June Board Meeting Rundown - No Budget Vote, And More Importantly - No Camping with Mace

Davidson's June meeting Tuesday evening was short by recent standards.  That was mostly due to the big item on the agenda - the 2013 budget - being pushed to a newly scheduled work session two weeks from now.  The stated reason was how long it has taken to get a handle on the lagging revenues from the solid waste fee.  Town Manager Leamon Brice said this was just nailed down late last week so staff needed time to incorporate that into a final budget.  That would seem to say that these revenues may be lagging for a valid reason and staff needs time to reconfigure the budget based on lower revenues.  Since solid waste is now an enterprise fund that is concerning since its revenues are supposed to fully cover the service.

As part of the "consent agenda" as usual a number of items passed with no discussion including the appointment of new members to a couple of citizen boards.  This included the appointment of Ken Essex and Steven Miller to the Mi-Connection Board and Mickey Pettus and Thomas Hazel to the Livability Board.  None of the appointees were recognized at the meeting.  Mr Pettus, who ran unsuccessfully for Town Board last November, has recently been in the news for his involvement in the discussions on the proposed CHS mental health facility on 73.  Ironically, the Lake Norman Citizen points out that his support of the project (which is being pitched as a livability improvement for the region) has caused some rifts in the River Run community where he is currently the POA President.

New business for the evening included several changes to the Town's picketing, protesting/event, and camping ordinances.  Many of the changes appeared to be in preparation for the upcoming DNC and/or to prevent an Occupy type movement from taking hold in Town.  For example who knew that a "camping" ordinance needed to have references like the following?  In addition to camping...

"The ordinance also makes it unlawful to intentionally obstruct, with obstruction objects or instruments, a public road, sidewalk, entrance or exit to private property or any other area open to the public or to obstruct pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Obstruction instruments are devices commonly known as "lock boxes" or "sleeping dragons". They are usually made of pipes, tubes, wire handcuffs, chains, carabiners or padlocks. Likewise, individuals are prohibited from chaining together to stop traffic or block entrance to a building such as town hall or a bank.

Using a noxious substance to interfere with a lawful assembly, emergency services or a person's right to exit or enter a place is also prohibited. It is unlawful to throw a noxious substance as a projectile. Noxious substances can be anything that is offensive or harmful such as trash, feces, urine, garbage, etc."

The new "extraordinary event" ordinance was more of the same. Apparently, extraordinary events involve things like people carrying a "hammer or crow bar" or smuggling weapons in "a backpack, duffel bag, satchel, cooler or other item carried with the intent to conceal weapons or other prohibited items."

All the new ordinances and changes passed unanimously with no real debate.  To their credit, Commissioners Wessner and Fuller asked several questions, but ultimately no clarifications were requested before passing the vote - clarifications such as what actually constitutes an extraordinary event.  As a frame of reference, when Charlotte passed similar changes, it drew capacity crowds to the government center in Uptown.  In Davidson Tuesday night, nobody was there to hear it. 

With the DNC coming to Charlotte, it will be interesting to see if this gets used in the near future.