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 [...]]]>

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

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 [...]]]>

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.

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 [...]]]>

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

Charlotte, NC – What really is going on with the Butler High School Football Team? There have been three team members arrested since May 2010. C.M.S. District 6 Board Member Tim Morgan explained that the football coach is Mike Newsome. Mr. Morgan went on to say that he would “hope we would [...]]]>

Charlotte, NC – What really is going on with the Butler High School Football Team? There have been three team members arrested since May 2010. C.M.S. District 6 Board Member Tim Morgan explained that the football coach is Mike Newsome. Mr. Morgan went on to say that he would “hope we would not see more of this” (arrests/bad behavior) from the football team at Butler. There seems to be no shortage of poor judgement from this team.

Two administrators were just suspended from North Mecklenburg High School. Was there a cover up in the works over a sexual assault at this high school? The interim principal and an assistant principal were suspended with pay recently. Mr. Morgan stated that this is an ongoing personnel matter. Mr. Morgan made no other comments on this issue. Time will tell what happened at this school.

Mr. Morgan stated that he is comfortable with the direction they (the school board) are currently moving. Tuesday, November 9th will be a historic vote by the board to close schools in the fall of 2011. Which schools will close? C.M.S. Board member Trent Merchant did state in an email yesterday (November 7th) that he would like to postpone part of this vote. However, Chairperson Eric Davis stated yesterday that the entire vote will still happen on November 9th. The possible closing of Harding, Waddell or Smith Language Academy does ‘stir up’ this community.

This writer decided long ago that NO school can be closed ANYWHERE in this great country of ours without MUCH public anguish. Mr. Morgan stated that the public forums held were necessary and significant because of the number of students impacted. He also said that it was important to get public input in this matter. Several have called for a postponed school board vote. Mr. Morgan said that he is “happy the current board is where it needs to be”. He also stated that the “only way to change the vote is with a significant event”. A ‘significant event’ like adding schools to ‘the list’.

More than 25,000 students might be impacted by this big decision. The total number of schools impacted is rumored to be now at over two dozen. Staff are scheduled to give a report recommending which schools to close and the logistical details needed to close these schools this Tuesday night, November 9th at 6:00 pm. You can read the new staff proposals here.

This school board meeting will be open to the public. The public (who have already signed up) will have two minutes each to speak. This meeting will be held in the government center in the meeting chamber. The government center is located on 600 East Fourth Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28262.

Susan J. Spaulding
Public Policy Writer
Ballantyne Scoop

Ballantyne, NC – 20 seconds for 20 days: A $20,000 win for homeless children (Charlotte, N.C., September 8, 2010) – Birthday Blessings, a local all-volunteer nonprofit organization that celebrates and supports the lives of homeless children, is one of 13 charities selected nationwide to participate in the Samsung Helmet of Hope for [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC – 20 seconds for 20 days: A $20,000 win for homeless children
(Charlotte, N.C., September 8, 2010) – Birthday Blessings, a local all-volunteer nonprofit organization that celebrates and supports the lives of homeless children, is one of 13 charities selected nationwide to participate in the Samsung Helmet of Hope for More online voting contest. Voting begins at 3 p.m. on September 8, and ends at 5 p.m. on September 29. Individuals can cast one vote per day. The winning charity will receive $20,000 from the Jimmie Johnson Foundation/Samsung Helmet of Hope Program.

Birthday Blessings is asking the public to rally for their “20 for 20: Race for the Cup” effort: Vote every day at www.helmetofhope.org for the next 20 days. Voting takes just 20 seconds, and could mean a $20,000 win for the homeless children and families served by Birthday Blessings.

Birthday Blessings, recently named a Helmet of Hope grant recipient, will have its logo appear on Johnson’s helmet, along with the 12 other selected charities at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, C.A., in October during the Pepsi 400.
On September 8, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation sweetened the deal, and announced the Samsung Helmet of Hope for More online contest. The winning charity will be announced October 1, 2010.

