August 2022 - Kannapolis Matters

Calendar of Events

AUGUST 2022

AUGUST 2 National Night Out | 5 p.m.

Veterans Park 6

Concert in the Park: Everclear, Fastball and The Nixons | 7 p.m.

Village Park

7

Sunday Music Series: RenElvis 1 p.m. | Veterans Park

11 Thursdays on Main: Band of Oz 6 p.m. | Veterans Park

Kannapolis Approves Budget

12 Movies in the Park: Avengers Endgame | 8:45 p.m. | Village Park

he Kannapolis City Council has approved the Fiscal Year 2023 budget. The total budget is $94,916,039 and includes all six operating funds of the City. The budget includes no property tax increase.

13 Kannapolis Cruise-In 11 a.m. | N.C. Research Campus

T

The budget concentrates on several guiding principles: 1. Maintaining and improving City services to meet the needs of our thriving City.

2. Retaining existing employees and recruiting new people to work for the City.

3. Saving cash reserves to be used for future one-time capital projects once the Imagine Kannapolis Strategic Planning Process is completed later this year. The goal of Imagine Kannapolis is to establish a future vision for Kannapolis, determine the focus areas (such as public safety, transportation and economic development) needed to bring the vision to fruition, set strategic objectives for each focus area, develop a financial and operational plan to achieve the objectives, and begin implementation of the strategic plan.

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14 Movies in the Park (En Español): Avengers Endgame | 6 p.m.

Atrium Health Ballpark 20 Stories Under the Stars: Yasu Theatre | 7 p.m. | Kannapolis Library 21 Sunday Music Series: Phillip Howe | 1 p.m. | Veterans Park 27 Run Kannapolis: Cannon Ballers Shooting Star 5k | 9 a.m.

Downtown Kannapolis Free Admission. No pets or smoking, please.

Concessions and food trucks available at concerts and movies. More at kannapolisnc.gov.

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The City’s population is approximately 55,000 and the City has grown by 45% in the last 20 years. Kannapolis is the 20th largest city in North Carolina. Projections indicate that the City will continue to grow by 2.2% annually and will likely reach a population of at least 77,000 by 2040.

Like all cities and businesses across the U.S., Kannapolis faces the challenges of the new post-Covid normal. Employee shortages, inflation, supply chain issues and construction costs impact how the City spends its funds to provide services.

Fortunately, the City’s good financial health and the continued outlook for positive economic growth mean the City can meet these challenges without

increases in the property tax rate or fees this year.

the tools we need to ensure we have a high-quality staff.”

“Our most valuable asset is our employees.

Without our employees we could not keep the City safe, livable, comfortable or vibrant. Every day we are able to go about our lives because City employees have made sure we have clean water, our garbage is collected, and police and fire are taking care of our emergency needs.

We can go to a park, walk a greenway and enjoy a concert. We have places to go to work and much more because our dedicated City staff are doing their jobs to make Kannapolis a premier place to be,” said Kannapolis City Manager Mike Legg.

“This budget concentrates on providing

The current tax rate will remain at .63 cents per $100 valuation, so a home valued at $200,000 will pay $1,260 annually in property taxes for all City services.

Sergeant Travis Smith has been recognized as the 2021-2022 North Carolina Police Officer of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). He received the honor at the North Carolina State VFW Conference and was recognized for his professionalism, leadership and commitment to the City of Kannapolis.

He was nominated for the award by Kannapolis VFW Post 8989 and was selected from a field of police officer candidates from around the state. As a result of winning this prestigious honor, Travis has also been recognized as a National VFW Police Officer of the Year.

Travis is a graduate of Northwest Cabarrus High School. He served in the United States Marine Corps and the Army Reserves with a deployment to Iraq.

He began his career with the Kannapolis Police Department as a patrol officer. He was later designated as a Field Training Officer and was promoted to Sergeant.

He was presented with a Life Saving Award in March 2013 for his actions in saving a person who was in a burning home in the City.

The majority of the City’s revenues come from two sources – property taxes (57% of the budget) and sales taxes (22% of the budget).

For more info on the budget, please visit www.kannapolisnc.gov/GovernmentDepartments/Finance/Audit-Budget.

Sign Up for Adopt-A-Street

The Adopt-A-Street program helps promote civic responsibility and community pride while enhancing Kannapolis’ quality of life through clean streets and beautiful neighborhoods. It’s easy to sign up and get involved.

