We have surpassed 40 legislative days at the North Carolina General Assembly. Though we have worked at a dizzying pace, we remain focused on getting more money into your pockets by right-sizing the government and getting it out of the way of the job creating private sector.

I am [...]]]>

We have surpassed 40 legislative days at the North Carolina General Assembly. Though we have worked at a dizzying pace, we remain focused on getting more money into your pockets by right-sizing the government and getting it out of the way of the job creating private sector.

I am excited to tell you about the legislation that has recently emerged at the General Assembly, because I feel that it ultimately affects and benefits you, the hard working people of North Carolina.

Senate Bill 22 is an important bill that was passed and signed by the governor last week. It forbids any new rules and regulations to be placed on the private sector, until a joint committee of House and Senate members reviews the rules, which are already in place, and determines which ones are burdensome and ineffective. The committee is touring the state and hearing suggestions about the regulations from citizens, business owners and environmentalists. More than 15,000 rules have been put on the books over the past decade. For years, these burdensome regulations on businesses have created uncertainty in the private sector, which has stifled job growth and economic recovery. Our private- sector companies deserve the freedom to profit and create jobs. With this law enacted, our North Carolina businesses now have the ability to exercise this freedom, one that has been strangled for so many years. For more information, here is the link for Senate Bill 22: http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2011/Bills/Senate/PDF/S22v6.pdf.

The next piece of legislation that was passed in both the House and the Senate, and that has just reached the governor’s desk is Senate Bill 265. It is an effort to reform the State Health Plan. The bill moves the plan from politicians and puts it under the state treasurer’s authority. It requires state employees to pay a modest premium– about $21 for the best plan, and half that for basic coverage. That is about 5 percent of the total cost, and retirees, as promised, are still offered a no-premium option for the basic plan. To maintain access to affordable medicine, we kept $10 copays on generic prescriptions. The State Health Plan is teetering on the verge of financial collapse and in order to save the plan and keep our promises to retirees, we had to make sweeping changes. This bill represents our goal to keep the plan afloat, but also keep costs as low as possible for the thousands of North Carolinians who have devoted their lives to public service. We feel that this bill strikes that balance. So much so, in fact, that the State Employees Association of North Carolina have endorsed the major components of the bill. Senate Bill 265 should allow the State Health Plan to become financially stable. Taken from the NCGA website, here is the link for Senate Bill 265: http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2011/Bills/Senate/PDF/S265v6.pdf.

House Bill 546 was filed last week. Most of you may have already heard about this bill. It authorizes the Charlotte- Mecklenburg schools to develop and implement alternative salary plans for instructional personnel and school administrators. It would allow the CMS superintendent, Peter Gorman, to implement a pay for performance program in which teachers would be rewarded on numerous different measures of effectiveness. The bill is still in House committee. More updates about this bill will be given as the information emerges. Here is a link for House Bill 546: http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H546v1.pdf.

As for the hot topic of redistricting, a public hearing has been scheduled for Mecklenburg County for Saturday, April 30, at 9:30 am at Central Piedmont Community College. For more information concerning the redistricting process and public hearings, please see the website: http://www.ncleg.net/gis/randr07/redistricting.html.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these issues or others, please feel free to contact Senator Rucho at:
Senator Bob Rucho
Senate
300-A Legislative Office Building
300 N. Salisbury Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603-5925
(919) 733-5655
bobr@ncleg.net

Share this:

Registration ends Friday, Feb. 25. League play runs April through June.

PARK AND REC’S YOUTH BASEBALL LEAGUES ARE READY TO PLAY BALL!

The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department invites parents with children ages 4-12 interested in playing baseball to register for the upcoming spring co-ed recreation season. Space [...]]]>

Registration ends Friday, Feb. 25. League play runs April through June.

PARK AND REC’S YOUTH BASEBALL LEAGUES ARE READY TO PLAY BALL!

The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department invites parents with children ages 4-12 interested in playing baseball to register for the upcoming spring co-ed recreation season. Space is limited, so register early! A birth certificate is required to establish proof of age of the child as of May 1, 2011. The registration fee is $65, which includes league play and uniform. Registration begins Monday, Jan. 31 and ends Friday, Feb. 25. League play runs April through June with practices beginning in March. The leagues are formed utilizing a player skills assessment process which allows the creation of teams that are competitively balanced.

To register, click on the appropriate age group below:

* Ages 4-6
* Ages 7-8
* Ages 9-10
* Ages 11-12

Youth Baseball Coaches Needed

If you enjoy baseball and like working with kids, then consider volunteering as a youth baseball coach. Time commitment consists of a one-hour weekly practice, plus games on Saturdays. All Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation coaches undergo a background check by the department and are trained and certified through the National Youth Sports Coaches Association. If interested in being a volunteer coach, please contact the recreation center nearest you or Lori Saylor, volunteer coordinator, at 704-353-0504.

LEISURE AND LEARN NOW OFFERED ON THE FIRST AND THIRD THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH

Beginning in February, Leisure and Learn will be offered on the first and third Thursday of each month at Mallard Creek Recreation Center and William R. Davie Park. Each session cost $5. The series, which is offered for adults ages 50 – up, provides opportunities for participants to gain new experiences while spending time with others. Each session includes dynamic guest speakers, new and exciting workshops, and fantastic food. The first course is Thursday, Feb. 3 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Mallard Creek. The event will include a presentation from the Mecklenburg County Tax Office on property revaluation. The session will also include the following workshops:

* Gardening and Composting
* Fitness with Action Jackson
* Estate Planning
* New York Life Presents: Choosing Your Retirement Path

Register for future sessions through E-Parks.

Check out Parks and Rec’s electronic newsletter for a full listing of events.

