Town officials to meet with billionaire hotelier John Q. Hammons

Mooresville officials are scheduled to meet today with Langtree at the Lake developers and billionaire hotelier John Q. Hammons.

The lunch meeting with Hammons -- who Langtree says is planning to build a hotel/convention center in the planned Langtree at the Lake development in Mt. Mourne -- was mentioned by Langtree CEO Rick Howard and Attorney David Parker at Monday night’s public hearing.

Town Manager Steve Husemann, in an e-mail to the Report today, said that the purpose of the lunch is "to talk about procedures for building permits, utilities etc.

“Obviously,” he added, “a show of support from the town and community is important as well. I would not expect any SAID (special assessment improvements district) bond discussion; in fact, none of the right people to discuss that issue will be present."

Husemann said he expected that town planners Tim Brown and Craig Culberson would attend the lunch, as well as Ryan Rase from engineering. Mayor Bill Thunberg and Commissioner Chris Carney were apparently the only two elected officials invited to attend. Carney told the Report that he had a scheduling conflict and would not be able to attend the lunch; he said today that he had asked that Commissioner Miles Atkins – who Parker said Monday night had been asking “the most piercing questions” of Langtree – be invited to the lunch in his place. Atkins was unable to be reached for comment at lunchtime today.

Husemann also said that he, as town manager, planned to attend the lunch. “I will be there to smile and shake hands,” he said. And “no,” he added – even without being asked the question – “Langtree will not be buying lunch for any city employees or commissioners.”

He said the meeting “is likely to be today, but I don’t believe that has been confirmed.”

More details on Monday night's discussion will be posted later ...

Will Mooresville back bonds for Langtree?

Developers of Langtree at the Lake, the $800 million mixed-use development in Mt. Mourne, will ask the Town of Mooresville on Feb. 2 to annex 142 acres in their development. It's a move that, if approved, could pave the way for the town to back the issuance of millions of dollars in bonds to pay for Langtree's infrastructure costs.

Langtree asked Iredell County in November to back $46 million in bonds. But the developers "ran into resistance ... partly because Langtree would be the first in the state to use the new financing method," the Charlotte Observer reports today. Click here for the Observer's full report: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/275/story/491835.html

The Report covered this story extensively when the proposal was before Iredell County's board of commissioners. For that coverage -- including an explanation of the new type of "special assessment district" financing -- click on the links below:

http://thegattonreport.blogspot.com/2008/11/bonds-for-billionaires.html

http://thegattonreport.blogspot.com/2008/11/county-to-langtree-too-many-questions.html

http://thegattonreport.blogspot.com/2008/11/tice-says-she-voted-with-group.html

http://thegattonreport.blogspot.com/2008/11/corporate-welfare-so-what.html

In other news...

The Lake Norman Times continues to closely follow the Lake Davidson Working Group meeting that was closed to the public and press last week. For the latest on that story, follow the links below:

WAS LAKE DAVIDSON MEETING ILLEGAL? Expert says closing meeting to public violated law; officials say rule doesn't apply:
http://thelakepaper.com/articles/2009/01/21/news/news001.txt

BOAT HORSEPOWER OFF INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT? Working Group comes to consensus on land-based section, still pushing for water-use restrictions:
http://thelakepaper.com/articles/2009/01/21/news/news002.txt

Members of Lake Norman Marine Commission oppose restrictions on Lake Davidson:
http://thelakepaper.com/articles/2009/01/21/news/news003.txt

Atkins walks out of meeting that may have violated state law

Mooresville Commissioner Miles Atkins refused to attend a Lake Davidson Working Group session this morning after the group shut the public and the press out of the meeting, the Lake Norman Times reports today.

The group maintains that it does not fall under the requirements of the state's open-meetings law. But at least one legal expert disagrees. To read more, click here: http://thelakepaper.com/articles/2009/01/15/news/news001.txt

To read North Carolina's Open Meetings Law (NCGS 143-33C), click here: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_143/Article_33C.html