Agenda about the City Council meeting of April 15, 2014

 This Agenda is about the Hickory City Council meeting that took place on the date listed above. 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. You can also look in the upper right hand corner of the front page of the Hickory Hound and (will soon) find the link to the past history of Hickory City Newsletters.

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
City Council Agenda - April 15, 2014


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 The Hound's Notes:

1) Public Hearing #1 below. Consideration of Economic Development Agreement with OHM Holdings LLC - Spoke about this issue a couple weeks ago when it came up through the Consent Agenda. Hickory Inc. is looking to help with the renovation of "Olde Hickory Mill" building (formerly Lyerly Mill). You can see this building off to the left when traveling south on Hwy 127 after passing the Railroad underpass.

According to this website it is being marketed as a $12 million mixed-use property with Delphi Development, Zapolski Real Estate LLC.   

Old Mill New Use - Hickory Daily Record - John Dayberry 
Lyerly Mill Hickory - Google 

This property is part of the Wingfoot District that was proposed by Pete Zagaroli back in 2010. This is the third redeveloped property that falls within that footprint; as does the proposed $27 million Main Avenue project. ( From the City Council meeting of January 5, 2010)


Google Map Street View 
Google Map Satellite Overhead Shot
Department of Commerce - NC Rural Development - Building Reuse Grants

Article about Transportation Insight moving to this building:
Downtown Hickory gets relocated headquarters - 15-year-old business moving a few blocks, creating 50 jobs - Hickory Daily Record - John Tinkelenberg - April 11, 2014

2) Item I of the Consent Agenda - Glad to see that Hickory Inc. is opening up the opportunity for other Craft Brewers to sell beer during their Sails on the Square Music Series this late Spring and Summer. This is all many of us were asking for last year. 

3) Budget Ordinance #5 - Parking Capital Fund being used at LP Frans Stadium. Never seen it used for anything other than Union Square. $70,000

4) Budget Ordinance #8 - Why? $15,000 of General Fund need to be transferred to the Airports Other Professional Services line item to cover legal fees related to the former FBO (Fixed Based Operators) bankruptcy.

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Invocation

Special Presentations
A. Proclamation for National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.


Consent Agenda:
A. Approval of a Resolution for Dana B. Roberts, Certificate of Appreciation for 43 Years of Service.

B. Proclamation for “A Day of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness”.

C. Approval to Amend the Speed Ordinance for Waterford Hills Subdivision to be 25 mph Throughout the Entire Subdivision. - Staff request approval to amend the traffic ordinance for Waterford Hills Subdivision to be 25 mph throughout the entire subdivision. Residents have completed all necessary steps in the Traffic Calming Guidelines, and staff have found the residents to be in compliance with the guidelines. Currently all roadways within the Waterford Hills Subdivision;
Morning Glow Lane, Meadow Lark Lane, Waterbury Court, and White Water Court, have the default speed limit of 35 mph.

D. Special Events/Activities Application for Hickory Alive, Anna Price, President of Hickory Jaycees, June 6, July 4, August 1, and September 5, 2014, from 4:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., City Hall Parking Lot. (Times include set-up and clean-up)

E. Special Events/Activities Application for Hickory Junior Women’s Club, Megan Meade, Hickory Crawdads, May 3, 2014, from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., L.P. Frans Stadium, 2500 Clement Blvd. NW.

F. Special Events/Activities Application for Pregnancy Care Center 2014 Walk for Life, Janet Shores, RN, Assistance Director, Pregnancy Care Center of Catawba Valley, September 27, 2014, 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., L.P. Frans Stadium, 2500 Clement Blvd. NW.

G. Acceptance of Offers to Purchase and Contracts for Properties Located at 1840 and 1845 Waterbury Court, in the Waterford Hills Subdivision. - Staff requests consideration of the Offers to Purchase and Contracts for properties located at 1840 and 1845 Waterbury Court, in the Waterford Hills Subdivision. The properties were originally purchased by the City because they were on the route of the proposed Southern Cross-Town Thoroughfare. The route for the future thoroughfare has
since been amended, and the properties are no longer needed. Daniel and Georgeta Marita are interested in purchasing these lots in order to construct single family dwellings. They are offering $15,000 per lot. Staff recommends that City Council accept the Offers to Purchase and Contracts and
authorize staff to advertise for upset bids. Once the property is advertised other parties will have ten days to submit upset bids.

