This power point is a review of the city of Hickory\'s operations, finances, and accomplishments for Fiscal Year 2008. The presentation was given to the Chamber of Commerce and other interested clubs and organizations within the City. I assembled this presentation for the Mayor of Hickory, North Carolina while I worked for the city manager there.

1. Hickory Year in Review - 2008 Economic Development City Services Public Safety Regional Conservation

2. Door Count Circulation Computer Patrons ~ 5 cents on the property tax rate goes toward Library LIBRARY PATRONAGE REACHES RECORD HIGH 7% Increase 449,378 9% Increase 457,543 11% Increase 125,585

3. 36 Gang Awareness Classes Conducted (Attendance – 1,358) Police Department Added 10 New Officer Positions - 6 patrol officers - 4 traffic unit officers (grant) Police Department Increases Crime Prevention

4. 14 Consecutive Years Without Fire Related Death We get there fast! We responded to 5,899 emergency calls this year. We get lots of practice We have a 4 minute 9 second average response time. We teach our citizens about safety and prevention We educated 32,301 citizens through 519 education programs this year. Fire department operates 7 fire stations – adequately serving the city’s safety needs

5. New Park Exploration New Parks Exploration Cloninger Mill, Dog Park & City Gardens Highland and Ridgeview Rec Centers now open Mondays Average of 5,216 drop-in Rec center patrons per month 467 Adults; 1,956 Youth; 411 volunteer coaches participated in recreation programs ~ 8 cents on the property tax rate goes toward P&R 600 Seniors: Unifour Senior Games

6. Comparison of NC cities over 25,000 population that do not operate an electric enterprise. Merchant Distributors, Inc. No property tax rate increase in 14 years 1,400 new jobs announced 338,669 0.435 Raleigh 116,244 0.420 Cary 73,189 0.420 Asheville 640,270 0.459 Charlotte 97,135 0.460 Wilmington 199,061 0.490 Winston-Salem 40,141 0.497 Kannapolis 40,212 0.500 Hickory 52,397 0.522 Chapel Hill 70,278 0.530 Gastonia 26,086 0.560 Thomasville 209,123 0.613 Durham 29,239 0.625 Salisbury 47,295 0.625 Burlington 73,121 0.626 Jacksonville 237,324 0.635 Greensboro 38,186 0.650 Goldsboro Population Rate City

9. Hickory water customers conserve avg. of 2.2 million gallons per day Water System News Replacement of the 100-year old Cripple Creek sewer line NO IBT Lead agency in Water Management Group (13 jurisdictions) Water System News City leads the Protect the Catawba Coalition (22 cities and counties) Replacement of a 6 million gallon per day waste water treatment plant Replacement of the 100-year old Cripple Creek sewer line

10. Unleaded and diesel fuel (combined) prices increased 72% from July of 2007 to July 2008 Fuel consumption down 5.26% (21,689 gallons) in 5 years 412,517 406,667 390,993 390,828 388,775

12. Citizens reveal positive perception of community in survey Adequate level of service from the City of Hickory for the property taxes you pay? Yes – 58.3% No – 18.6% Unsure – 23.1%

13. Current Projects For more information check out the City’s enhanced web site: www.hickorygov.com Construction of downtown bus transfer station Update Hickory By Choice & The Land Development Code Design and implement a “Wayfinding” signage system Major Capital Projects: -Clement Blvd. extension -NE wastewater treatment plant -Cripple creek sewer line Brownfield assessments

14. Certificates of Deposit 32% North Carolina Capital Management Trust 32% U.S. Agency Securities 33% Finistar 1% In Demand Deposits 2% Cash and Investments Portfolio September 30, 2008 $43,000,000

15. How Secure Are Our Investments? Our investment program prioritizes safety and liquidity above yield. So we forfeit some earnings potential for safety. All Certificates of Deposits are either FDIC insured or collateralized through the State Treasurers Pooling Fund. But our investments are still only as secure as the financial condition of the U.S Treasury and the NC Department of the State Treasurer.

17. Roads maintained by DOT include: City currently maintains 475.4 miles of roadway measured by lane miles. DOT currently maintains 231.8 miles of roadway measured by lane miles. 29 th Street Highway 127 Highway 70 Catawba Valley Blvd 1 Way Pairs 16 th Street McDonald Blvd City Streets and Roadways