If you or your organization would like to adopt a street, please visit www.kannapolisnc.gov/adoptastreet.

Development Ordinance Rewrite Approved The Kannapolis City Council has approved the rewrite of the Kannapolis Development Ordinance (KDO). The ordinance was first approved by the City in 2000. The City, as well as development, has changed during the last 22 years. The new Kannapolis Development Ordinance is user-friendly, uses graphics and streamlined text, and reflects the vision and policies of the City Council as laid out in the Move Kannapolis Forward 2030 Comprehensive Plan.

The ordinance is the adopted law of the City that regulates land use and form, growth and development. It includes zoning regulations that govern the location, size and type of development within zoning districts, and regulations for items such as subdivisions. The document also establishes the process for reviewing development proposals and includes standards for different aspects of development like parking, landscaping, the layout of streets and blocks, lighting, signage, building design, trees and environmental protections.

“This ordinance better reflects where we are as a City currently.

Our goal is to facilitate and assist people who want to build in our City, but we want to manage that growth so that we have quality home, office and industrial buildings and developments. We expect this document to assist us to more easily help people with

the approval process in the Planning Department – whether you are a homeowner who wants to install a fence or a developer who wants to build an office complex,” said Richard Smith, Director of Planning.

Over the last few years, the Planning Department has led the rewrite process. Numerous presentations and public meetings have been held with the public and development community members to gain input and information on what was needed to make the ordinance work.

Highlights of the new ordinance include: • Conditional zoning procedures are reorganized and updated; • Planned development procedures are modernized; • New fence and wall standards; • New exterior lighting standards; • Updated parking lot landscaping and perimeter buffer standards; • Permits for tree removal will be required; • New comprehensive open space standards for developments; • Standards for quality of development and items that address height of buildings, types of lighting, signage, loading and storage, and facades in mixed-use districts.

The new ordinance became effective July 1, 2022.

Environmental Tip The stormwater system is often confused with the wastewater treatment system, but these are two separate systems.

Water from sinks, showers, toilets, etc., travels to the Wastewater Treatment Facility. Water that flows through the storm drain often ends up in the nearest lake or stream without treatment, as these drains are designed to help prevent flooding.

How can you help prevent pollution in our local waterways? Use leaves as a natural fertilizer instead of harsh chemicals and pick up debris if you see a clogged storm drain.

Remember to Watch for Buses as Students Return to School As students return to school this month, the Kannapolis Police Department would like to remind motorists to be mindful of children and school buses.

Chalk Art Winners Named

Drivers should familiarize themselves with the N.C. School Bus Stop Law. If you are driving on a two-lane roadway, a two-lane roadway with a center turning lane or a fourlane roadway with no median, you must stop – regardless of what side of the road you are on. If you are driving on a four-lane road with a median or center turning lane, only the traffic following the bus must stop.

Congratulations to the winners of our Chalk Art Contest honoring Parks and Recreation Month! Artists displayed their talent on sidewalks of the North Carolina Research Campus by creating beautiful chalk drawings. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Prizes were awarded for the following: Best Theme Related (Parks & Rec.) Work • Adult (18 & Up): Melissa Allmon • Teen (13-17): Alexandria Otis • Youth (5-12): Mila Allmon

The consequences for passing a stopped school bus are serious. If you are caught passing a stopped school bus, you will face a $500 fine and five-point penalty on your driver’s license. The consequences are more severe if a pedestrian is hit.

Most Colorful Piece • Adult (18 & Up): Meredith Teeter • Teen (13-17): Samantha Griffin • Youth (5-12): Savannah Griffin

As always, drivers should yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and obey all speed limits.

Avoid distractions and slow down near bus stops, schools and playgrounds. Before you make a turn, look both ways to make sure the path is clear.

People’s Choice Best in Show • Teen (13-17): Samantha Griffin • Youth (5-12): Savannah Griffin

Students and parents should also remember to cross in crosswalks, look both ways before crossing the street and obey any traffic guards or lights. Be alert and avoid distractions like cell phones. Always walk on the sidewalk but if there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic and as far from the road as possible.

To learn more about Parks and Recreation in Kannapolis, visit www.kannapolisnc.gov.

For more information on back-to-school and bus safety, please visit WatchforMeNC.org.

THE CITY OF KANNAPOLIS 401 Laureate Way | Kannapolis, NC 28081 704.920.4444 www.kannapolisnc.gov

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