Town approves Langtree annexation; Lake Davidson Working Group releases draft agreement

• Mooresville's town board agreed to annex about 143 acres of the Langtree at the Lake property, which opens the door for developers of Langtree -- the $800 million mixed-use development in Mt. Mourne -- to ask the town to back bonds to pay for the development's infrastructure. For more on that, read the Mooresville Tribune's article here: http://www2.mooresvilletribune.com/content/2009/feb/04/town-approves-langtree-annexation/news-local/
  

• The Lake Davidson Working Group has released a draft interlocal agreement. Here's the article, by the Lake Norman Times: http://thelakepaper.com/articles/2009/02/04/news/news001.txt

And here are other articles from the Times that you may be interested in:

• MI-Connection board gets revised budget figures for 2008-2009 fiscal year http://thelakepaper.com/articles/2009/02/04/news/lake_business_news/biz003.txt

• MI-Connection board OKs fee increases http://thelakepaper.com/articles/2009/02/04/news/lake_business_news/biz004.txt

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

Feds to Town: Pay up.

The U.S. Department of Justice has told the Town of Mooresville and its police department to repay $4,862 in asset forfeiture funds that former Police Chief John Crone used to pay airfare costs for a Mayor’s Youth Council trip to New York City.

Also, the town received the results of its outside forensic audits into Crone's Cops for Kids program today - more than six months after commissioners ordered the probes. The audit results will not be released until the State Bureau of Investigation has reviewed them and determined that their release will not compromise the state's ongoing criminal investigation.

In an e-mail to commissioners today, Town Manager Steve Husemann said that the town recently received a letter from the Department of Justice, "asking the town and MPD ... to reimburse (the local asset forfeiture) account and provide (the Deparment of Justice) with confirmation of said repayment.

"This really does not have a financial impact on the town," Husemann said. "Drug Forfeiture funds can be used only for certain purposes, and we will pick a clearly eligible purpose to fund with this money."

Husemann also said that the town has requested that Crone write a check for the entire amount from the Cops for Kids bank account.

For the complete story on Crone's use of the federal money, click here: http://thegattonreport.blogspot.com/2008/09/former-police-chief-violated-federal.html

Husemann, in today's e-mail, said that town staff "had been waiting to announce the Department of Justice request with the results of the accounting study." However, he said, "we just received the accounting study today."

Husemann said he decided to release the information about the federal request when the Mooresville Tribune asked for an update on the Cops for Kids situation. "I don't want to withhold any information," said Husemann, adding, however, that "we do not plan to release the accounting study until the SBI determines that it has no relevance to their investigation and until (Town Attorney) Steve Gambill determines that any personnel information is redacted."

Continued Husemann: "We have no desire to hold up the release any longer than we have to. I have not yet seen the accounting report and have made this decision without knowing the content."

Cable official: MI-Connection 'not looking very good'

The Lake Norman Times recently reported that five months into the fiscal year, MI-Connection's operating revenue is about $686,000 in the hole.

Click this link for the entire article: http://www.thelakepaper.com/articles/2008/12/26/news/news003.txt

Cops for Kids audit report expected soon

The Cops for Kids’ audits could be complete and presented to Mooresville commissioners as early as Jan. 2.

“I have been in contact with (accountants) Greer & Walker and Tom Himes regarding the financial audits,” Finance Director Maia Setzer said late last week, adding that “they are working together to compile one report rather than submitting separate documents.”

She said she expects to receive that report “in time to be discussed or presented at the Jan. 2 agenda briefing.” However, she added, “I really do not want to ‘promise’ that as I still have a fair amount of work to complete once I receive that report.”

Five months have passed since the Town of Mooresville launched several investigations into former police chief John Crone’s Cops for Kids program. One month after calling for the probes, the town fired Crone.

Setzer said that the “secondary review” of the police department evidence room is about half complete and that she hoped to spend “a great deal of time” in the evidence room this week “to complete the review of records.”

Maj. Carl Robbins, who has been acting chief of police since Crone was fired, said that one of the police department’s two evidence custodians recently attended 16 hours of training through a certification program sponsored by the International Association for Property and Evidence. “During the two days,” Robbins said, “she was instructed on proper packaging protocol for evidence and the most efficient use of limited space in property and evidence facilities.”

Robbins said that the police department’s two evidence custodians will soon begin transferring evidence and property to another secured room in the police department. Once the evidence room is cleaned out, the department’s new safe – which will include an electronic data trail and security camera – will be installed, he said.

“After all preparations are in place, the evidence and property will be documented and returned to its original room,” Robbins added. “Any missing or improperly documented evidence will be duly noted.”

Robbins said that the SBI – which is also investigating the Cops for Kids program – was “contacted and briefed on (the police department’s) immediate plans for the evidence and property transfer,” and that the agent in charge “saw no negative impact on his ongoing investigation.”

Town Manager Steve Husemann said he is waiting for the SBI report before hiring Crone’s replacement. “Awaiting the SBI report is somewhat of an excuse, but there is some logic to it,” he said. “If I felt we had a bad situation, I would proceed before that report is completed, but the fact is that I think Major Robbins in doing a good job as interim, and that gives me the luxury of not being in a rush to fill the position. This gives me an opportunity to get a better knowledge of (the Mooresville Police Department), its personnel and issues.

“While I don’t really expect the SBI report to have any impact on how we proceed,” Husemann said, “there is no apparent harm in awaiting the report."

Top county administrator demoted amid controversy

One of Iredell County’s top administrators was demoted yesterday, apparently after confirming that she has become involved with a county commissioner.

Effective Dec. 4, Deputy County Manager/Finance Director Susan Blumenstein, who has worked for the county for more than 23 years, is no longer the county’s deputy manager – but she will retain her position as finance director – because of her relationship with Commissioner Ken Robertson.

Blumenstein’s salary was cut by more than $11,000 a year, according to the county’s human resources department. Her new salary is $117, 543.

County Manager Joel Mashburn did not confirm the relationship between Robertson and Blumenstein yesterday, saying only: “Mr. Robertson has not talked to me about it.”

Mashburn said that the county has a policy that prohibits a person in a supervisory role from dating someone within his or her own department. But the policy, Mashburn said, does not specifically address relationships between elected officials and staff. “In the circumstances you’re talking about, it would not be clear,” he said.

In a phone conversation with the Report on Thursday, Robertson said that while the couple did not “make a public spectacle of” their relationship, they also didn’t make a conscientious effort to be secretive about it.

In fact, he said, the two of them – both of whom are unmarried – “individually and independently” approached County Attorney Bill Pope before they went out.

“At some point in time, Susan and I decided that instead of just talking, it might be nice to go out,” Robertson said. “We asked the county attorney, he reviewed the county policy, and he said that he saw no reason why we can’t see each other socially.”

Before that, Robertson said, he and Blumenstein had not so much as “sat down and eaten a sandwich together.”

Even after receiving assurances from Pope that they wouldn’t be violating county policy, Robertson said, at least three weeks passed before he and Blumenstein went out. He said he could count on one hand the number of times they’ve been out since. This past Sunday, he said, they together attended a church program about “a person’s spiritual journey after a devastating life experience.”

Robertson said after talking to Pope that he approached Marvin Norman, who at the time was chairman of the county commission. “I told him before we went out,” Robertson said, “and he said if it was okay with Mr. Pope, it was okay with him, and that’s it.

“We were not in violation of county policy,” Robertson said.

When asked how, if at all, the relationship has influenced any of his decisions, Robertson said: “Susan is not a policy-maker. The county manager enforces the policies. Susan, as deputy county manager, reports to the county manager, and everything goes through the county manager.

“We (as commissioners) are not allowed to give staff direction,” Robertson said, adding that the board of commissioners has authority only over the county manager and not the deputy county manager.

But while the deputy county manager may not enforce policies, the question remains: Does the position have the potential of influencing policy? And if so, would that therefore render it inappropriate to have a relationship with an elected official? Tell me your thoughts.