Said Birthday Blessings volunteer executive director/co-founder, Amy Cervantes: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Samsung and the Jimmie Johnson Foundation for such generous support. It’s fitting that they’ve named this latest initiative “Hope for More” because it’s definitely renewing a sense of energy around the causes we champion every day. Our entire volunteer team at Birthday Blessings is buzzing with excitement; it’s all hands on the wheel to help us win this race. The $20,000 prize would make an enormous impact for the homeless children we serve.”
Birthday Blessings began in 2005 as a family service project created by Mint Hill couple Amy and John Cervantes. In 2008, they incorporated their service venture as a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit, quickly expanding the organization’s programs and services. To date, Birthday Blessings has celebrated more than 1,300 birthdays for homeless children and their families. The all-volunteer nonprofit currently serves 14 homeless facilities and programs across a four-county region, as well as transient homeless elementary and middle school students throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.The organization also provides Blessing Baskets filled with care essentials to help welcome and support the arrival of homeless babies.

Birthday Blessings began developing a national expansion program in 2009, with pilot affiliate chapters now getting under way in northeast Indiana; Cincinnati, Ohio; north central Kentucky; and Atlanta, Georgia.
For more information, go to www.birthdayblessings.org and www.helmetofhope.org. ###

Ballantyne, NC – Guiding principles applied in preliminary list of schools, Board of Education asks staff to continue to develop framework for improving schools

The guiding principles developed by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education during the summer got their first application Sept. 7 in a work session, as CMS staff presented a [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC – Guiding principles applied in preliminary list of schools, Board of Education asks staff to continue to develop framework for improving schools

The guiding principles developed by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education during the summer got their first application Sept. 7 in a work session, as CMS staff presented a list of 32 schools where change may be needed.

Using the Board’s guiding principles, CMS staff developed an index that uses four factors to compare schools: academic proficiency, academic growth, per-pupil cost and condition of the school. Because the Board has made academic growth a top priority, the index weights it more heavily than other factors.

Mike Raible, executive director of planning and project management, gave a presentation explaining how the index was created and how it was used in generating the list. Dr. Christopher Cobitz, executive director of state and federal programs for the CMS Office of Accountability, provided in-depth statistical explanations of the index.

In choosing the list of schools where change is needed, the staff also looked at site-specific factors at schools. CMS staff emphasized that the list was the starting point for Board discussions about changes at schools, and that the list is very likely to change as that conversation continues.

“This is not going to be an easy process,” Dr. Gorman told employees in an email after the meeting. “Whenever lists are made, anxieties rise. That’s understandable. But I hope that our employees and our parents and the community at large will see this list for what it is: a starting point for Board discussions that will resume on Thursday and last well into the fall about our schools and how we can work together to improve academic achievement and most wisely use the resources that we have.”

The Sept. 7 work session continued a series of Board meetings and forums on best ways to improve Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and use resources wisely. The public forums began in June and continued through the summer.

The Case for Continuous Improvement: A Comprehensive Review of CMS is the title of the Board review intended to refine the guiding principles used to set policy in such areas as transportation, student assignment, magnet lottery and other district operations.

Staff will offer further recommendations to the Board Sept. 14. Public comment on the recommendations will begin after Sept. 28.

To see the slide presentation from the Sept. 7 work session click here. To see the full list of CMS schools and their ranking using the index, click here.

Ballantyne, NC – The hot topics for the September 3rd breakfast meeting were the Charlotte Housing Authority, the salary for the city manager and the taxi controversy. Charlotte City Council’s meeting date has been altered due to Labor Day. The next city meeting will not be on a Monday, per usual, but on [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC – The hot topics for the September 3rd breakfast meeting were the Charlotte Housing Authority, the salary for the city manager and the taxi controversy. Charlotte City Council’s meeting date has been altered due to Labor Day. The next city meeting will not be on a Monday, per usual, but on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010. This particular meeting is an airport themed meeting and therefore will be at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. All city council member’s did receive a large binder that includes directions to this airport. The city council will soon hold eight public meetings to discuss water and sewer studies. The two public meetings in the Ballantyne Area are both at the South County Public Library. The first meeting is September 16th at 6:00 pm and the next is November 3rd also at 6:00 pm. The city will be also holding more public meetings on the street car soon. These will be concerning the $5.5 million spent on the engineering study for the first phase of the new street car. The first two public meetings will be held at Johnson C. Smith University. These will be on September 28th and 30th. The third meeting will be at the government center on October 5th.

