloninger Mill Road NE, Hickory.

New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. Call for Public Hearing on the City Manager’s FY2014-2015 Recommended Annual Budget. 

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The Hound's Notes:
As I stated earlier this budget was Mick Berry and Hickory Inc.'s finest hour during his tenure. By all indications, Hickory Inc. was looking to increase property taxes to help pay for Inspiring Spaces, but somewhere along the way, they changed their mind about how and when to finance it. In my opinion, that was the wisest decision until the public gives it a nod of approval.

The budget City Manager Berry put forth does have a 2¢ increase in the tax rate. Anyone should accept the additional penny for roads and the additional penny for operational costs due to the loss in revenue of the hold harmless monies that have been coming from the State Government. I can't emphasize enough that the action taken on this night is fiscally sound.

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General Comments - (per Hickory Inc.)

Mayor Wright commented that he heard Taste of Hickory was great.

Alderwoman Patton confirmed it was. 

Mayor Wright commented record crowds maybe.

Alderwoman Patton stated they did a great job.

Mayor Wright commented that is a good venue for it.

Alderwoman Patton stated that the weather cooperated. They were so afraid that it was going to rain, and the sun came out,and it was beautiful. They did a great job.

Alderman Seaver commented it was a beautiful day.

Economic Relevance - Inflation in commodities + Deflation in property = the Great Reset

Devaluation in the value of the dollar is/will lead to a rise in the cost of living through a rise in the cost of necessary commodities (Food and Fuel) and a deflationary cycle with the value of property and discretionary spending (Housing, Personal Property, Electronics, Personal Assets, Items for Resell). You are going to need money to live, but as the economy slows, you aren't going to want to have anything you don't need to survive and you are going to want to sell things to have additional money to survive, but since most people will be in the same boat, then through excess in suplly and reduction in demand the value of non-necessities will plummet in real value. Anything related to fuel will increase in price. Assets to a great extent can become a burden. A lot of times they will cost more to maintain than they are worth. We have seen that already and will continue to see that with more rapidity.

The Federal Reserve is stuck. If the Fed continues with Quantitative Easing, then the value of the dollar continues to fall until we enter a Hyperinflationary cycle. If the Fed pulls back on Quantitative Easing, then the dollar strengthens, interests rates rise, and we enter a deflationary cycle, which will slow the economy by seizing the credit markets. It will also cost more to service governmental debt and necessitate a debt jubilee (forgiveness), which will lead to the banks in the United States becoming insolvent. The excesses of properties that the banks have on the banks will will devalue, many becoming worthless, which will lead to their insolvency. Their liabilities (debt) versus their assets (properties, loan portfolios and other investments) will grow to such an extent that they will be forced into default. There will be no way to get back to profitability. This was the road we were headed down in 2008.

Quantitative Easing (Artificial Lower of interest rates through Monetary Expansion) helped the banks remain solvent, but did nothing to help the average person maintain their personal wealth, because they did not have access to the increased money supply. The banks have maintained an artificial market, but you can't have a real market without people being able to participate in the marketplace. There hasn't been any velocity to the real marketplace. We have seen a stagnation of the real marketplace since 2008.

The current economic structure in unsustainable. What is necessary is a Great Reset. We will either do so voluntarily or we will be volunteered through natural economic forces, which will be much worse. What the government should have done is helped the public write down the artificial value of equity built into their homes caused by the housing bubble, basically a debt jubilee, which would have given homeowners a 20% reduction in the value of their homes over a specified period (say 10 years), then we would basically have been nearly out of this debt glut caused by the irrational exuberance caused by the excessive marketing, sales, and speculation and artificially low interest rates that occurred in the housing market in the late 1990s and early to mid 2000s. Instead, we are going to have to deal with these issues through the greatest disruption of the American Economic System of a lifetime.

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Published on May 18, 2014

http://usawatchdog.com/dollar-on-the-... John Williams of Shadowstats.com predicts an explosion of U.S. debt. He says, "All the projections on the budget deficit are based on positive economic growth going forward. With the ongoing contraction, you'll see a much worse budget deficit. It's going to do bad things to the banking system. The Fed is going to be easing, and they'll say they are easing to stimulate the economy; but in reality, they'll be doing this to prop up the banking system. The rest of the world sees this and they don't want to hold the dollar, and they will sell off the dollar. The Fed is going to have to come in and prop up the system until it falls apart."

Published on May 20, 2014

http://usawatchdog.com/dollar-collaps... - On the U.S. dollar, renowned financial analyst Charles Nenner predicts, "Timing is our business, and we've always said the dollar is going to collapse in end of 2014.

There are different reasons for this. The government has loans outstanding that are very short term. If interest rates only go up a half a percent, they are already in trouble. Also, the United States doesn't have the power to force a lot (of Treasury bonds) on other countries because the United States has decided not to be a power anymore. So, of course, the dollar goes with it.

Oil is going to be much higher, and inflation is going to start moving its tail. This is the start of inflation. Five years from now, you will see inflation started in 2014. It's not that everything happens in 2014 it's just the beginning. I still do cycles of war and I have been predicting a big war is in the making in 2013. And, when they ask me does it start with a bang, I say no, it starts slowly without us noticing. In ten years, you will look back and see it started in 2013. . . . I still think the big war will come from the Middle East."

20140520 - Inspiring Spaces Committee Final Report

Stephen Shuford presented the information through a Power Point Presentation. 6 of the 15 members of the Committee were present including Mr. Shuford, Paul Kerchner, Don Norwood, Meg Locke, Scott Mitchell, and Nancy Zagaroli.

Mr. Shuford spoke of the notion of "The Charm of Hickory". Talks about Innovate Catawba Initiative and the idea of "Inspiring" and "Reinventing".

Talks about the Waterfront on Lake Hickory and creating a Riverwalk... about the support of that idea... connecting Geitner Park, the Lackey Conservancy, and the Baseball Stadium. Talks about the cities that Hickory Inc. visited over the last few years.

Talks about Downtown Redefined. Union Square Improvements. Main Avenue Linear Park. Talks about linking pedestrian, bikes, and possibly trolley trails to Downtown, the Riverwalk, and LP Frans Stadium. How do you rout people into the city by directing them through the primary Gateways (I-40 at LR Blvd, I-40 at Hwy 321) and secondary Gateways (Hwy 321 at Old Lenoir Road and Hwy 321 at Hwy 70). He got into Street scapes at LR Blvd, Hwy 70, Hwy 127, 4th Street SW extension, and Old Lenoir Road.