H. Approval of the Appointment of Sandy Jones to City of Hickory Tax Collector for a Two-Year Term. - Staff requests approval to appoint Sandy Jones, current Grants Coordinator in the Finance Division of Administrative Services as City of Hickory Tax Collector for a two year term. The appointment will be an additional job duty added to Ms. Jones’ current Grants Coordinator position. Due to additional costs and the ability to provide quality customer service to cit izens associated with tax billing and collection, it is recommended to include the Burke County/City of Hickory billings as a responsibility of the City’s Finance Division. In order to comply with Chapter 105 of the North Carolina General Statutes, the City should appoint a designated Tax Collector for the municipality to cover the additional tax duties at the City level. The City appointment will have no impact on the current Catawba County Tax Collector designation for all other City of Hickory taxes.

I. Approval of Contract from Local Beer Brewery to Serve Crafted Beers on Friday Nights in May, June, and September in Conjunction with the City’s Music Under the Sails Series. - City Council approved the Sails Music Series events for Fridays in May, June and September, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. on the March 18, 2014 agenda. In the application it states that local brewers, that have special ABC permission to distribute crafted beers from Hickory, will be asked if they would like to pay a $25 fee to serve the locally crafted beverages during these events between 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. on these Fridays in 2014. They will need to provide a copy of the special ABC permit from North Carolina, a copy of insurance to the City, and a signed contract. Staff requests approval of the contract to allow local Hickory Brewer to serve locally crafted beer during the Music Under the Sails on Friday in May,  June, and September 2014.

J. Approval to Issue a Pyrotechnic Display Permit to Lake Hickory Country Club. - Chris Moncourtois, President of Class A. Fireworks Inc., has submitted a request to obtain permission to conduct public fireworks displays on May 17, 2014.  The North Carolina Fire Code requires a mandatory operational permit for the use and handling of pyrotechnic special effects material. The Fire Prevention Bureau shall review all required documentation. The Fire Prevention Bureau will also inspect the pyrotechnics display area prior to the event to ensure compliance with all guidelines and codes. Staff recommends approval of the request.

K. Sanitary Sewer Backup Payment Policy Revision. - Staff requests Revisions to Council Policy 01-01 to establish criteria as to when the City of Hickory will reimburse property owners for damages incurred due to sanitary sewer blockages which result in reverse flow into residential or commercial dwellings or structures. Section D under procedures was added to the new policy, giving the City of
Hickory the opportunity and flexibility to retain service professionals for a more timely response and to speed-up the mitigation process.

L. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 22.
1. To budget a total of $1,281 of donations in the Youth Council expenditure line item. $1,181 of the donations is for the Backpack Program. The remaining $100 is for use in other Youth Council activities.

2. To transfer $16,333 from General Fund Contingency to the Economic and Community Development Incentive line item. This transfer is necessary to fund the third incentive payment to Fiserv per the incentive agreement.

3. To budget an $11,692 insurance claim payment in the Traffic Division M&R Traffic Signals line item. This insurance claim payment is for damage sustained to a signal box during a driving accident that occurred at the intersection of 1st Ave. NW and 2nd St. NW.

4. To transfer $14,791 of General Fund Contingency to the Landscape Services Division Capital Outlay-Other line item. This transfer is necessary to pay for the new Sally M. Fox sign, installation, masonry product and installation, and permit fee at the Ivey Arboretum.

5. To transfer $70,000 from the Capital Reserve-Parking Fund to the LP Frans Capital-Improvement to Facilities line item. This transfer is necessary to pay for the crack sealing, seal coating and remarking at the Winkler Park and LP Frans Stadium parking lots.

6. To budget a total of $50,168 of Insurance Claim Payments from Argonaut Great Central Insurance Company in the Water and Sewer Insurance Claims and Refunds line item. These payments are the insurance reimbursement checks for a sewer backup occurring at 5th St. NE in December 2013.