The Charlotte Housing Authority (C.H.A.) is an independent agency of the State of North Carolina. The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority is a division of the federal government. The C.H.A. has seven board members. The C.H.A. has chosen to put a resident of public housing on the board of C.H.A. One senior staff member wanted to chose which resident would be on the board. Some council members are not comfortable with senior staff choosing this resident. Lucille Pucket was chosen to be this member of the Charlotte Housing Authority Board. She recently was evicted due to drug trade charges. This week, Tara Servatius interviewed Ms. Pucket on her radio show. Ms. Pucket has thirteen children. Ms. Pucket is originally from South Carolina and she has been living in Charlotte for four years. There is some controversy surrounding Ms. Pucket and whether or not she should continue on this board.

Will the prosecution choose to appeal the verdict in the Montgomery trial? The City of Charlotte has been chosen as a “Walk Friendly Community” and is a test community for pedestrian safety. Does City Manager Curt Walton make enough money? His current salary is $210,000. Harry Jones, the county manager, makes $283,000 plus his generous benefits. Are these salaries comparable to C.E.O. packages? Should they be comparable?

The taxi drivers are upset with the city on two levels They are upset with how taxi’s are regulated at the Charlotte Airport. Also they are upset because the City of Charlotte gives the taxi license to the taxi company but not the driver. This city does not have a ‘medallion’ system to license drivers. Several taxi drivers have equated this last ordinance to ‘slavery’. Taxi‘s must not be any older than five years old according to a city ordinance. All taxi companies must own a minimum of 30 taxi cabs.

Right now D.S.S. does pay taxi cabs to linger in order to provide transportation for them. The city does not allow limousines to linger currently. This “loophole” in the lingering law allows hotels the option to contract with one or more limousine companies. Another city ordinance is concerning taxi companies that are located outside of the city. One destination by just such a taxi is allowed but not two or more destinations. Also an out of town taxi is not allowed, once inside Charlotte, to pick up another fare. The original goal of these ordinances by the city were to improve the taxi cab industry.

Currently the ordinances for taxi’s are very complex. The locational policy was discussed recently. City Council Members Michael Barnes and Patrick Cannon were talking about this policy. Michael Barnes is the district 4 representative. District 4 has the second lowest number of subsidized housing of any district in Charlotte. Other concerns are about group homes and design standards. The Chamber of Commerce President, Bob Morgan, was recently talking to the city council about the D.N.C. coming to Charlotte. Four cities are finalists. These are the cities:

St. Louis, Missouri.
2. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Cleveland, Ohio.
Charlotte, North Carolina.

Will the D.N.C. fail to chose St. Louis since they said no to “Obamacare”? Will the D.N.C. chose a city with a large union presence?

Tim Morgan, C.M.S. Board, also answered a few questions. A five year old kindergarten student recently was ‘lost’ for a short period of time on the way home from the first day of class. This student is at Ballantyne Elementary. The child was on the bus and when the driver was finished the route he called the child’s name but the child did not answer. The bus driver failed to ‘walk the bus’ and did not thoroughly look for the child. Later, another staff member did check the bus for students and found the five year old laying down in the back of the bus. No harm came to the child as a result of this incident.

Another incident involves Osvaldo Sombo. Sombo was a star football player at Butler High School. He has been charged with raping another Butler student. He was allowed to play the first football game of the season which happened after his arrest. C.M.S. has a computer system to check arrests but since this arrest of Sombo was during the summer there was a delay. The letter was sent ‘snail mail’ to Butler High. C.M.S. now has a new system to respond in a timely fashion to student arrests. The new policy dictates that a special person will check police records of arrests everyday. The new policy now states that if arrested then the student would be ‘pulled’ immediately and sent to Bank Street School as a ‘triage’ method. Then C.M.S. will make a final decision about what is best for the student after the student is at Bank Street School.

A third incident involves South Mecklenburg High School. An A.P. Teacher at South Mecklenburg High School was recently arrested. He was taking pictures ‘up the skirts of women’ at a local grocery store. The ‘already in place’ policy is to remove the teacher from the classroom immediately. This teacher was immediately removed from the classroom and another teacher will be instructing the A.P. Students.