Share this:

Ballantyne, NC - The Ballantyne Breakfast Club is holding a special meeting on Thursday, January 27th. This is the next property revaluation meeting. It will be held at the Ballantyne Hotel in the Fairway Ball Room at 7:00 pm. Councilman Warren Cooksey will have a presentation to explain and clarify the revaluation [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC - The Ballantyne Breakfast Club is holding a special meeting on Thursday, January 27th. This is the next property revaluation meeting. It will be held at the Ballantyne Hotel in the Fairway Ball Room at 7:00 pm. Councilman Warren Cooksey will have a presentation to explain and clarify the revaluation process. County representatives will be present. On February 12th, The Ballantyne Breakfast Club will meet in the Ballantyne Hotel. This is the ‘Priorities 2011 Meeting’. ‘On hand’ will be elected officials from the state, county, city, CMPD, CMS, the district attorney’s office and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. All will speak about their top three priorities for their respective areas. All are encouraged to attend both meetings.

Share this:

Ballantyne, NC – Is there pressure on the schools to teach the children? Is C.M.S just throwing money at the school problems? The C.M.S. Board of Education draws the lines for which students attend which specific schools. District 6 C.M.S. Representative Tim Morgan reminded all that the magnet schools were created to [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC – Is there pressure on the schools to teach the children? Is C.M.S just throwing money at the school problems? The C.M.S. Board of Education draws the lines for which students attend which specific schools. District 6 C.M.S. Representative Tim Morgan reminded all that the magnet schools were created to alleviate issues with children attending their ‘home’ schools.

Will the Charter School cap be lifted? Scott Babbidge is concerned that schools do not use detention as a method to control behavior. The K.I.P.P. Academy requires parents and students sign a contract in order to become a student. The county board of commissioners does not have authority to control the schools. The authority resides with the C.M.S. Board of Education. Scott Babbidge and Scott Mickel are both members of the Charlotte Chamber Legislative Agenda Task Force. Both asked if the C.M.S. Board of Education had adopted a legislative agenda at this time. District 6 C.M.S. Representative Morgan explained that the C.M.S. Board has not yet adopted a legislative agenda. The C.M.S. Board does anticipate soon adopting this agenda.

Morgan also stated that the school board is ‘pushing’ for ‘greater flexibility’ from the North Carolina General Assembly. The state requires that the school year is 180 days between August 25th and June 10th. Currently the exams fall after Christmas. Many would like to see the exams happen before Christmas. ‘Greater flexibility’ from the general assembly would allow this exam time change to happen. It would also allow many other necessary changes to be decided by local board members.

At the January 25th meeting, several key decisions must be finalized by the board of education. The first is a bell-schedule/transportation change. These changes are linked. Currently, all elementary schools meet for six hours and 15 minutes per day. Local high schools meet for seven hours per day. This change would put most elementary schools at a seven hour school day. If the elementary bell change is finalized, this allows for greater bus efficiency. Each bus can be used for four or possibly five schools. These changes will equal a savings of $4 million dollars. The state originally mandated this bell schedule in order to give time for the teachers to plan at the end of each day. C.M.S will work at the ‘school-house level’ to ensure that teachers have time to plan. C.M.S does not anticipate teachers working longer days due to this change.

Another item to be finalized at the January 25th meeting is the change to ‘Bright Beginnings’. This would be a $10 million dollars savings. The number of ‘Bright Beginning’ Classes would go from 175 to 70 if this change is implemented. The third important vote for the January 25th meeting is ‘weighted student staffing’. The ‘weighted student staffing’ is scheduled to go from 1.3 to 1.25 with this proposed change. This change would save $10 million dollars. These decisions will be made final in the January 25th board meeting.

The current deadline is a ‘self-imposed’ board deadline. The school board would like to give time for parents to know about the elementary school bell-schedule/transportation change. They would also like for teachers to also know about this same bell-schedule/transportation change. Each school needs to know how many teachers they will be loosing. The school board would like to provide information to the community about ‘Bright Beginnings’. This is done so local service providers will have time to ‘step up’ and help with the children who were in ‘Bright Beginnings’.

Also at the January 25th board meeting, the magnet school transportation change will be considered. Some board members would like to remove all C.M.S. School Transportation for magnet schools to save money. Currently the board does not know the exact shortfall of this budget. 85% of the school funding comes from the county and the state. The school board does not know the exact amount that it will receive from either the county or the state. The board is facing an approximate shortfall of $100 million for the new budget.

The April 26th meeting is the public budget meeting. The final vote on this budget will happen at the May 10th C.M.S. Board Meeting. The next board meeting is Tuesday, January 25th at 6:00 pm in the government center. All are encouraged to attend.

Susan J. Spaulding
Public Policy Writer

http://ballantynescoop.com

Share this:

The following post is from a recent email sent out by District 6 County Commissioner Bill James last week on his stance regarding the recent repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. Bill Jmaes represents the Ballantyne area on the County Commissioners Board….

As you might have noticed, liberals and homosexuals are [...]]]>

The following post is from a recent email sent out by District 6 County Commissioner Bill James last week on his stance regarding the recent repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. Bill Jmaes represents the Ballantyne area on the County Commissioners Board….

As you might have noticed, liberals and homosexuals are all up in arms at the thought that anyone would state the truth that homosexuals are predatory. Not that every homosexual is, but as a group, yes.

With the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) immorality has gained a foothold in the barracks and showers of the US Military. Liberals say ‘There have always been homosexuals in the military and nothing has happened’. True, but like a whore in church, homosexuals have been on their best behavior because that behavior was illegal and they didn’t want to risk being kicked out. Now that DADT has been repealed, Congress and the Citizens of the US need to develop rules to protect young heterosexual military members from such predatory behavior by homosexuals.

I can hear liberals screaming into their monitors: “They aren’t predators!”

I disagree. Go down to the Dowd YMCA and let them show you the ‘red phone’. They had to put it in to stop homosexuals from ogling straight business men in the showers and changing rooms. The same upper-crust of Charlotte who claim to be for diversity have to install special equipment to protect themselves from the predatory behavior of homosexuals in a place that should be safe, if homosexuals were not predatory. This isn’t news but it is hypocritical of Charlotte’s Observer elite. Charlotte’s red phone isn’t the only one. All across the US there are procedures in place to prevent homosexuals from preying on men at the Y.