7. To budget $119,345 of Water and Sewer Fund-Appropriated Fund Balance in the Water and Sewer Debt Service Interest line item. This amendment is necessary to cover a first year balloon interest payment which is part of the Northeast Wastewater Treatment Plant debt financing schedule.

8. To appropriate $15,000 of General Fund Contingency and transfer to the Airports Other Professional Services line item. These funds are needed to cover legal fees related to the former FBO (Fixed Based Operators) bankruptcy.


New Business - Public Hearings
1. Consideration of Economic Development Agreement with OHM Holdings LLC. - This public hearing was advertised in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area on April 4, 2014.

2. Consideration of the Community Development Block Grant 2014 Annual Action Plan.  - In April of each year staff prepares an Annual Action Plan for its Community Development Block Grant allocation from the federal government. The City of Hickory will receive approximately $310,314 in 2014 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and approximately $235,000 in program income for a total of $545,314. 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 Citizen’s Advisory Committee reviewed the draft action plan at their meeting on March 6, 2014 and recommended approval of the proposed budget. Staff recommends that City Council approve the Community
Development Block Grant 2014 Annual Action Plan. This public hearing was advertised in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area on March 14, April 4, and April 15, 2014.

New Business - Departmental Reports:
1. Quarterly Financial Report

2. Proposed Changes to the City’s Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program.  Staff recommends changes to the Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program which include changes to the type of eligible repairs, the addition of a deferred loan program for households making less than 50 percent of the area median income, and the addition of more explicit underwriting standards for the Citizen’s Advisory Committee. The Citizen’s Advisory Committee reviewed the policy at their April 3, 2014 meeting and voted unanimously to recommend approval.

Unemployment rate falls, but so does Labor Force again

The latest Labor figures for Catawba County February were released today by the St. Louis Federal Reserve and the Bureau of Statistics:

Unemployment fell from 7.6% to 7.2%

2014-02: 7.2
2014-01: 7.6
2013-12: 7.3
2013-11: 7.8
2013-10: 8.6


The Civilian Labor force fell by 767 people, which is 1% (0.01062)of the Labor Force dropped away.

2014-02: 71.406
2014-01: 72.173
2013-12: 70.419
2013-11: 71.484
2013-10: 71.396

(Hound Note - OK, sounds good that unemployment fell by .4% in February until we look at the fact that the Labor force shrunk at 2.23 times that rate. Upon further statistical analysis, we see that 344 fewer people were Unemployed compared to the 767 that left the workforce.)

Hickory Area Population Remains at a Standstill

The latest population figures for Catawba County and the surrounding region were released today by the St. Louis Federal Reserve for the year 2013 and these numbers show that  

Catawba County Population grew by 471 people from 2012 to 2013, which is an increase of an anemic 3/10's of 1% (.00304)

2013 - 154,810
2012 - 154,339
2011 - 153,958
2010 - 154,250
2009 - 158,953

Alexander County Population grew by 77 people from 2012 to 2013, which is an increase of  2/10's of 1% (0.00208)

2013 - 36,930
2012 - 36,853
2011 - 37,092
2010 - 37,234
2009 - 36,822


Burke County Population lost 663 people from 2012 to 2013, which is a decrease of 7/10's of 1% (.00732)

2013 - 89,842
2012 - 90,505
2011 - 90,861
2010 - 90,774
2009 - 89,540


Caldwell County Population grew by 60 people from 2012 to 2013, which is an increase of  7/1000's of 1% (0.00073)

2013 - 81,990
2012 - 81,930
2011 - 82,259
2010 - 82,950
2009 - 79,748

*** Unifour Population actually shrank by 55 people from 2012 to 2013 -- from 363,627 in 2012 to 363,572 in 2013.

In a time when population is at a standstill in our area, let's look at Charlotte (Mecklenburg County) population numbers and Raleigh (Wake County) population numbers.

