The winner was Mitt Romney, who received 38 votes, outpacing Rick Santorum who came in second with 31. Newt Gingrich grabbed 16 votes and Ron Paul doubled Tillis' total with two. Of the remainder of attendees, 11 were undecided and 10 did not vote. There was one "hanging chad." Tillis' sudden rise in popularity among likely Republican voters, however, has yet to compel him to enter the race.
North Mecklenburg Republican Women's meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at NorthStone Country Club, 15801 NorthStone Drive, in Huntersville. Men and women are welcome. A mix and mingle event is also held every third Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Hickory Tavern in Birkdale Crossing on Sam Furr Road in Huntersville. Visit NMRW on facebook.
Smokers butt out in Cornelius parks
By unanimous vote of the Cornelius Town Board of Commissioners, Cornelius park facilities will be declared tobacco-free beginning March 1. The Parks, Arts, Recreation and Culture (PARC) Department has been working with the American Cancer Society on spearheading the policy, which first received unanimous support from the PARC Advisory Commission before being presented to the town board.
Under the new ordinance, the use of all tobacco products, including but not limited to smoking, will be prohibited. "People have an expectation to take a breath of fresh air when visiting parks, and this policy affirms that expectation," says PARC Director Troy Fitzsimmons.
Park visitors will be reminded of the ordinance by signs that will be posted in the parks and announcements at park events. Violators of the ordinance can be fined $50. The ban is in effect for all parks owned by the Town of Cornelius and those leased to the town by Mecklenburg County. It does not apply to Jetton Park or Ramsey Creek Park. Cornelius is the first town in Mecklenburg to adopt a tobacco-free policy in parks.
Focus Friday takes on property revaluation
Two weeks ago, Cornelius Mayor Jeff Tarte, at the direction of his town board, sent a letter to Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners Chairman Harold Cogdell regarding the county's Board of Equalization and Review. In the letter, Mayor Tarte writes, "The Cornelius board urgently requests that a moratorium be immediately put into place of processing further revaluation appeals until all affected citizens are assured of due process, fair and equal treatment and adequate information to make informed decisions and present meaningful appeal petitions."
Citizens and businesses have been frustrated and complained for months about both the real estate revaluation and the appeals process. The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce Focus Friday on Feb. 24, will provide local residents and businesspeople a forum in which to voice their continued frustrations with the process. The meeting will be held in the Chamber's Randy Marion Conference Room from 8 to 9:30 a.m.
"We are fortunate that Buck Moody of Thompson Reuters has agreed to explain the property tax appeals process and the North Carolina law related to tax assessments," says Chamber President Bill Russell. "There is a significant variance in property appraisals independently conducted by owners and that of the assessment prepared by the county. While the business community as property owners have a fiduciary responsibility to help pay for county services and infrastructure costs, it needs to be fair and equitable. The Chamber is concerned that may not currently be the case."
On hand will be Tarte, who is looking to form a citizens task force on the issue, which could help lawmakers craft state legislation that creates a much more fair appeals process. "Current legislation inhibits the residential and commercial property owner from introducing independent appraisals for the use of the tax evaluation," says Tarte. "There needs to be a consistent and fair appraisal process applied to the revaluation."
Moody is the senior manager with Thompson Reuters Property Tax Services. He was formally senior vice president of Wells Fargo Corporate Properties Group. The Chamber encourages any business or interested residential property owner to attend at no charge.
Davidson Elementary gets a new principal
Dana R. Jarrett is the new principal at Davidson Elementary School. Jarrett's appointment to the Davidson post was one of five administrative staff additions announced Tuesday night by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.
Jarrett has worked in Cabarrus County since 2003, where her most recent position was assistant principal of instruction. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's in school administration, both from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
DES's previous principal, Terry Hall, left the school at the start of the 2011 Christmas break after being reassigned as principal at Dilworth Elementary School in Charlotte. Anne Nivens has been serving as the interim principal for the last two months.
The school board also voted to create an Intergovernmental Relations Committee. The new committee, made up of five board members, will be one of several standing committees. It will focus on strengthening the board's relationship with the city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the North Carolina General Assembly.