Take a look at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police records and they will show you that the police run ‘sting’ operations to target homosexuals who gather in parks. In most of the last few years, 250 homosexuals have been arrested each year by the CMPD for ‘soliciting a crime against nature’. Homosexual conduct is still illegal in NC but even though it is, the red phone and sting operations are still necessary.

A few years ago the County had to spend big bucks redesigning Kilbourne Park so that it did not attract homosexuals. The County Commission spent your tax dollars to protect you and your kids from homosexuals and joined with the police to run a sting operation to identify and arrest them.

Ultimately, the louder liberals yell; the more irrational homosexuals froth at the mouth; the more I am convinced that I am correct to speak about the matter as the next Congress will have to debate and adopt rules to insure that heterosexuals in the military are not targets of unwanted sexual advances.

This all started because NC Senator Burr (a Republican) voted to repeal DADT without even working out the details on how to protect young service members. Shame on him. The attention on this was focused in media articles because of an ill-conceived letter request from BOCC Chair Jennifer Roberts and my comments that service members would be at risk now that DADT was repealed.

As you might imagine I have received a lot of mail, including some from overseas military. One service member said:

“I am currently in my second tour in Iraq, and I have a ….. address. Thanks for having the courage to speak up. I am afraid that from now on, in the military, I will be punished for speaking up now that immoral conduct is condoned. I prayed that this would not happen, but my prayer was not answered in the way that I wanted it to — maybe God has other plans for the USA that I do not understand.”

Senator Burr, who voted for this has an extra-ordinary responsibility to fix this and protect heterosexual military men and women.

Currently, Men and Women are separated because it would cause sexual problems if men showered, changed, and maintained personal space with women. That is common sense and basic biology. Now that homosexuals are in the military ‘out and proud’ the US Government (and Burr Specifically) should insure that those that ogle men are separate from those that do not, and those that want to ogle women are separate from those that do not.

If you had a 18 year old daughter (let’s call her ‘Buffy’) and she wanted to serve in the military to afford college (G.I. bill) and serve her country would you want her to share a shower with some 35 year old butch lesbians who ogle her (or worse)? That is what is at stake with the repeal of DADT.

Repealing DADT was a left-wing political move made before Christmas by a lame-duck Democrat Congress. That vote comes with some severe consequences for military readiness. The left-wing of America and radical homosexuals will be out in force to try and prevent any rules that would protect Buffy or her male counterpart, Wally. Young kids who enlist will become sexual targets in the new US Military.

Parents with kids in the military (especially in the enlisted ranks) should band together to demand rules to protect their kids from unwanted advances in personal spaces (barracks, showers, and other areas). They can’t put a ‘red phone’ in every military shower but they could separate homosexuals and put them with their own.

The louder they scream the more I know I am right to bring the matter up and Challenge Senator Burr to fix this. The fate of thousands of young military men and women (not to mention the military readiness of the US) hang in the balance.

Regards,

Commissioner Bill James (R, District 6)
Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners
600 East Fourth Street, 11th Floor
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202

HTTP://billjames.org

Facebook: Meckcommish
Twitter: Meckcommish

Share this:

CHARLOTTE, NC – 24 Hours of Booty, Inc., which runs the Official 24-Hour Cycling Event of LIVESTRONG and the only national 24-hour road cycling charity event in the country, announced today that it will be kicking off registration for its three events, including the 10th Annual 24 Hours of Booty presented [...]]]>

CHARLOTTE, NC – 24 Hours of Booty, Inc., which runs the Official 24-Hour Cycling Event of LIVESTRONG and the only national 24-hour road cycling charity event in the country, announced today that it will be kicking off registration for its three events, including the 10th Annual 24 Hours of Booty presented by Blumenthal Cancer Center in Charlotte, on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011 at 9 a.m.

The annual charity cycling event in Charlotte – geared for teams and individuals and open to participants of all ages and skill levels – is scheduled to roll on the “Booty Loop” in Myers Park from 7 p.m. Friday, July 29 to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 30, 2011. Event registration will be capped at the first 1,200 registrants. Carolinas Medical Center’s Blumenthal Cancer Center is the presenting sponsor of this year’s event where participants gather at the Queens University of Charlotte athletic fields for camping, food and fun. For more information about fundraising commitments and to register for the event, visit www.24hoursofbooty.org.

In addition to the Charlotte event, 24 Hours of Booty will also host the Third Annual 24 Hours of Booty of Columbia, Md. at the Gateway Business Park “Booty Loop” on August 27-28, 2011 and the Second Annual 24 Hours of Booty of Atlanta at the Stone Mountain “Booty Loop” in Fall 2011.

24 Hours of Booty will also offer its reboot program again for the Charlotte event, whereby reboot riders can ride between 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 30. A $25 registration fee and $100 fundraising commitment is required to participate in the program. All reboot participants will have full access to drinks and snacks, receive an event t-shirt, and be eligible for fund-raising prizes. For more information, contact info@24hoursofbooty.org.

“This coming year will be a banner one for us as we celebrate our tenth anniversary of the Charlotte event and continue to grow the events in Atlanta and Columbia,” said Basil Lyberg, executive director of 24 Hours of Booty. “The 2010 Charlotte registration drive closed out in just ten days so we are anticipating the 2011 registration drive to fill up even faster. Our goal is to break the 10,000-rider mark for all years and events combined in commemoration of our tenth-year event. We look forward to another fantastic event this July and appreciate the community’s support in our fight against cancer.”

About 24 Hours of Booty
24 Hours of Booty, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charity located in Charlotte that provides extraordinary cycling events that are safe, fun, and open to all levels of cycling ability. Its mission is to conduct 24-hour cycling events that increase public awareness, funds, and support for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and local cancer organizations. Local organizations include The Keep Pounding Fund at Carolinas Medical Center and the Brain Tumor Fund for the Carolinas in Charlotte, the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults in Columbia, Md., and Children’s HealthCare of Atlanta.