Mecklenburg County Population grew by 2.3% (0.02264) last year and has grown by 8.5% (0.08503) over the 5 year span, while Catawba County has lost 2.6% of it's population over that 5 year span.

2013 - 990,977
2012 - 969,031
2011 - 945,251
2010 - 923,386
2009 - 913,311

Wake County Population grew by 2.3% (0.02325) last year and has grown by 8.7% (0.08740) over the 5 year span, while Catawba County has lost 2.6% of it's population over that 5 year span.

2013 - 974,289
2012 - 952,151
2011 - 928,693
2010 - 906,905
2009 - 895,975


North Carolina Population grew by 1% (0.01022) last year and has grown by 4.2% (0.04217) over the 5 year span.

2013 - 9,848,060
2012 - 9,748,364
2011 - 9,651,377
2010 - 9,559,533
2009 - 9,449,566

(Hound's Note: This area has been at a standstill for 5 years when it comes to population. We have actually shrunk. We also know that it is the younger people who have left the area and moved to the cities, which are continuing to grow. Thing is that anyone paying the slightest bit of attention has known this has been going on and you can actually feel it. This is where the misery index numbers come from and correlate to. Anything else is pure and simple propaganda.)

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- April 6, 2014

9 Of The Top 10 Occupations In America Pay An Average Wage Of Less Than $35,000 A Year - The Economic Collapse Blog - Michael Snyder - April 2nd, 2014 - According to stunning new numbers just released by the federal government, nine of the top ten most commonly held jobs in the United States pay an average wage of less than $35,000 a year.  When you break that down, that means that most of these workers are making less than $3,000 a month before taxes.  And once you consider how we are being taxed into oblivion, things become even more frightening.  Can you pay a mortgage and support a family on just a couple grand a month?  Of course not.  In the old days, a single income would enable a family to live a very comfortable middle class lifestyle in most cases.  But now those days are long gone.  In 2014, both parents are expected to work, and in many cases both of them have to get multiple jobs just in order to break even at the end of the month.  The decline in the quality of our jobs is a huge reason for the implosion of the middle class in this country.  You can't have a middle class without middle class jobs, and we have witnessed a multi-decade decline in middle class jobs in the United States.  As long as this trend continues, the middle class is going to continue to shrink.                        The following is a list of the most commonly held jobs in America according to the federal government.  As you can see, 9 of the top 10 most commonly held occupations pay an average wage of less than $35,000 a year...                        
Overall, an astounding 59 percent of all American workers bring home less than $35,000 a year in wages.                             So if you are going to make more than $35,000 this year, you are solidly in the upper half.                          But that doesn't mean that you will always be there.                                   More Americans are falling out of the middle class with each passing day.


Government Confiscation And Lifting The Veil On "The 401(k) Scheme" - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - April 6, 2014 - From Presidential edicts of 'MyRA' being for your own good and "will never go down in value" to Poland's 'precedent-setting' confiscation of public pensions funds for the good of the nation's debt load; and from the IMF's "one-off" wealth tax 'idea' to Europe's recent consideration of 'wholesale savings confiscations and enforced redistribution', it appears Marc Faber's warning that "from now onwards, the bailouts will also be at the expense of the asset holders, the well-to-do people. So if you have money I am sure the governments will one day take away 20-30% of my wealth," is becoming more likely every day. As the following mini-documentary explains, confirming Ron Paul's warning that "there is more chaos to come," Jim Rogers' fear that "they won’t take our bank accounts...they will take our retirement accounts," is coming true.







All The Presidents' Bankers: The Hidden Alliances That Drive American Power - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - April 5, 2014 - Wall Street’s War - While the protests against the Vietnam War intensified in the first years of the Nixon administration, the financial elite was fighting its own war—over the future of banking and against Glass-Steagall regulations. National City Bank chairman Walter Wriston was a steadfast warrior in related battles, as he fought with Chase chairman David Rockefeller for supremacy over the US banker community and for dominance over global finance.
Rockefeller’s sights were set on a grander prize, one with worldwide implications: ending the financial cold war. He made his mark in that regard by opening the first US bank in Moscow since the 1920s, and the first in Beijing since the 1949 revolution.                     Augmenting their domestic and international expansion plans, both men and their banks prospered from the emerging and extremely lucrative business of recycling petrodollars from the Middle East into third world countries. By acting as the middlemen—capturing oil revenues and transforming them into high-interest-rate loans, to Latin America in particular—bankers accentuated disparities in global wealth. They dumped loans into developing countries and made huge amounts of money in the process. By funneling profits into debts, they caused extreme pain in the debtor nations, especially when the oil-producing nations began to raise their prices. This raised the cost of energy and provoked a wave of inflation that further oppressed these third world nations, the US population, and other economies throughout the world.


