Hickory Year in Review - 2008Economic

Development

City Services

Public Safety

Regional Conservation

LIBRARY PATRONAGE REACHES RECORD HIGH

7%Increase

449,378

9%Increase

457,543

11%Increase

125,585

Door Count Circulation ComputerPatrons

~ 5 cents on the property tax rate goes toward Library

Police Department IncreasesCrime Prevention

36 Gang Awareness Classes Conducted (Attendance – 1,358)

Police Department Added 10 New Officer Positions- 6 patrol officers- 4 traffic unit officers (grant)

14 Consecutive Years Without Fire Related Death

We get there fast!We responded to 5,899 emergency calls this year.

We get lots of practiceWe have a 4 minute 9 second average response time.

We teach our citizens about safety and prevention

We educated 32,301 citizens through 519 education programs this year.

Fire department operates 7 fire stations – adequately serving the city’s safety needs

New Park ExplorationNew Parks Exploration Cloninger Mill, Dog Park & City Gardens

Highland and Ridgeview Rec Centers now open Mondays

Average of 5,216 drop-in Rec center patrons per month

467 Adults; 1,956 Youth; 411 volunteer coaches participated in recreation programs

~ 8 cents on the property tax rate goes toward P&R

600 Seniors: Unifour Senior Games

Comparison of NC cities over 25,000 population that do not operate an electric enterprise.

No property tax rate increase in 14 years

1,400 new jobs announced

Merc

hant Dist

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Inc.

City Rate Population

Goldsboro 0.650 38,186

Greensboro 0.635 237,324

Jacksonville 0.626 73,121

Burlington 0.625 47,295

Salisbury 0.625 29,239

Durham 0.613 209,123

Thomasville 0.560 26,086

Gastonia 0.530 70,278

Chapel Hill 0.522 52,397

Hickory 0.500 40,212

Kannapolis 0.497 40,141

Winston-Salem 0.490 199,061

Wilmington 0.460 97,135

Charlotte 0.459 640,270

Asheville 0.420 73,189

Cary 0.420 116,244

Raleigh 0.435 338,669

To proactively encourage new and existing businesses to locate in vacant andunder-utilized buildings within six target redevelopment zones of Hickory, CityCouncil and staff

(1) Developed a vacant building inventory tool(2) Designated a commercial revitalization area(3) Created a vacant building revitalization grant program and (4) Unified existing redevelopment programs

Operation NO VACANCY

Hickory water customers conserve avg. of 2.2 million gallons per day

NOIBT

Water System News

Replacement of the 100-year old Cripple

Creek sewer line

Lead agency in Water Management Group (13

jurisdictions)

Water System News

City leads the Protect the Catawba Coalition

(22 cities and counties)

Replacement of a 6 million gallon per day waste water treatment

plant

Replacement of the 100-year old Cripple

Creek sewer line

Unleaded and diesel fuel (combined) prices increased 72% from July of 2007 to July 2008

Fuel consumption down 5.26% (21,689 gallons) in 5 years

412,517

406,667

390,993 390,828388,775

Piedmont Wagon Transit becomes first urban-rural regional transit authority in North Carolina

Operated by Western Piedmont Regional Transit Authority

•Access to more Federal and State funding sources

•More efficient vehicle routing and scheduling for 55 van routes

•Better positioned to expand services on a regional level

Citizens reveal positive perception of community in

survey

Adequate level of service from the City of Hickory for the property taxes you pay?

Yes – 58.3% No – 18.6% Unsure – 23.1%

Current Projects

For more information check out the City’s enhanced web site:

www.hickorygov.com

Construction of downtown bus transfer

station

Update Hickory By Choice & The Land Development Code

Design and implement a “Wayfinding” signage system

Major Capital Projects:-Clement Blvd. extension-NE wastewater treatment plant-Cripple creek sewer line

Brownfield assessments

Certificates of Deposit32%

North Carolina Capital

Management Trust32%

U.S. Agency Securities33%

Finistar1%In Demand

Deposits2%

Cash and Investments PortfolioSeptember 30, 2008

$43,000,000

How Secure Are Our Investments?

Our investment program prioritizes safety and liquidity above yield. So we forfeit some earnings potential for safety.

All Certificates of Deposits are either FDIC insured or collateralized through the State Treasurers Pooling Fund.

But our investments are still only as secure as the financial condition of the U.S Treasury and the NC Department of the State Treasurer.

Net Assets Increased by $6,928,598

City Financial Information

Assets Exceed Liabilities by $190,162,740 or 4,693 per citizen

The City has $4.45 of current assets for each $1.00 of current liabilities for all activities and $5.26 of total assets for each $1.00 of total liabilities for all activities

Undesignated General Fund Balance or “Rainy Day Fund” is $10,527,274 (23.9% or about 3 months operating expenses)

Current Designated Fund Balance is $3.5 million: - $2.5 million for Clement Blvd. extension - $1 million for fuel reserves

City currently maintains 475.4 miles of roadway measured by lane miles.

DOT currently maintains 231.8 miles of roadway measured by lane miles.

Roads maintained by DOT include:

29th Street

Highway 127Highway 70

Catawba Valley Blvd

1 Way Pairs16th Street

McDonald Blvd

City Streets and Roadways