In 24 Hours of Booty’s nine-year history, more than 7,500 riders have raised more than $5 million. Last year’s events included the Ninth Annual 24 Hours of Booty presented by Blumenthal Cancer Center in Charlotte and the Second Annual 24 Hours of Booty of Columbia, Md., and the inaugural 24 Hours of Booty of Atlanta, which collectively raised more than $1.5 million. For more information, call 704-365-4417 or visit www.24hoursofbooty.org.

Get updates and the inside scoop about 24 Hours of Booty! Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook.

# # #
Contact:
Basil Lyberg – 24 Hours of Booty, Inc. – 704-365-4417

Share this:

Ballantyne, NC – Who is getting the large salaries in Charlotte? This Monday night is ‘dinner meeting night’ for the city council. A few of the topics are: Gang Of One, Hall Of Fame and a closed session on economic development. The breakfast meeting on December 10th opened with items being discussed [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC – Who is getting the large salaries in Charlotte? This Monday night is ‘dinner meeting night’ for the city council. A few of the topics are: Gang Of One, Hall Of Fame and a closed session on economic development. The breakfast meeting on December 10th opened with items being discussed by the city council. This month the city will contemplate closing an alley near Mint Street. A hot topic is the new federal legislative agenda. How will the new Republican run House of Representatives handle earmarks? The firm of ‘Holland and Knight’ handle lobbying for the city. Charlotte would like money for extending the light rail ‘blue line’ and the Briar Creek Relief Sewer Line. Another topic is the extension of the federal service transportation program. The federal government has a proposed bill called the ‘Safe Water Drinking Act’. American cities would like to keep local control of drinking water.

Another proposed bill in the U.S. Congress is bargaining tools for public safety employees. This measure has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Senator Kay Hagan has not been clear on how she will vote on this measure. Senator Harry Reid has said that he will vote ‘yes’. Mayor Foxx commented recently that he is not sure this ‘bargaining tool’ bill will pass at all. The unions are not happy that Charlotte is not a union town. Mayor Foxx would like to see the Democratic National Committee Convention be held here in Charlotte. Is this a move by the Mayor to help increase our chances of having this convention? If Charlotte shows that it is not opposed to unions, will the convention be in Charlotte?

Councilman Michael Barnes made a motion to the restructuring government committee. He is asking why we pay large salaries to several groups. These four groups are: The Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority(C.R.V.A.), Center City Partners, The Charlotte Regional Partnership and The Arts and Science Council. Mr. Bryant is in charge of The Charlotte Regional Partnership. Center City Partners would like to begin helping with The Plaza/Midwood Areas and The South End. The job of Center City Partners is to ensure a ‘higher level of service’ for the center city of Charlotte. This includes having the streets cleaned everyday. Property taxes in the center city are also higher. And the revenue from the uptown is great. There is another group similar to Center City Partners, the University City Partners. Mary Harper is in charge of University City Partners. The property taxes in four districts of Charlotte pay for all four of these organizations. Other types of taxes and taxes from other districts in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County do not help pay for these groups. This is an ‘on or off’ switch and the city council can not ‘tinker’ with the details of these groups. Is this a fishing expedition? Councilman Barnes is ‘casting out a big net’. What is Councilman Barnes hoping to find?

Mayor Foxx stated that he is interested in changing the way the city council governs. He recently ‘opened a can of worms’. In the past, the city manager and the mayor only could put new items on the agenda. Other city council members could put new items on the agenda only with a unanimous vote. The new way that Mayor Foxx is now doing the governing involves just the opposite. Any city council member can put anything on the agenda at anytime. This may result in the city discussing some interesting subjects. Councilman Warren Cooksey suggested that this idea be deferred until the next city council meeting.

Another new item on the city agenda is a grant for delinquency prevention. This is a juvenile justice grant. This grant is for approximately $300,000. This money would fund a facilities manager and a few other positions to run this program. Councilman Warren Cooksey will be voting ‘no’ on this in the next council meeting.

Reventure will be building a ‘brown field’ north of the whitewater center soon. This solid waste will be converted to electricity. Some of the electric from this plant will go to the new northern waste water treatment plant. The ten year plan for solid waste in Mecklenburg County will need to be amended so that this new ‘brown field’ plant can be built by Reventure. This will help make Charlotte more ‘green’.

The Charlotte-Douglas Airport is receiving $135,000 in federal stimulus money. This money will help with the new ‘in-line’ baggage system. The department of urban development in the past five years has received 236 complaints. These are complaints about community housing. There is a new 84-page report that will be given to the city council this coming Monday regarding the department of urban development. The city will review this new report.

Does the new recycling company get overtime for late pickup? No, the city pays the company a set amount of money for the city’s recycling. If there are late pickups, the recycling company does not get anymore money from the city.

The Charlotte light rail blue line was originally scheduled to receive $40 million in federal dollars. Later this was changed to $30 million. The latest sad news is that the light rail blue line will be receiving $3.5 million from the federal government. Councilman Cooksey has voted six times against the street car. The city has already paid for one study that costs $5.5 million dollars for this short street car line. The shelf life of this study is five to seven years. Will the street car be finished in this time?

In the past the city paid for 40% of the cost to have C.M.P.D. Officers at C.M.S. Schools. This cost includes training and equipment needed. Another 40% of the costs were paid by C.M.S. Now the city has decided that over the next four years it will not help pay the 40%. This will be a gradual move to 0%. The school resource officers (S.R.O.’s) at the schools are critical at this time when schools are encountering more violence. Do S.R.O’s have any authority? Is the city choosing fluff over substance?

The federal stimulus money also paid for new C.M.P.D. Officers in Charlotte. The stimulus paid for 50 new officers and the city paid for 75 in the beginning. The city has a public safety pay plan. This was at one point 8% and later 3%. This year the city is not even giving a market adjustment to public safety employees. The new pay plan is for half the workforce. This might change the 2012 budget. The city has solid financial policies.