192,000 Jobs Added in March but Wages Fall - Breitbart - Peter Morici - April 4, 2014 - The economy created 192,000 jobs in March, down from 197,000 in February and still well below the pace needed to lower underemployment to respectable levels. Those mediocre results are consistent with a broadly underperforming economy.                          Manufacturing employment lost 1,000 jobs and government stalled. Other than construction, which gained 19,000 employees, most new positions were in lower paying activities like leisure and hospitality, support activities in health care, retail, and temporary business services.                      Hourly earnings fell, indicating good jobs continue to be scarce.                       In 2013, GDP growth was only 1.9 percent, thanks to the $200 billion January tax increase and federal spending cuts, but after a slow first quarter, most economists expect the pace to accelerate to 3 percent by the second half of this year.                    Improved prospects are raising home values, and President Obama is not likely to get from Congress the higher taxes in his budget proposal. Jobs creation is likely to be in the range of 200,000 per month; however, should the president get the higher taxes he wants, the situation would worsen.                    Global growth is rebalancing from Asia to the Atlantic community, as Europe shakes off the worst of its sovereign and bank debt problems. This will reduce vulnerabilities to dodgy financial practices and economic nationalism in places like China, Japan, and Latin America.                         Though the shenanigans on Wall Street—ranging from high-speed traders stealing from ordinary investors to the endless imagination of the casino gamblers at the big banks—continue to threaten financial stability, the Federal Reserve and other U.S. regulatory agencies are proving more diligent than during the Bush years.                         This spring, more robust household formation should push housing starts above 1 million this year for the first time since 2007. The burdens of student debt require that many new dwellings be apartments, but surging residential construction will boost sales of pickup trucks so ubiquitous on construction sites, and employment in industries supporting housing and motor vehicles.                          In February, unemployment was steady at 6.7 percent, and the percentage of adults employed or seeking a job—the so-called participation rate—rose slightly but remains well below pre-recession levels.



And the Next Big Thing Is … Degrowth? - Washington's Blog -  Charles Hugh Smith - April 7, 2014 -  This is not doom-and-gloom for society–it is only doom-and-gloom for the current unsustainable arrangement (Plan A). - The Grand Narrative of the past few centuries goes something like this: from religious authority to secular authority, from agriculture to industrial, from rural to urban, from local to global, from periphery to center, from decentralized to centralized, from low-density energy to high-density energy (from wood to coal to oil/natural gas), from industrial to communication technology, from gold to fiat currencies, from linear to non-linear (complex/fractal), from local scarcity and high cost to global abundance, from islands of prosperity to continents of prosperity, from cash to credit, from collateral to leverage,from productive to consumerist and from sustainable to unsustainable.                        Many of these linear trends are running out of oxygen or reversing. Rigid hierarchies are being disrupted by self-organizing systems, centralization is being disrupted by decentralization, lower density alternative energy is distributed rather than concentrated, commodity costs are rising globally due to demand outstripping supply and leveraged credit is destabilizing financial systems across the globe.                     In the past few decades, the growth narrative has depended on “the Next Big Thing” –the new disruptive technology that drives wealth and job creation.                         In the early 20th century, the next big things were plentiful, and they clustered around transport and communication: autos, highways, aircraft, radio, telephony and most recently the Internet.                     The progress of technologies tends to track an S-Curve, with a slow gestation (experimentation that drives rapid evolution of innovations), a period of widespread adoption and technological leaps, and then a maturation phase in which advancements are refinements rather than leaps...