Susan J. Spaulding
Public Policy Writer
Ballantyne Scoop

Ballantyne, NC – There will be three bonds on the ballot this November. The new city bonds were one of the hot topics at the August 27th morning meeting at the Ballantyne Hotel. There will be no city council meeting this coming Monday, August 30th, 2010. The Neighborhood Improvements Bond is one of [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC – There will be three bonds on the ballot this November. The new city bonds were one of the hot topics at the August 27th morning meeting at the Ballantyne Hotel. There will be no city council meeting this coming Monday, August 30th, 2010. The Neighborhood Improvements Bond is one of these bonds. The neighborhood bonds will pay for sidewalks, street lighting, storm drainage and other projects. This bond is $47 million. The goal is to bring older neighborhoods up to ‘modern’ city standards.

Things in court recently turned nasty in the case against Demetrius Montgomery. Detective Fant, C.M.P.D. Homicide Unit, was hired before Police Chief Monroe was hired. Detective Fant did throw away some of his notes in addition to several other ‘game changers’ in this double murder case. Evidently Detective Fant has done things like this before and his supervisors were aware. Charlotte’s Chief Monroe has made Detective Golden the new head of homicide. Recently on the radio, Tara Servatius interviewed a former C.M.P.D. officer. A few years before Chief Stephens, was Chief Nowicki and his top priority was patrol. This same former C.M.P.D. officer did talk about priorities and the chief of police. Is Community Policing Bad? Chief Monroe and Chief Nowicki have both used a very similar policing model. Currently the Sheriff’s Office, C.M.P.D. and the D.A.’s Office are not getting along well. In Atlanta, a four year old case, there was a warrant issued for a house. The owner of this house, a 92-year-old woman, was shot and killed BEFORE the police found that she was innocent of all of the drug charges. Two years ago when Charlotte was searching for a new police chief, the Deputy Chief of Atlanta was a candidate to be our chief of police. Happily, Charlotte has it’s own crime lab where forensics procedures occur. There was a mix up about exactly what type of degree that Chief Monroe earned from Virginia Commonwealth University. Officers Clark and Shelton were shot on March 31st and died April 1st of 2007, when Chief Stephens was still in charge. Will justice be served? City Council Member Andy Dulin will again be on Facebook and twitter while at the rest of the Demetrius Montgomery Trial.

Last Monday night at the city council meeting, five people spoke on the new bond issue. One of these people was Erin McKeithen. Erin McKeithen has just filed a Fair Housing Violation Complaint with the city. There was a somber mood at the city council meeting when Erin McKeithen spoke about this complaint. Tim Morgan talked about how inclusionary zoning is illegal in all of Mecklenburg County. The town of Davidson technically does have inclusionary zoning but has been allowed to do this for some odd reason. Right now, the town of Davidson has a cap on low income housing of ten percent. There are people in east and west Charlotte who do not like the new housing bonds. James Mitchell is chairperson of the locational housing committee. The city has a Housing Trust Fund. Last Wednesday, was a meeting of this locational housing policy committee. This October, the city council will look at revisions to the locational policy.

Low-income housing is built to ‘look like’ market-rate apartments. City Council Member Barnes is protesting low-income housing. Here is the count by district: the lowest amount of low-income housing is District 7 and the second lowest is District 4. Michael Barnes is the representative for District 4. Districts 1, 2 and 3 have the highest concentrations of low-income housing. Actually, Berkeley and Ayrsley do not have mixed income housing but low-income housing. Where there is subsidized housing there are more restrictions. What is the intention of the city council? Is the goal dispersal of low-income housing or is the goal to help as many people as possible? It is NOT possible to do both because these goals work against each other. Tom Bowers would like to see dispersal be the goal. City Council Member Warren Cooksey and Mayor Anthony Foxx would like to help as many as possible. Mayor Foxx would like to veto anything that does not follow the city council’s priorities. Mayor Foxx has also spoken recently about the Ayrsley Waiver. 17,000 units are needed all around Charlotte for low-income housing. Sometimes, the city waives it’s own policy. Can the city council put the 17,000 units in half of Charlotte?

Eastland Mall has five parcels and the city was willing to subsidize but Eastland recently sold. Eastland sold for the low price of $2 million dollars for the core of the mall. The Epicentre in the uptown of Charlotte is experiencing a myriad of problems. The general contractor is Gassi and he was supposed to pay the subs but this never happened. The city is thinking about paying the subs in four payments of $500,000 each. As of now, there are only temporary C.O.’s (certificates of occupancy) at The Epicentre. The value of this property is plummeting quickly. Will the city have to pay the subs?