Recently Chief Jon Hannan of the Charlotte Fire Department talked about how the moral of his officers is down. Here is a partial list of fire department salaries: Fire Fighter: $ 47,813 and Fire Captain: $73,148. The city is spending $295 million on the fire department. This includes the new 5% pay increases. If fire fighters of all ranks are ‘good performers’ they will be paid accordingly. The city gives these performers salary that is within 5% of the pay of fire fighters in comparable U.S. Cities. The city fire department has it’s own pension plan separate from the main city pension plan. The fire fighters in Charlotte do not have collective bargaining. A fire fighter trains for one year before getting a paycheck. The police train for 22 weeks. The C.M.P.D. Officers make the following: Officer: $ 54,000 and Sergeant: $ 75,000. The pay for officer is equal to 97.8% of the national average. The pay for sergeant is equal to 106.2% of the national average. The total cost for the city of fire, police and debt services is $365 million dollars. The city employees get a pension and a 401k. The pension is figured on 80% of the three highest salary years. The city pays 2% of the pay into each employees 401k. The city is in the top three with regards to public pension plans of cities in the nation. Soon the city will need to have a ‘breakpoint’ in their plan for pension plans. The city can not sustain this level of pension plan for all former and current city employees. One suggestion was to change the level or eligibility for all employees hired after a certain date. Another was to restrict which employees are eligible for the 401k plan. The State of Illinois recently was in a similar situation and was forced to borrow $1 billion dollars.

The efficient review task force met recently. They suggest the city make the corporate technology line item more like other line items from the city. Right now the city has MANY software programs to manage all the ‘parts’ of the city government. The task force suggests one database for the city to simplify training and costs. The city could have this new database done in conjunction with the opening of the new 911 call center.

Mayor Foxx gave his State of the City speech this past Tuesday. His main topics were children, consolidation and collaboration. Next week Councilman Cooksey will cover more on this speech by the mayor.

In the news is The N.A.S.C.A.R. Hall of Fame. Out on news stands now is the Special N.A.S.C.A.R. Edition of Sports Illustrated. The Hall of Fame is featured on 25 pages of this edition. Thursday, December 16th the Hall of Fame will have W.K.K.T. Toys for Tots Event: details to be announced. Saturday, December 18th the Hall of Fame will have ‘HALLidays in the Hall’ with W.L.N.K.: A radio promo with Sherry and Santa. Also there will be a W.L.N.K. Movie Matinee: $5 for a holiday movie in the theater and story time with Sherry. Former C.M.P.D. Officer Marcus Jackson was recently sentenced to two years jail time including time served. Reverend and Mrs. Jinwright are facing eight years and six years of jail time respectively. Some noted the discrepancy between the jail times of Mr. Jackson versus The Jinwrights.

Susan J. Spaulding
Public Policy Writer

http://ballantynescoop.com

Share this:

Ballantyne, NC – Where will affordable housing be built? The November 19th breakfast meeting opened with talk of the upcoming city ‘dinner’ meeting agenda. Larry Huelsman, Tim Newman and others from the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority(C.R.V.A.) will be presenting to the city council this coming Monday night. The city is expecting [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC – Where will affordable housing be built? The November 19th breakfast meeting opened with talk of the upcoming city ‘dinner’ meeting agenda. Larry Huelsman, Tim Newman and others from the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority(C.R.V.A.) will be presenting to the city council this coming Monday night. The city is expecting a 45 minute presentation on results from The Hall of Fame and N.A.S.C.A.R. support of the hall, among other items. Most city council members are happy to have the C.R.V.A. present but are still saying “Do NOT ask for money”. The Plaza-Midwood Area has it’s own ‘street scape’ plan on Central Avenue. The old plans in Charlotte require 400 feet between businesses and any residential areas. The new plans call for 225 feet between businesses and residential buildings. The Housing Locational Plan does not govern but gives guidelines.

Charlotte is excited to welcome a new kind of bank to our city. Grameen Bank is originally from Bangladesh and gives micro-loans to the underprivileged. The maximum loan given is $1500 per person. Grameen is a non-profit business. There are seven other Grameen Banks in the U.S.A. New York City is one and Omaha, Nebraska is another location. Warren Buffet is involved with the Grameen Bank in Omaha. In the 2009-2010, the Omaha branch gave out $1.16 million in micro-loans. An example of the types of small businesses started by Grameen Bank micro-loans are: Selling clothing, catering, selling ice cream and day-care services. Grameen is asking the city for an initial grant of $230,000. The city might give this money as a grant, after Grameen raises the initial loan pool of $2.3 million. This money might come from the Business Corridor Fund belonging to the city. The Charlotte Business Privilege Tax is specifically how this bank is helping each business. Each new business in Charlotte pays a business privilege tax. The $1500 will pay this tax and still give each new business a little after the tax.

Grameen Bank also has a great ‘group’ problem solving seminar that is all part of the ‘package’ of getting a micro-loan from them. For example, a ‘group’ of five people would all train and be in a group management team. One at a time, ‘group’ members would get their micro-loan from Grameen. This ‘group’ also gets financial literacy training for at least one year. John Lassiter is one of the primary people to initiate interest in bringing Grameen to Charlotte.

The city council travel fund is an agenda topic as well. There are no individual city council member limits on this fund. The city manager has authority to give a maximum of $100,000. The fiscal year of 2010 has a travel limit of $25,000. The ‘old’ travel limit was $40,000. In the space of one year, Councilman Warren Turner used $10,000 in travel money. The mayor’s travel is figured differently. He has higher compensation for travel. When Pat McCrory was mayor, he became gifted at ‘hitching’ a ride on corporate jets to save tax payer money. The council is slated to vote on the ‘Gang of One’ project this coming Monday. This is a $852,000 federal stimulus project. Councilman Warren Cooksey will be voting ‘no’ on this project. A big part of the $852,000 is spent on hiring people and paying salaries. For example, this money pays for: a team of counselors, tattoo removal, cell phones. This money will ‘go away’ soon along with other federal stimulus ‘ear marks’.