What Happens After the Low-Hanging Fruit Has Been Picked? (April 2, 2014)
No More Industrial Revolutions, No More Growth? (December 27, 2012)

TEDx Tokyo: The “De” Generation (8 minutes) (de-ownership, de-materialism, de-corporatism)
Degrowth, Anti-Consumerism and Peak Consumption (May 9, 2013)
The American Model of “Growth”: Overbuilding and Poaching November 19, 2013
When Conventional Success Is No Longer Possible, Degrowth and the Black Market Beckon(February 7, 2014)


Russ in Redding: The Human Face of The End of Work (September 2, 2011)
America’s Social Recession: Five Years and Counting (August 28, 2013)
The Ten Best Employers To Work For (Peak Employment) (March 28, 2013)
The Python That Ate Your Job (December 11, 2013)

Why the Status Quo Is Doomed (June 27, 2013)

Go - Voice of America - Asia

Asia – Go Lyrics

Play Song On Your Computer

Dig for victory, go for gold
I don't wanna die before I get old
And I wonder where I'm going to
There's some way out, there's some way through
But I'm lost, I'm lost, I'm down again
My direction is changing, which way,
Which way can I go...

Get up and go

You start me up, you slow me down
No one can deny you get around
When you're hot, you're cold, you're in between
Asking myself what does it mean?
And I walk that tightrope, you should know
I'm losing my balance, maybe,
Maybe I should go...

Get up and go

Face to face in sympathy
But now you turn your back on me
Turn a card and win, but you may lose
Fate only has that right to choose
If you're right, leave me here, I'll die alone
You've got the time, you've just got time
You got the time just go...

Get up and go
Go

Just go...


Songwriters: WETTON, JOHN KENNETH/DOWNES, GEOFF
Go lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, EMI Music Publishing, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC

Asia – Voice Of America Lyrics

Play Song On Your Computer

I heard you on the radio
Some other time
From some forgotten studio
Way down the line
So long, so long I've waited now
To hear you again
That song, that song will still remain
Become an old friend
And now, the tears are in my eyes
The sound you can't disguise
The truth comes back from lies
And all I want to hear

Voice of America, ooh, America
Voice of America, ooh, America

And then you came in stereo
Calling to me
And so I watch the videos
Across the T.V.
That sound, still ringing in my ears
From a decade ago
Around, around my head, the sound from my radio
I thought, that after all these years
The tears, the growing fears
That I would never hear
Never again

Voice of America, ooh, America
Voice of America, ooh, America

Alternative Live Version
Songwriters: WETTON, JOHN KENNETH/DOWNES, GEOFF
Voice Of America lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC

Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 1, 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 April 1, 2014 
- Go to this link if you would like more information about the Agenda items.

Highlighted Links below take you straight to that point in the video.




Invocation by Rev. Charles Kyker, Pastor, Christ Church

Special Presentations
A. Proclamation for Fair Housing Month to Regina Jenkins, Realty Executives, on behalf of the Catawba Valley Association of Realtors - (Per Hickory Inc.) - Mayor Pro Tempore Patton read and presented the Proclamation for Fair Housing Month to Regina Jenkins, Realty Executives, on behalf of Catawba Valley Association of Realtors.                            Ms. Regina Jenkins thanked Council and stated that the National Association of Realtors has long accepted April as being Fair Housing Month. She was appreciative for the recognition for the Catawba Valley Association of Realtors.               

*** Mayor Pro Tempore Patton also read a Proclamation for World Autism Awareness Day.

Persons Requesting to Be Heard
A. Mr. J. Franklin Davis addressed Council regarding pure ward representation - (per Hickory Inc.) - The citizens of Hickory that voted for pure ward representation have spoken again. Even though Council is in office, they have a seat, they are supposed to be representatives; the citizens have told him that they want to take the City back for themselves. He discussed the City being the 5th most miserable City in the United States, which came out in the Gallup polls yesterday, Gallup-Health ways. He stated that the City has been the 5th most miserable City for the past several years. He continued his discussion regarding an article that he saw in the newspaper regarding a Hickory City Police Officer who had been terminated because he had assaulted a person while in his custody. He stated that he requested, approximately a year ago, a civilian policemen’s review board with subpoena capabilities. He thinks now it would be wise to think over this. He discussed his uncle’s death when he visited the City. He was in the Police Department, and his family found him dead in front of the convention center. The citizens are willing to go above and beyond that. Any police officer that they see speeding, they can take pictures using smart phones of car numbers. The policemen want to have paper on the citizens, and people visiting the City, they want to have paper on them too. There are ways that they can go around you, or above you, to file those papers and have them looked at by the federal and state government. It is time that we wake up and smell the coffee.                      He discussed the statements that Council had made regarding the funds that would be put towards greenways, 40 million dollars. He stated that they are constantly taking away from certain communities, in particularly the southeast section of Hickory, and southwest. They feel that they are not being represented by anyone on this board. The money that is being taken from them, it really should stay with them. He quoted from the Bible, Jesus was standing beside a man watching a parade one day. As the elders of the city were walking in a parade, Jesus ask them how do you see men walking? The man said I see them as trees. Jesus spoke the truth with them with force. When you are speaking with force, your mouth produces drops of water, spittle. He put over his eyes, and said how do you see men walking? He said I see them as they are. This City has gone down, and it continues to go down. That 40 million dollars can be a recruitment of jobs for the citizens of Hickory. Not grass seed, not park benches, or things of that nature. Hickory also has a problem of obesity. He has visited some parks that have workout equipment in the parks, free of charge for the citizens to use. If you are going to do something like that, put that in the parks. He stated if someone would come after him, because he has been stopped and antagonized by police officers. He is upset that every Police Officer that joins the force, when they talk about the southeast section of Hickory or the Ridgeview community, they are being told that it is one of the worst sections in Hickory. He would like to see that documentation because the Police Department is employed by Council. Anything that they do is a reflection on Council. They are the boss. When the person that was beat up in November, was talked to by members of the City, they were told not to press charges or anything like that. That is sad, and with Council being employers of that group they are held liable also. The citizens of Hickory love this City just as much, if not more than they do. Let’s get this together and start worrying about all of this other stuff. We do not want Hickory to be a bed and breakfast town. Hickory has a history of being a great manufacturing place. He has always been on the people. He thanked Council for hearing him.

Consent Agenda:

New Business - Public Hearings
1. Consideration of Text Amendment (TA) 14-01 to the City’s Land Development Code. - Presentation by Cal Overby

Against : Ellie Bradshaw spoke and wanted to see parking for Senior Housing kept at a lower number (.66 per dwelling) compared to what the Planning Department recommends (1 per dwelling).

*** Cal Overby stated that the reasoning for 1 space per dwelling is because at a time in the future some of these residences may revert back to standard housing.

+++ The Council Present voted unanimously for the recommendation

Below are the Power Point slides associated with this presentation:

 

2. Public Hearing to Install Curb and Gutter along a Portion of the West Side of the 600 Block of 8th Street Drive NW. - Presented by Andrea Surratt

+++ The Council Present voted unanimously for the recommendation


General Comments
Alderman Seaver commented that there would be a Proclamation presented at the Zahra Baker Playground for Child Abuse Prevention Month for the month of April. He invited the citizens to attend at noon on April 9th at the Zahra Baker Playground.

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Hound Notes: 
The Interesting discussion of the night was about parking in Senior presented above by Attorney Ellie Bradshaw.

The most interesting development is the further continuance of the development that was proposed four years ago by Pete Zagaroli called the Winged Foot District. This is where Hollar Mill is located. This is where the Moretz Mill is located. This is where the Lyerly (Olde) Mill is located. And this is where the $27 million Linear Park/Sidewalk is located.

You can follow the trail in my thoughts about this meeting -   
Thoughts about last night's Hickory City Council meeting - April 1, 2014

Harry Hipps speaks about The Gallup-Healthways Survey

There’s been a good deal of chatter concerning the low rating Hickory received in the Gallup survey. The “public face” by many of the region’s leaders has been to not believe that the survey is accurate and to declare their love for the area. Well, many people do love the area and many like myself have longstanding roots here. But many people I’ve read on social media, talked to in person, or have heard conversing do feel stuck in a dead end area. And to live in denial is not helpful.We need honest assessments about where we are and what we need to do to bring vibrancy back to our community.

The Mayor and others are touting the Inspiring Spaces project as the ticket to economic revitalization. It won’t do it. There are some worthy projects on the list and some real dogs as well. And cities do need to move forward on some infrastructure improvements to keep a decent quality of life. Hickory has some great gems. I know I will leave some out but:  the SALT block, the Museum of Art, the Hickory Community Theater, the Choral Society, the Western Piedmont Symphony, LR, the lake, our natural beauty, good location, climate and more….

We also have some real downsides: poor educational attainment by a large segment of the population, worse than average unemployment, wages, and household wealth. These things work in tandem to create our low rating. Poor education correlates with poor income which correlates with poor eating choices which correlates with poor health, which correlates with lower satisfaction with life and so on. We have some other negatives that I believe impact our well being that I will list below.

I don’t believe that city amenities are the key to reversing our fortunes. I will offer the following observations and hope others may add their keener analysis to my list.

First, we have a corporate community that does not build clusters. If you look at Charlotte for example, you see that they are a banking city, but they also try to add related businesses to the community like insurance companies. It’s not banking, but if you have banks, insurance companies, venture capital and related businesses you can attract talent that will work for a company, but if they want or need a change there are options and the whole sector can keep the talent pool working without having to leave town as their only option. When you have clusters, not just individual businesses, you can feed off each others ideas, talent pool, and synergies instead of being a collection of lone rangers.

Charlotte is a Duke Energy town. But they are working to build an energy cluster with some solar (manufacturing as well as generation), batteries and other related industries.

The airport (despite the management problems) is seeking to become a multimodal hub with air, railroad, and trucking being facilitated so that even goods that come by ship into Charleston can flow from this hub.

What is our corporate community doing (with city, private individuals, and investors) doing? Not much that I can see. We have MDI, a major food distributor, a tortilla manufacturer, a couple of commercial bakeries and you would think we could build on this core. What businesses are CommScope helping to move here? They are good community members and give to arts, and charity groups, but why aren't we building clusters like the old furniture and textile guys did?

Secondly, our media is pitiful. The radio does present a good local talk show, but the tv station is Mickey Mouse and shows shopping shows and drivel most of the day. I cringe to think about what someone from another city thinks when looking at our local tv to see what’s happening in Hickory. The local newspaper has no idea of investigative reporting and really won’t dig into issues in depth. Don’t look for them to win awards like the Charlotte paper anytime soon.

Thirdly, we have a risk adverse culture. Innovation depends on taking risk, and some of the most prosperous regions of the country have people who actually are proud of working on start up companies that failed, because they realize that it’s one form of education. No one likes to fail, but if you’re too scared to try you certainly aren’t going to be an innovator. We used to have a good deal of innovation, but no longer.

Fourthly, the City’s strategy of making us a ‘retirement village’ has been too successful. While they have changed their tune lately (with some kudos to the Hound for the focus on the issue), we are older and younger people have shunned Hickory. It’s too bad they didn’t have the foresight years ago to see what they have sown. Driving away a good music and entertainment community hasn’t done much to gain younger interest in Hickory. And it won’t be easy to change Hickory’s image.

Finally, and most worrisome to me is the culture of apathy. Too many people believe the “system” is rotten, not concerned with their situation, and only the “important” people will get their concerns addressed. So they either leave or accept mediocrity, getting by as best they can and chalking it up to just living in sad times.

Maybe I haven’t seen all the picture here and I don’t claim to have every solution. But, though I love this area and some of the great people I know here, we have a malaise here that I don’t find to the same degree in some of the places I visit. I believe Hickory can turn this around, but it will be lengthy and difficult. Denial won’t get us anywhere; work, commitment, and vision will.

Hickory Metro 2014 - Tied for 4th Most Miserable in the United States