Thursday, July, 2 2009

Another GOP At-Large Challenger Jumps In
Posted July 2nd, 2009 at 2:28 PM by Jeff A. Taylor

Tariq Bokhari, who ran for a Charlotte district seat in 2007, plans a campaign kick-off even on July 14th in support of his bid for an at-large seat. The event at Brazwells on Montford Dr. will also include a career fair/networking segment in addition to Bokhari’s formal announce of his candidacy.
In a release on the [...]

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Pull the EpiCenter’s Permits
Posted July 2nd, 2009 at 2:04 PM by Jeff A. Taylor

WCNC’s Tony Burbeck is back with more on the iffy status of EpiCenter and the contractors who built it.
Not surprisingly, Afshin Ghazi blames the general contractor — whom he owes $1.8m. — for failing to pay the subs who have liens on the property. It will be very interesting to see how the courts rule.
In [...]

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CMS Misrepresents Layoffs, Choices
Posted July 2nd, 2009 at 10:22 AM by Jeff A. Taylor

Ann Helms pried loose a more complete account of the recent layoffs handed down by CMS, fleshing out weeks of confusion and speculation on the topic. Turns out CMS laid off almost 1200 employees, not the 855 on the first list.
But that is not the big news. The shocker — or what should be shocking [...]

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Jones: My Responsibility Ends Where My Bonus Begins
Posted July 2nd, 2009 at 8:49 AM by Jeff A. Taylor

Is that not exactly what Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones is saying here?
Jones said he accepts responsibility for ongoing mismanagement and fraud at the county’s sprawling DSS operation, yet he wants a special meeting with commissioners to address the matter lest the DSS issue “fester between now and my performance evaluation.”
Really? If that is the [...]

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• Fat CATS
  Colleen Calvani writes that the Charlotte Area Transit system will scale back some routes in an attempt to counter three major decreases in funding.
• McCrory’s failure
  Jeff Taylor argues that Pat McCrory failed to carry Mecklenburg County because he failed to move its conservatives.
• Lynx And Exploding Pipes
  Jeff Taylor says there may be another factor to blame for CMUD’s recent series of water leaks.
• Getting Ugly
  Jeff Taylor explains the danger associated with Charlotte Center City Partners’ opposition to Coyote Ugly’s move into the old Ivey’s building.
• More Code Red Alerts
  Charlotte is almost certain to see frequent alerts on unhealthy levels of ozone. Jeff Taylor points out that the overlooked fact will be that we already have done something about.
• Ghost Riders Boarding Lynx
  Operations of the CATS’ South Corridor light rail have become a little more transparent with two recent data points explains Jeff Taylor.
• See More Hits

Charlotte became 18th-largest city in 2008
CHARLOTTE — The city of Charlotte was the nation’s 23rd fastest-growing city for the year ending in July 2008, and is now the county’s 18th-largest city, according to Census estimates released Wednesday. For bragging rights, Charlotte has passed Memphis, Tenn., in population. The Queen City has 687,456 people – up from 570,091 at the start of the decade.

Jones: I’ll take blame for DSS accounting failures
CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones took responsibility Tuesday for the accounting failures that led to the disappearance of untold thousands of dollars from the Department of Social Services. Jones’ comments came in response to criticism from county commissioners who said he should share blame for an embarrassment that has damaged public confidence in one of the county’s largest agencies.

Charlotte home prices down 10% from 2008
CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-area home prices took another dip in April, erasing a surprising gain in March, and striking a record double-digit annual decline, according to a closely watched price index. Area sales prices declined 10 percent compared with April 2008, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index released Tuesday.

CDOT: Toll road would worsen ozone woes
CHARLOTTE — The environmental impact statement for the Monroe Connector/Bypass says the new expressway won’t have any effect on the region's poor air quality, and that it won’t cause people to drive more miles. But an environmental group and city of Charlotte transportation officials believe that's not true, and that the planned toll road would generate more air pollution and contribute to the region’s ozone problem.

