A PUBLICATION OF THE NC LEAGUE OF MUNICIPALITIES Southern City VOLUME 68, NO. 5 September/October 2018 NCLM President & Jacksonville Mayor Pro Tem Michael Lazzara Being a Unifier League Unveils Opioid Solutions Toolbox Citizen Academies Spark Involvement BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2017-2018 Southern City | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 | 1 contents 6 5 Amazon Chooses Garner for New Facility Here We Grow feature story 21 Durham, Winston- Salem Selected for NLC Hunger Fighting Effort NC cities among six selected nationally 30 Regional Roundtable 6 Being a Unifier Discussions Mayor Pro Tem Lazzara has penchant for bringing people, ideas together Foster Dialogue on Population 11 CityVision 2018: Crafting A Future in Hickory Challenges City’s past, present an attractive combination Grassroots staff hits the road 16 Citizens Academies Surprise Residents, Spark 36 North Carolina Cities Involvement in Partnerships to Gastonia engages its residents Educate and Protect Homeowners 18 League Offers Response-to-Resistance Simulator Preferred Partners Spotlight to Assist Law Enforcement feature story Safety is the goal 37 NLC, Schmidt 22 League Unveils Opioid Solutions Toolbox Futures to Support Connecting you to available resources City Innovation Ecosystems 26 Sen. Jay Chaudhuri Success is diversity of thought Program seeks to grow entrepreneurship 32 Everything Under the Sun Beach town governments see, do it all to make it work 2 | Southern City | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 INSIDE 1 Board of Directors Southern City is a publication for and about North Carolina municipalities, 4 Speaking Out: A Year of Accomplishment published bimonthly by the North Carolina League of Municipalities 14 Advocacy Angle: Advocacy Goals Conference is Around in partnership with Innovative the Corner Publishing, a national publisher of association and corporate 20 Risk Management Services Board of Trustees magazines. 25 Legal Eagles: Amotion Proceedings to Remove Elected Officials from Office Volume 68 Number 5 35 Member Relations Corner: Why Reputation Matters September/October 2018 40 Talk of our Towns Executive Director & Publisher: Paul Meyer 44 Taking the Field: Rebranding Our Organization Editor: Scott Mooneyham Writer: Ben Brown WWW.NCLM.ORG 32 Southern City (USPS 827-280) is published bimonthly 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 150 Fayetteville St., Suite 300 Raleigh, NC 27601 Published September 2018 • Volume 2 Issue 4 • 2018 Volume • 2018 September Published 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 Advocacy Communication Public Affairs Associate Southern City | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 | 3 Speaking Out A Year of Accomplishment By NCLM President and Jacksonville Mayor Pro Tem Michael Lazzara ack in March, as I spoke at a Over the past year, as your President position ourselves politically. Though news conference regarding of the North Carolina League of this can seem a two-step-forward, one- Bthe release of the League’s Municipalities, I have had the distinct step-back process, where we are today important whitepaper on broadband honor of helping this organization in terms of legislative relations was access in North Carolina, I mentioned continue to develop into one that is never better demonstrated than during the importance and the obvious nature mission-driven, one that is keeping pace the first-ever Town & State Dinner. of people’s attachment to the towns with the pulse of change. Being able to better connect with our and cities across the state that they love We have accomplished great things legislators over a meal, and seeing how and hold dear. There is little doubt that together. receptive they have become to working we are living in times of tremendous As I mentioned at the outset of this together on common purposes was change, and a big part of that change column, the release of the League’s heartening. involves demographic shifts and broadband report and efforts in The year also saw continued changes increasing urbanization. promoting better Internet access in the Risk Management Services I think one of the things that we across the state represented a major Division and our insurance operations, can be proud of at the North Carolina step forward. It was the first effort of making offerings more responsive to League of Municipalities is that we its kind for NCLM, and one that we pool member needs. have evolved into an organization hope creates a template for future major Finally, by the time that you read this, that takes seriously the challenges and policy campaigns. an effort to rebrand the organization opportunities created by this change. During 2018, we also created a with a new logo and associated Yet, we continue to recognize the Municipal Operations Consultants messaging, to better reflect the goals of tremendous value in the diversity of program, putting four former municipal the Vision 2030 strategic visioning plan our cities and towns. As I noted in managers in the field to assist towns will have been well under way. And March, yes, we have growing, bustling and cities. These folks are meeting we will have unveiled an opioid crisis cities that have become national drivers with municipal officials to help with toolbox (see page 22) so that all of our of the economy. We also have a rich questions or concerns over finances, members can emulate the best practices tapestry of small towns that have unique difficult audit results, and management of those members that finding success characteristics and abound with nearby or operational issues. By providing in addressing this terrible crisis that natural beauty. As a mission-driven hands-on help in this way, we believe is harming individuals, families and organization, we know that it is our duty the League is making and can make communities. to help all of these places thrive and a real difference when it comes to As I leave the post as NCLM allow the residents of each to pursue ensuring the vitality of municipalities. President, I want to thank all of their own individual visions of what I am also very proud of our my fellow member of the Board of their communities should be. organization’s continued efforts to better Directors and all the other elected continued on page 42 4 | Southern City | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 Amazon Chooses Garner for New Facility 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. community, our citizens will have to shoulder less of the tax burden in the years ahead,” Dickerson said. “I commend the work of the Town Council and staff in enhancing the Town’s long-term fiscal stability.” The Town Council on July 2 unanimously approved a special- use permit request by Dallas-based Hillwood Development Company to develop nearly 88 acres of the approximately 98-acre tract with a four- story building that will have a footprint own of Garner officials are number of employees at the facility will of 680,000 square feet. The nonprofit hailing Amazon’s selection be several hundred more than peak Garner Economic Development of the Garner Technology employment at the ConAgra plant. Corporation (GEDC)—established Center as the location for a “This is a historic day for Garner. after ConAgra donated the site to the Tnew 2.6-million-square-foot, state-of- Today will be remembered as the Town to take ownership of the property the-art distribution center. The Seattle- day that Garner entered a new era of and oversee its redevelopment—closed based e-commerce company will invest prosperity and opportunity,” Mayor on the sale of 88 acres of the property approximately $200 million in the site Ronnie Williams said at the Aug. 10 to Hillwood on Aug. 8. “This project on Jones Sausage Road, formerly the news conference announcing the meets the goals the GEDC set out to location of the ConAgra plant where a e-retailer’s decision. “Amazon’s selection accomplish,” GEDC board chair Bruce deadly explosion occurred in June 2009. of this site is an important milestone Andrews said. “Sale of the property The investment will create an estimated for our town as we continue to move will allow us to continue to be an 1,500 jobs, making the distribution forward after the ConAgra tragedy.” instrumental force in Garner’s future center Garner’s largest employer. Town Manager Rodney Dickerson economic development efforts.” Amazon hopes to open the center by noted that the new investment at the Hillwood will partner with the Town fall 2019. The e-retailer’s investment site will help the Town move closer and NCDOT to make critical road in Garner will be approximately four toward a 50-50 balance of commercial improvements along Jones Sausage times the amount of peak investment and residential tax base. “As a result Road and also the Jones Sausage/Garner by ConAgra at the site, while the of this major new investment in our continued on page 43 Southern City | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 | 5 Cover Story BEING A UNIFIER Mayor Pro Tem Lazzara Has Penchant for Bringing People, Ideas Together By Ben Brown, NCLM Advocacy Communication Associate hen a young U.S. Marine named Michael Lazzara settled into his uniform at Camp Lejeune in the early 1980s, he wasn’t getting the Wfriendliest vibe from the surrounding city of Jacksonville.