The committee will be led by board vice-chairman and at-large member Mary McCray and at-large member Tim Morgan. Committee members will be District 5 Rep. Eric Davis, District 2 Rep. Richard McElrath and District 3 Rep. Joyce Waddell. The committee will assist in developing the annual legislative agenda given to the North Carolina General Assembly, as well as negotiating the annual operating budget and other agreements with the city and county.
Tuesday's meeting also included the first report from the new Privatization Advisory Committee, which recommended the district consider expanding some outsourcing of custodial functions and explore outsourcing some functions of information technology as well as privatizing payroll.
The committee recommended to the board that outsourcing of custodial services be expanded to cover all administrative sites. At present, four administrative sites receive outsourced custodial services; the committee recommends outsourcing for six new administrative sites scheduled for use during 2012-13. No CMS employees would be affected. The staff estimates that it saves about $110,000 per year for the four existing sites. The committee will evaluate expanding outsourced custodial services in a pilot program.
The committee also recommended a Request for Proposal be issued for outsourcing payroll services, which would likely result in a reduction of CMS payroll staff. The committee said that an RFP would allow the district to learn the market cost of payroll services.
Amateur athletes sought for Games
The bagpipes are blaring out the call for all amateur athletes interested in taking part in the 19th annual Rural Hill Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games in mid April.
The celebration and competition, the highlight of the annual event schedule at Historic Rural Hill in Huntersville, will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 21-22. Two full days of activities are planned and amateurs are being urged to test their skills and participate in the competition and camaraderie.
The traditional Scottish athletic competitions called the "Heavy Events" include stone throws, weight throws, hammer throws, caber toss, sheaf toss and similar feats of strength. Professional athletic competition will be Saturday and Sunday, with "Class A" amateur heavy athletic competition on Saturday and the remaining amateur classes competing on Sunday. Professionals, taking part in the event by invitation only, will also provide demonstrations of various skills on the final day of the festival.
For event information and registration details, visit www.ruralhillscottishfestivals.net.
Davidson VLN seats up for grabs
If you are a Davidson area entrepreneur or work for a local business and would like to have a say in the region's travel and tourism efforts, you are encouraged to apply for one of Davidson's seats on the Visit Lake Norman Board.
The chosen applicant will serve as an at-large member and as one of the town's three representatives to the board.
Visit Lake Norman is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to promote travel and tourism for the towns of Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville for the benefit of economic development. Its board is made up of 18 members who serve one-year terms. Board member responsibilities include the implementation of the stated policies and programs and approving the organization's annual budget.
Those interested in applying for one of the Davidson seats on the board can fill out an online application in the town's Online Forms Center, or access the form at www.townofdavidson.org/vlnapp. All applications are due by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29. For more information about VLN, visit www.visitlakenorman.org.
Water quality focus for LN Covekeepers
The next meeting of the Lake Norman Covekeepers will be held Thursday, Feb. 23, at the East Lincoln Volunteer Fire Department. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and all interested residents are invited to attend.
The guest speaker for the February session will be a representative from the Lincoln County Department of Public Works presenting an educational program focusing on package treatment plants and lift stations. These types of waste management facilities are in use in locations around Lake Norman and, in the event of a service failure, are a potential threat to the lake's water quality.
The ELVFD is at 406 S. Pilot Knob Road in Stanley. For more information about Covekeepers and the upcoming meeting, call Ben Benoit, 704-489-6249.
Junior Team Tennis registration open
The Lake Norman Tennis Association has opened registration for Jr. Team Tennis. Divisions at the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels are offered for ages 8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under and 18 and under. The deadline to register a new team is Saturday, Feb. 21, and the deadline to register a player for an existing team is Sunday, April 1. Team play starts Sunday, March 4.
The cost per player is $24. All junior players must also have a current junior USTA membership, available online at www.usta.com. First-time age 10 and under members qualify for a free membership (use source code "newgames"). For more information about Jr. Team Tennis, visit the Lake Norman Tennis Association Web site at www.lnta.org or contact Michele Lee, Jr. Team Tennis Coordinator, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