Several are concerned about the new towing ordinance. This is being dealt with by the Community Safety Committee. This committee will be meeting at least one more time before a serious vote will happen on the new towing ordinance. The city has a new contract with Autobell Car Wash Company. The police department normally washes a minimum of 1,000 vehicles per week and the fire department 120 vehicles per week. This contract allows the city vehicles to stay clean but at a better price. A new contract from the city will be award to Bullseye General Contracting Company. It is a Certified ‘Small Business Enterprise’(S.B.E.) as is two subcontracting companies that will be working with Bullseye on this bid to repair the current storm water system in Charlotte. The city is excited to work with these three S.B.E.’s on this project.

The Quality of Life Chart of Charlotte works with the Locational Housing Policy. New, subsidized, mixed income housing is being dispersed based on the Quality of Life Chart. All neighborhoods in Charlotte fall into one of four categories: 1. Stable; 2. Transitioning; 3. Challenged; 4. Non-residential. Unfortunately, this entire process is slightly flawed. This idea guarantees that at least 32% of the areas in Charlotte are challenged. The Quality of Life Chart and the study associated with this chart used fourteen data points to decide how to categorize each area. The city is encouraging the building of new, multifamily, low-income, subsidized housing in ‘stable’ areas. These ‘stable’ areas must have less than 5% of the population living in subsidized housing currently in order to qualify for the construction of new subsidized housing.

The city would like to disperse this type of housing.. Recently, Councilman Warren Cooksey suggested more subsidized housing in Lincoln Heights based on the number of people out of work already in this subdivision. One of the regulations says there must be at least one half a mile between subsidized housing developments. However, in a ‘stable’ area that does not already have over 5% subsidized housing in place, the new subsidized buildings can be closer than one half mile. Neighborhood Statistical Area(N.S.A.) #187 had 2,700 people back in 2007. Now there are 11,000 people in that same area. Councilman David Howard predicts that the long term effects of the Locational Housing Policy is more apartments for ‘seniors’ in the Charlotte area. C.M.S. District 6 Board Member Tim Morgan asked if transitional neighborhoods with less than 5% subsidized housing could house people closer to their jobs. Most likely, the far north and far south of Mecklenburg County will end up with most of this new subsidized construction. The city also has a ‘permissible’ map that shows where subsidized housing is ‘permissible’. What about a mandate to keep the subsidized housing within a half a mile of a C.A.T.S. Bus Stop or near light rail? The Charlotte City Council will vote on this policy this December.

Susan J. Spaulding
Public Policy Writer

http://ballantynescoop.com

Share this:

Ballantyne, NC – The November 12th breakfast meeting opened with talk of the upcoming dinner zoning meeting for the city council. This zoning meeting is a short meeting. Childress/ Klein constructed a building in the South Park Mall Area in 1953. This building is now being remodeled by the city. Piedmont Town [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC – The November 12th breakfast meeting opened with talk of the upcoming dinner zoning meeting for the city council. This zoning meeting is a short meeting. Childress/ Klein constructed a building in the South Park Mall Area in 1953. This building is now being remodeled by the city. Piedmont Town Center is opposing this remodel. Councilman Andy Dulin is one of the prime city council members helping with this project. There is a zoning change on Holt Street and another on Monroe Road that the city is considering. Another project is the ‘Allen Tate Office’ Building at the corner of state road 51 and Johnston Road. It is projected to soon be a Walgreens but rezoning is needed in order to make it a drug store.

After a few years of design changes, the Greater Galilee Baptist Church now has new plans for a sanctuary and office that seem to meet city standards. In the past there have also been concerns by the neighborhoods near the church as well. The city will also consider a new bicycle parking amendment. The big zoning change is the ‘Urban Street Design Guide’. This guide was started in 2007. This is a set of new subdivision ordinances. Block links are limited. The discussion right now is around how the approval process for this design guide will be structured. How does a developer get approval? There are three choices: Door 1: Strict adherence to the ‘urban street design guide’; Door 2: Staff leads the way on how to adhere to this new street design guide; Door 3: Put in place a new development review board with experts in architecture and public health. Then the developers can appeal to the board if they feel their blueprints are done in the ‘spirit’ of the ordinance.

Which door will the city choose? Susan Burgess used to be on the Transportation Committee for the city. After Council Member Burgess’s death, Nancy Carter is now on the Transportation Committee. Council Member Carter would like to have a neighborhood representative on the Transportation Committee. The rest of the committee did not agree and this will not happen. The upgrade at ‘Quail Corners’ is being deferred until December. In the recent election, the street bonds did pass. One of the projects is an upgrade to the intersection of Ballantyne Commons Parkway and Elm Lane. The city does not have a schedule for this upgrade but will have one. Many are excited to see this project start soon.

Center City Partners is working on a new project at the ‘Reid’s Fine Foods’ location on 7th Street in the uptown. The ‘Food Desert Activists’ were on hand recently when the city discussed this new project. This project is the ‘Center City Green Market’. The ‘Food Desert Activists’ are sure that this project is in the wrong place. They would like to see this project moved to the west side. This is where the majority of the food deserts are located in Charlotte. Mike Smith works with Center City Partners and recently called Councilman Andy Dulin. Councilman Dulin was there when Mr. Smith presented his idea to the city council. The projected cost of the ‘Center City Green Market’ is $1 million. The recent vendor meeting on this project there were only three farmers interested. Many are also skeptical of this idea due to the cost of the project.

The N.A.S.C.A.R. Hall of Fame report is scheduled to be given to the city on November 22nd. Larry Huelsman, a member of the C.R.V.A. board, helped with the news from the C.R.V.A. Councilman Michael Barnes recently sent a letter the the city manager concerning the facilities managed by the Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority (C.R.V.A.). Councilman Barnes would like a report on the attendance, cash contributions, performance and management structure of each part of the C.R.V.A. Councilman Barnes is most concerned about inappropriate personal conduct of
members of the C.R.V.A. Tim Newman works for the C.R.V.A. There is another member
of the staff working in Washington D.C. As a result of this inappropriate behavior, the female staff member in Washington D.C., will be soon not work for the C.R.V.A. Tim Newman was also cited in this according to his inappropriate conduct.