Susan J. Spaulding
Public Policy Writer
Ballantyne Scoop

Ballantyne, NC – CHARLOTTE, NC. The Morrison Family YMCA in Ballantyne will host Inspire! Ballantyne, an art and culinary festival highlighting area artists, performers and restaurants, Saturday, October 23rd through Sunday, October 24th.

This is the 3rd year for this annual event. The YMCA hopes to make this festival a South [...]]]>

Ballantyne, NC – CHARLOTTE, NC. The Morrison Family YMCA in Ballantyne will host Inspire! Ballantyne, an art and culinary festival highlighting area artists, performers and restaurants, Saturday, October 23rd through Sunday, October 24th.

This is the 3rd year for this annual event. The YMCA hopes to make this festival a South Charlotte tradition that builds community and celebrates creativity.

Local artists and performers are asked to submit their art by September 3rd, 2010. Email morrisonevents@ymcacharlotte.org for application details. Selected artists will be notified by September 18th. Over $1500 in awards and prizes. There are also several sponsorship opportunities available ranging from $500 to $5,000. For sponsorship information, contact Brooke Beddow at (704) 716-4657.

Inspire! Ballantyne will include live entertainment, artist booths including photography, sculpture, painting, jewelry and ceramics, and samples from local restaurants. Sunday, October 24th is also Kid’s Day and will also feature youth artists from 8-17 years old and performances from local schools.

All proceeds from the event will go to the Morrison YMCA Annual Giving Campaign, which helps provide children’s literacy programs, teen programming and scholarships for youth who could otherwise not afford programs such as afterschool and day camp.

About the YMCA of Greater Charlotte
The YMCA of Greater Charlotte, a United Way member agency, is comprised of 15 branches and many more program sites in Charlotte, Lake Norman, Lincoln County, Matthews and Mooresville, as well as Camp Thunderbird, the Hemby Activity Center, and Camp Harrison at Herring Ridge. The 132-year-old non-profit organization serves one in every six individuals in its service area with a continuum of educational and recreational programs that foster growth in spirit, mind and body. The YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Program and membership financial assistance is available. www.ymcacharlotte.org.

Ballantyne,NC – What will long city council meetings yield? The August 20th morning meeting started with talk of the next long agenda day for city council. Starting with a noon meeting, a 3:00 pm meeting, a dinner meeting, a regular meeting and a lastly a closed door meeting, Monday’s schedule will be a [...]]]>

Ballantyne,NC – What will long city council meetings yield? The August 20th morning meeting started with talk of the next long agenda day for city council. Starting with a noon meeting, a 3:00 pm meeting, a dinner meeting, a regular meeting and a lastly a closed door meeting, Monday’s schedule will be a time of testing for some. This Monday, August 23rd, starting at noon there will be a Transit and Planning Committee meeting. How does the city attorney inform council members of important decisions? City Council member Warren Cooksey recently was informed of an important judicial ruling by the head of his apartment complex instead of the city attorney. Will the city attorney get a bonus soon? Will the city manager get a bonus? Both the city attorney and city manager generally do well on their yearly evaluation forms. Last year, while on the city council, Anthony Foxx talked about not giving the manager a bonus. City Council Member Warren Cooksey did suggest that there should be a warning given in January 2010. This was the suggested warning: “Due to budget constraints in 2010, there will be no bonus money given to the city attorney or city manager”. This warning was not given to either the manager or the attorney.

At the 5:00 pm dinner meeting there will be talk of the Federal Legislative Agenda Update. Holland & Night are the BR Lobbyists for the City of Charlotte. The city pays approximately $3,000 to this group to lobby on behalf of the city. Also under review is a package of stimulus money in the amount of $6.5 million for an energy grant project. The city is also working on distressed neighborhoods, air quality, various neighborhood projects and building efficiency. The city council adjusted their schedule recently on the tree ordinance. This public forum has been moved from the 23rd of August until September 13th. Also on the agenda are awards for the following: The Junior League, The Dilworth Home Owner’s Association and The American Cancer Society’s 2010 Promotion. In addition to all of the other activities, the city council will also have an updated group photo. Currently the photos of the city council show an empty seat for Susan Burgess. Susan Burgess’ son Jason Burgess is now on the council and will be present for his first official photo.

Zoning is another important part of the agenda. This includes: vacant apartments, Brantly Oaks and a voluntary annexation. The city plans annexation in parts of Mecklenburg County every two years. 2011 is the time to annex. In the western part of the county, Rhyne and Whitehall are scheduled to be annexed. In the eastern part of the county, Camp Stewart South. Camp Stewart South is rural and does not want to be annexed in part due to some chicken farmers’ worries. Currently in the City of Charlotte there is an active, working sheep farm. Perhaps a similar agreement can be had for these chicken farmers. Tim Morgan reminded all that annexation does actually pay for itself. Charlotte has only had one increase in property taxes in fifteen years due to the amount of land annexed during that same time period. The annexed areas get police services, $500 garbage roll-outs, sidewalks, water and sewer services with the annexation. The State of North Carolina stipulates that there must be a minimum of two people per acre before any area of land can be annexed. The city of Stallings did annex part of Mecklenburg County near Matthews. The city of Matthews had the idea to annex this area but did not annex fast enough. In addition to annexing every two years, all of the districts are redrawn after areas are annexed.

Recently, USA Today had an article on mortgage tax exemptions. Are these a good idea? Are cutting taxes bad? Also on the agenda for August 23rd is the Fair Housing Procedures. Are there perceived impediments to lack of access to affordable home ownership? Is education the key to solving this problem? Is there gatekeeping of protected classes? How many complaints of impediments to lack of access to affordable home ownership have there been in Charlotte in ten years (from January 2000 until 2010) ? There have been 225 complaints filed with the city during this time period. 14 are now pending, 39 have administrative closure, 164 have no cause and eight have finding of cause. Community input on this housing issue is important. A H.U.D. Fair Housing Report will be done on these Fair Housing Findings.

The City of Charlotte also has three bonds that will be voted on in the November 2010 election.
Street Improvement Bond – $ 156 million.
Neighborhood Improvement Bond.
Affordable Housing Bond.

Warren Cooksey is anxious to advertise and implore all to vote ‘yes’ for the affordable housing bond. Bonds will NOT equal a tax increase. If the bonds fail can the city use the “pay-go” fund method to get the work done?

The city now owns two vehicles to evacuate pets in case of an emergency. Where are these two vehicles? We do not want to play “musical plans” when it comes to potential zoning changes. Warren Cooksey most likely will vote ‘no’ on the subject of the Student Energy Plan. Also there will be a vote on the lead based paint reduction plan for the Waylon One Apartment Complex. The city council will also talk about the old city hall. Is there a frame or vision for future area plans? After the regular city council meeting there will be a closed session meeting. During this meeting, the city council will need to talk about the Charlotte Airport Projects. A roof repair and a tree save project are just some of the projects needed at the airport. Almost one square mile of trees had to be cleared when building the new runway. The Charlotte Airport funds it’s own projects. Also the council will discuss the new Ballantyne Commons Parkway sidewalk construction near J.M. Robinson Middle School. Another project is for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. The main police building on 600 East Trade Street will get a $519,000 remodel for internal affairs.

The city will be rejecting the bid from Cox and Schepp Construction for the remodel of the police station on providence road. The city will be accepting the bid from Camps Construction for the $3.2 million project. The bid from Cox and Schepp does not follow the small business enterprise guidelines. Camps Construction does have the bid and does have subs doing work as well. Goodwill Industries will be getting $200,000 for a project to help 750 young people.

C.A.T.S. will be getting a second transit center soon. This might be near ‘The Gateway’. Kimley Horne is being paid to do a study on this second transit center. Also being discussed on Monday will be the $793,000 Franklin Water Treatment Project. The city is paying Duke Energy to move a power line. Also being discussed is raw water reservation and it’s treatment. The city is overseeing a blast survey. This is on McKee Road near Hood Road. This is a gravity sewer line.

An upcoming event is on August 26th is the Southern Mecklenburg Republican Club Meeting at Harpers at Carolina Place Mall. Warren Cooksey will be helping with the event. More information at:

http://meckgop.ning.com/events/southern-mecklenburg-5

Susan J. Spaulding
Public Policy Writer
Ballantyne Scoop
Follow @susanjspaulding on twitter