NCLM NC LEAGUE OF MUNICIPALITIES VOLUME 69, NO. 2 2nd Quarter 2019 A PUBLICATION OF THE NC LEAGUE OF MUNICIPALITIES Kings Mountain Mayor Scott Neisler A Community on Track League Unveils New Logo, Tagline Broadband Tour Sparks Conversation Whether you’re a small town or a large city, the NC League of Municipalities offers a wide variety of group benefits to cover your staff. We proudly offer: • Flexible medical coverage - from fully-insured plans, HDHPs, self-insured plans, and other customizable options • Tiered plans for dental, vision, life and disability coverages • Groups from 1 employee to 1,000+ employees League members and other North Carolina local government entities are eligible for coverage. Contact us today for a quote! BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2017-2018 NCLM NC LEAGUE OF MUNICIPALITIES Southern City 2ND QUARTER 2019 1 NCLMCONTENTS NC LEAGUE OF MUNICIP ALITIES 6 5 Hudson Project ‘Connecting Arts and Business’ Here We Grow feature story 16 Metro Mayors an Affiliate of the League Respective group leaders ink agreement to work together 22 Cyber Security Resources for Prevention and Protection in the Event of a Breach You think you know the right 6 A Community on Track steps to online safety -- but do Kings Mountain and Mayor Scott Neisler share origins, enthusiasm you really? 11 Second Town & State Dinner Focuses on Common 33 Addressing the Purpose Affordable Housing Capacity event built lots of goodwill Crisis Communities of all sizes 17 Broadband Tour Sparks Conversation on Access, affected Solutions Dialogue highlights needs, ways for better connections and speeds 37 EnviroSafe Strengthens NC Fire 24 Ready for the Mission and Rescue Service Rep. Holly Grange Reflects on Military Background, Full-Time Task as Delivery Systems Legislator Preferred Partners Spotlight feature story 29 NCLM Has New Home (Again) Second move since the fire. Update your address book! 38 League Partners With ‘Lead for North 30 League Unveils New Logo, Tagline As Organization Carolina’ Looks to Future Placing effective, young people Modernization followed intensive development process in small-town gov’t jobs 2 Southern City 2ND QUARTER 2019 INSIDE Southern City is a publication 1 Board of Directors for and about North Carolina 4 Speaking Out: Learning is the Key to Leadership municipalities, published quarterly by the North Carolina League of 20 Risk Management Services Board of Trustees Municipalities in partnership with Innovative Publishing, a national 21 From the Trust Perspective: Renewal Season Brings publisher of association and Member Visits, News of Stable Rates corporate magazines. 32 Facing Forward: Business Continuity: Making Your Volume 69 Municipality’s IT and Other Systems Disaster Ready Number 2 2nd Quarter 2019 40 Talk of our Towns Executive Director & Publisher: 44 Taking the Field: Protecting Existing Property Owners Paul Meyer Editor: Scott Mooneyham Writer: Ben Brown 11 WWW.NCLM.ORG Southern City (USPS 827-280) is published quarterly for $25 per year ($2 per year to member municipalities, $1 for single copies) by the North Carolina League of Municipalities Phone: 919-715-4000 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Southern City 434 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1900 Raleigh, NC 27601 Published May 2019 • Volume 69 Issue 2 • 2019 Published May 2019 • Volume ADVERTISING: For advertising inquiries, please contact Innovative Publishing, 844-423-7272 (toll-free), WRITERS THIS ISSUE 888-780-2241 (fax), or advertise@ innovativepublishing.com USPS 827-280 Periodicals Postage paid at Raleigh, NC 27676 and additional mailing locations Scott Mooneyham Ben Brown Director of Political Communications and Communication and Multimedia Strategist NCLM Coordination NC LEAGUE OF MUNICIPALITIES Southern City 2ND QUARTER 2019 3 Speaking Out Learning is the Key to Leadership By William Pitt, NCLM President ne of my favorite sayings are assisting cities and towns in the is, “If you stop learning, face of tremendous population and “And it is in that growth Oyou stop living.” As I begin cultural change. And we have been my term as president of your North and learning that we and continue to be a great resource Carolina League of Municipalities, and help each other work for providing innovative ideas and as we come out of our recently-held best practices. annual conference, CityVision, which collectively, through an While the League staff is crucial took place in Hickory in mid-May, it is organization like the in providing this knowledge and an especially apt phrase to reflect on. League, to come up expertise, it is no more valuable than As I noted in my acceptance your involvement. speech as president at CityVision, with solutions that can After all, it is our collective voice to be an effective leader, you must help all of us.” that makes our needs resonant with evolve. And to evolve, you have state policymakers. And it is the ideas to continue learning, whether that of the individual that can be and are means learning about the policy And it is in that growth and shared with the many. issues that are so important to learning that we help each other The journey of an elected official future of our municipalities and their work collectively, through an is long, but it is a good long. I have residents, or learning about the skills organization like the League, to come been fortunate to travel a path that needed to inspire people to follow up with solutions that can help all of is mine. It has been a path with paths that lead to that future and us. One aspect of CityVision this year many side roads. Those roads have future success. was the unveiling of our new logo, led me to many experiences. And One of the great things about tagline, mission statement and values those experiences are a part of that CityVision is how it provides for a statement. That tagline – “Working learning, that education. forum of learning on multiple levels. as One. Advancing All.” – could not As I begin down a new part We have the opportunity to learn more clearly or concisely express this of that path, as president of this from informative programming. We sentiment. organization, I look forward to have the opportunity to network We – municipal officials and working with each of you as we and learn from each other. We have League staff together – are continue to grow and learn together. the opportunity to see up close committed to addressing problems As we do so, I know that we will, in how the host city is addressing its like a lack of quality broadband turn, be able to accomplish goals for needs and challenges. We even have access and opioid addiction. We are the benefit of others and be a voice the opportunity to learn about the providing for the insurance needs for a cause that betters our state solutions that the vendors attending of cities and towns – in efficient and as we better each of our towns and can potentially offer to our towns or effective ways that limit liability and cities. SC cities. prevent costs before they occur. We 4 Southern City 2ND QUARTER 2019 Hudson Project ‘Connecting Arts and Business’ In each edition, Southern City will regularly feature one of the local stories uploaded by member municipalities to HereWeGrowNC.org as a part of the League’s campaign promoting investments by cities and towns that aid economic growth. To learn how your local story can be featured, go to HereWeGrowNC.org. t the expansive HUB Station off Cedar Valley Road Ain Hudson, the Caldwell County town and its 4,000 residents have a lot more than just a spot for local commerce. The focus is regionwide economic development and empowerment for the creative, with the slogan: “Connecting Arts and Business.” Having just celebrated an open house that showed visitors a wealth of available space in the campus’ two buildings — one focused on arts; the other on business-boosting — the HUB Station is “an initiative to promote economic growth and community life by connecting the arts and business on one site,” the HUB Station and adding the He added that the location’s explained Kathy Carroll, chair of the business angle with accessible space affordability for business startups HUB Station Steering Committee. for entrepreneurs. “gives entrepreneurs in the region HUB stands for Hudson Uptown Caldwell Community College and an option that they may not have Building, the former moniker of what Technical Institute’s (CCC&TI) Small considered before. Having a safe, originally housed a school in the Business Center has settled into the secure, and centrally located space 1940s and later came under the Town HUB Station’s second building, as with all the amenities you would of Hudson’s ownership. In 2003, the have other business tenants who expect in a modern day workspace Hudson Board of Commissioners enjoy the space. should be attractive to anyone opened the revitalized HUB as an arts Ben Willis, Small Business Center looking to get their business off the and events center. director (and mayor pro tem of ground.” “It has been a great success,” neighboring Lenoir), said the new Meanwhile, the arts building is Hudson Town Manager Rebecca location gives the CCC&TI Small burgeoning. The Western North M. Bentley said, “but the Board Business Center “easier access to Carolina Society of Artisans has is committed to creating an even the public and better exposure leased space there, set up an art better, unique business and arts not only for the businesses in the gallery and begun offering classes. environment” and have shown as incubation center but throughout the The town additionally is working with much by rebranding the facility as community.” the Caldwell County Arts Council to continued on page 43 Southern City 2ND QUARTER 2019 5 Kings Mountain Mayor Scott Neisler, a native, lives and breathes his hometown with deep, personal connections.