The City of Charlotte did invest capitol in the C.R.V.A. Councilman Barnes is mistaken to think the city invested $1 million. The city invested around $200,000 in the C.R.V.A. New to marketing with the C.R.V.A. is Lori Wilkes. The city can not manage the C.R.V.A. The State of North Carolina passed a law to create the C.R.V.A. The city’s only jurisdiction in this is to appoint the board for the C.R.V.A. The State of North Carolina wanted a board with no ‘political meddling’ to handle venues like the Bojangles Coliseum. This is why the C.R.V.A. was originally created by the state.

How will students be affected by school closings? Ken Gjertsen, former C.M.S. Board Member and Tim Morgan, current District 6 C.M.S. Representative, were both present to sort through the big changes for the schools. The changes include: closing ten schools in 2011 and one in 2012; consolidating students and programs at five schools; relocating two programs; expanding eight schools to pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and one to K-12; expanding one school to grades six through 12; adjusting boundaries for 13 schools; providing targeted assistance to nearly 30 schools and creating two new home schools and two new magnet programs.

The C.M.S. Board voted to move Villa Heights to the Irwin Avenue I.B. Elementary Building. Lincoln Heights Elementary will close and these students will be reassigned to Bruns and Ashley Park Elementary Schools; The Board also voted to move the math and science magnet program at Harding High to Phillip O. Berry, creating a new home area for Harding. Smith Academy is moving to Waddell High. Waddell High School Students will be merging into other schools. Community House Boundaries are different now.

Will there be new charter schools in Charlotte soon? Some would like to see more charter schools in Charlotte. Many are not happy with C.M.S. Board Member Trent Merchant. Some are opposing K-8 schools. Kaye McGarry’s children went to a K-12 schools. A member of the county board of commissioners, Vilma Leake spoke at the regular C.M.S. Board meeting this past Tuesday night, November 9th. County board member Leake’s point was that some in Charlotte have already had their libraries closed and their parks closed therefore they should not have anything else closed. County Board Member Leake must not remember that it is the board she sits on that made these closing decisions just a few months ago.

While Ken Gjertsen was on the school board the motto was ‘bus for space not race’. As a result, there were board members who did not want to build schools in the suburbs of Charlotte. Instead, the board bused these students into the center of Charlotte. At that time, the school board spent $500 million on schools in the center of Charlotte. Those schools were not needed but schools were needed in the suburbs. Later, the school board spent much money to build ‘huge’ schools in the suburbs of the far north and far south of the county. The original idea was to later build more of these ‘huge’ schools in the rest of Charlotte. This last part may never happen with the major budget crisis that all are currently dealing with in this country. There were 117 public speakers at the November 9th school board meeting. Two of these 117 were ‘positive’ speakers and were willing to admit that the school board did not lightly make these changes.

The current budget crisis is much like the 1930’s budget crisis. There is a lack of money due in part to less tax money. The school board is facing a $100 million dollar budget crisis. The $3.5 million saved is not much when compared to the $100 million that must soon be saved. Raleigh will not be funding as much of the school budget. The state will be cutting as much as 15% from the school budget. The county will be cutting money from the school budget as well. In the future, there might not be any transportation provided for magnet school students. Also more schools might have to be closed to save $100 million dollars. Soon several of the montessori schools may have to merge to save money.

Charlotte’s Mayor Anthony Foxx would like to see the city and county governments consolidate soon. The mayor would also like to give taxing authority to the school board soon. Councilman Warren Cooksey does not like this idea. He does not believe any one government authority should only have a single purpose for taxation. There needs to be checks and balances. Right now there are checks and balances in the school board budget. The federal government gives a larger percentage of the budget now than it did in the past. The school board now receives money from the county, state and federal governments.

2011 will be an important election year for C.M.S. because all of the at-large members of the school board are ‘up for election’. One at-large member, ‘Coach’ Joe White, has already announced that he will not run again for school board. He has voted for staff recommendations for the past several years. Current At-Large Board Members Kaye McGarry and Trent Merchant are both up for election in 2011. Rocky River High School is a new school in the ‘middle of nowhere’. It serves students from the Hickory Grove Area and the areas all the way to Rocky River. The other new high school is Hough High School and it is very much needed in that area as well. Due to an interesting boundary configuration, the building of Rocky River is in District 6 but none of the students live in District 6.

Every 10 years the school boundaries are redrawn. How should these boundaries change? Right now, District 6 School Board Member Tim Morgan represents as many people as the combined districts of District 3 representative Dr. Joyce Waddell and District 2 representative Richard McElrath. Current District 6 Representative Tim Morgan is in favor of new two year not four year terms for all school board members. The school board is currently using the county boundaries but can draw their own boundaries in the future. The school board has until 2013 to finish drawing new boundaries.

C.M.S. is a ‘non-partisan’ board, however, here is the breakdown from the voting last Tuesday. Those who voted for the staff recommendations are: three republicans, one democrat and one unaffiliated board members. For the election in 2011, as many as thirty might run for the three at-large seats. The schools that are closed can be sold. District 6 representative Morgan is not interested in selling these properties now, while land is selling for so little. He would prefer the board sell the properties later for more money. The far north and far south will have more growth in population later. Perhaps affordable and mixed income housing can use some of the closed school properties. By law, the schools must be offered for use to the county first. There needs to be checks done on the possibility of ‘reverter clauses’ attached to one or more of these school properties. Some of these schools were built by the original ‘Charlotte School System’ and might revert back to someone other than the county. Currently Myers Park High has around 2,700 students, some of these students are in old trailers. Councilman Dulin’s son is one of these students. The school board can fix these trailers if there is a safety issue. Myers Park also is still using an old gymnasium. C.M.S. is NOT issuing bonds at this time.

Now that the decision has been made to close schools, what is the next step? Teachers who are currently at the schools that will be closed can apply for the teaching positions needed to fully staff the new Pre-K-8 and K-12 schools. Operations and transportation will increased at these Pre-K-8 and K-12 schools as well. The teachers at Davidson I.B. who are certified will mostly likely transfer to the I.B. program Alexander Middle School starting in the Fall of 2011. The majority of students currently at Smith Language Academy will be at Waddell High starting in the Fall of 2011.