Bernanke: Fed asked BofA to examine its leadership
CHARLOTTE — Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told a congressional panel that the regulator asked the bank to “look at top management and make changes to its board” after Bank of America proceeded with the deal and accepted another dose of government aid in January. It was the clearest signal yet that the Fed, in recent months, has had a heavier hand in the bank's operations and an unfolding board shake-up.

Charlotte overcharged business license fees
CHARLOTTE — The city of Charlotte has agreed to refund about $2.6 million in business license fees that it collected improperly from a number of building contractors. A class-action lawsuit brought in January by Vision Ventures Construction prompted the settlement, which was decided in May.

More headlines »

Why North Carolina Should Not Build High-Speed Rail
Because of their high costs, tiny benefits, and interference with property rights, North Carolina should not attempt to provide high-speed rail service. Instead, it should use its share of the $8 billion stimulus funds solely for incremental upgrades, such as safer grade crossings and signaling systems, that do not obligate state taxpayers to pay future operations and maintenance costs.

Salisbury’s Fiber-Optic Cable System: Another corporate welfare project paid for by average taxpayers
Quick facts:

• The City of Salisbury recently decided to build a $30 million fiber-optic cable system that will offer Internet, phone, and television service to Salisbury residents and businesses. The city is paying for this system with 20-year bonds.



• City officials promised subscription fees from 28 percent of city residents would cover the entire cost of the system.



• While fiber systems offer high speeds, many computer users favor laptop computers and are willing to trade lower speeds for the mobility of wireless Internet connections. Thus currently available wireless technology such as mobile broadband cards, Wi-Fi, and the rapidly growing WiMAX wireless technology could make it very difficult for the city to live up to its “paid by subscribers” promise, leaving property taxpayers to foot the bill.



• WiMAX technology works similarly to WiFi but can reach faster speeds, currently up to 10 mbps (million bits per second), and cover a greater distance, up to 30 miles. One WiMAX installation could cover the entire city of Salisbury.



• If the system cannot attract enough subscribers, city officials have stated that they will use an increase in property taxes of 9.5 cents per $100 valuation to fund the project.



• The average residential customer gains little from this system. Television and phone quality will not be appreciably better than private sector competitors, and the highest speeds available through fiber technology will come with a price tag too high for most residential subscribers.



• Who benefits? From the start, city officials have justified the investment by touting its economic development prospects. They hope it will bring in a younger, professional class as well as new businesses that require this type of service. If the city fails to attract the necessary number of subscribers, property taxpayers, many of whom cannot afford or do not need the system, will be left footing the bill for businesses.

City and County Issue Guide 2009
Policymakers in the many local governments of North Carolina face a host of important challenges. This issue guide offers solutions to problems that confront North Carolinians at municipal and county levels. The common thread in these recommendations is freedom. By increasing individual freedom, local governments can foster the prosperity of all North Carolinians and keep open avenues to innovative solutions from enterprising citizens.

City and County Budget Crises: When in a hole, first stop digging
Quick facts:

• This report documents the change in locally generated revenues of 98 North Carolina counties* and the 30 largest N.C. cities between 2002 and 2007.



• Locally generated revenues increased faster than population and inflation in 96 of 98 counties and 24 of 30 cities. In Union County, revenue increased 48 percent faster than population and inflation over five years.



• For that reason, many counties and cities are having financial difficulties because they have spent taxpayer revenues on unnecessary or low-priority projects.



• In addition, the public has recognized that counties must live with in their means. Since 2007, voters have rejected tax increases 66 of the 74 times that county commissioners asked for a tax increase. That is almost 90 percent of the time.



• Furthermore, this report provides information that is an essential starting point for citizens to hold their elected and unelected officials accountable for their spending decisions.



• County and city officials must do more to put budget and revenue information on the Internet in easily accessible formats.