Four schools are slated to be torn down: Part of Smith, Davidson I.B., Wilson and Pawtuckett. The town of Davidson might opt to use the Davidson I.B. Building. Possibly four of the ten schools to be closed will be ‘moth-balled’ until they are needed again. C.M.S. will work with the community to insure that vagrants do not break into the schools. C.M.S. will provide limited maintenance and security at these school properties.

In Ballantyne, Community House Boundaries will be changing. The new boundary for Community House is 485. Those north of 485 will start to go to South Charlotte and South Meck in the Fall of 2011. Those south of 485 will feed into Ardrey Kell High School. The $3.5 million saved by the school closings is not much compared to the $100 million that must be soon cut from the budget. In the scope of the $100 million dollar budget shortfall for the next school year, this really has only been a beginning step.

N.A.S.C.A.R. Hall of Fame Events Upcoming: Sunday, November 21st: Panthers Home Game: $2.00 off Saturday/Sunday with game ticket; $5.00 parking on Sunday. Friday, November 26th: Black Friday: Radio remote with W.R.F.X.; Free simulator rides when racing the D.J., prizes.

Susan J. Spaulding
Public Policy Writer
www.BallantyneScoop.com

Share this:

Charlotte, NC – Effective January 1, 2011, the contract used to buy and sell houses in North Carolina will be changing. While a lot of contract changes are legalisms, this particular change is going to change the process buyers and sellers experience, so I thought it might be helpful to explain [...]]]>

Charlotte, NC – Effective January 1, 2011, the contract used to buy and sell houses in North Carolina will be changing. While a lot of contract changes are legalisms, this particular change is going to change the process buyers and sellers experience, so I thought it might be helpful to explain it.

To begin, let’s just recap the current process. A potential buyer makes an offer on a house that is for sale. Once the buyer and seller come to an agreement, the contract is signed by both parties. The buyer provides an earnest money deposit, which is typically about 1% of the purchase price. The house is then in a “conditional” status, which alerts potential buyers that there is a contract on it but there are some conditions that need to be met before it moves forward to closing. In the current market, where the supply of available houses is greater than the demand of potential buyers, this status typically resulted in the house being off the market unless the sale falls through, and the house is returned to “active” status.

The buyer then has several different deadlines that need to be met in order to avoid breach of contract: mortgages need to be applied for by a certain date, all inspections need to be conducted by a certain date, repair requests need to be submitted by a certain date, repairs need to be negotiated by a certain date, and then closing needs to occur by a certain date. If the buyer fails to meet any of the duties or deadlines in the contract, the seller has the ability to cancel the contract and is entitled to keep the earnest money. The buyer is entitled to cancel the contract and receive a refund of the earnest money at two different junctures in the current process, both of which are at the buyer’s sole discretion: shortly after applying for the mortgage and after submitting the post-inspection repair request. If the process continues through to closing, the earnest money deposit is credited to the buyer.

In a tough market, like that we’ve been experiencing, the current contract created some bad situations. Sellers believed they had their house sold, started packing and making arrangements with movers, only to have the buyer cancel the contract after the inspections, even if the seller would have been willing to make repairs or provide cash in lieu of repairs. Buyers were legally entitled to receive the earnest money back because that’s how the contract was written, but Realtors® cannot return it without the seller’s written authorization. If the seller and the buyer cannot come to a written agreement on who receives the earnest money within 90 days, the Realtors® are required to turn it over to the court to decide.

This new contract effective January 1st seeks to alleviate this situation, by creating a due diligence period. So here is what the new process would look like: Potential buyer makes an offer on a house that is for sale and the buyer and seller begin to negotiate the contract. After both parties agree on the terms, the buyer will provide the seller with a due diligence fee, and the Realtor® with an earnest money deposit. During the due diligence period, the buyer needs to complete any work that needs to be done in order to decide whether he/she is willing to able to move forward with this purchase. This includes applying for the mortgage and conducting inspections. During the due diligence period, the buyer can cancel the transaction for any reason. The buyer would receive the earnest money deposit back, but the seller would keep the due diligence fee. If the buyer has not canceled the contract by the end of the due diligence period, he/she will be in default if he/she doesn’t go through with the contract. This means that the seller will automatically receive the earnest money deposit if the buyer did not cancel the contract before the end of the due diligence period and then does not close on the house.

On base, the new contract levels the playing field a bit. It also makes it easier for the buyers (and the Realtors®!) to track deadlines and make sure that the mortgage application and the inspections get completed in a timely manner. Instead of having several different deadlines, there is now just one. With the specific due diligence deadline, sellers will have greater clarity as to whether or not the sale will actually close without it feeling like a series of hurdles that need to jumped before reaching the finish line.

There will be bumps in the road as we all get used to the new contract. For example, how much should the due diligence fee be? There are other states that use due diligence periods and fees, but no state mandates what the fee should be, and North Carolina will be no different. In some states, the due diligence fee is typically around $100 and in other states the due diligence fee is typically about $1,000. Buyers, sellers, and Realtors® here in Charlotte will go through an adjustment period as we begin to negotiate this new fee and figure out what will become typical for us.

Josie Mazzaferro is a licensed Realtor® with Allen Tate’s Ballantyne office. She lives in the Touchstone neighborhood and loves walking on the Four Mile Creek Greenway with her little black poodle, Pepe le Piu, and her beagle/basset hound mix, Sabaka. Josie loves to help clients better understand the entire real estate process. Please feel free to send your real estate questions to Josie.Mazzaferro@allentate.com and Josie will either respond to you directly or respond in an upcoming column.

Check Josie out on facebook and twitter! For every home I help you buy or sell, I will donate $100 to the YWCA’s long-term transitional housing case management programs. You get your housing needs met, and together, we empower a homeless family to self-sufficiency!

All opinions expressed in the article belong solely to Josie Mazzaferro and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Allen Tate Company, the Charlotte Regional Realtors® Association, the Carolina Multiple Listing Service, the North Carolina Association of Realtors®, or the National Association of Realtors®.

Share this: