Hickory City Council heard a special presentation Tuesday night detailing the University Mill District. It passed, followed by a unanimous vote to approve an 11-item consent agenda. A public hearing outlined the proposed 2017-2018 fiscal budget. Highlights include a budget of $95,696,964 keeping the current tax rate of .5665 cents per $100 valuation, but increasing the property tax revenue within the rate about $1 million dollars. Solid waste fees will increase in this budget, and changes to health care for city employees will allow a choice in insurance benefits. The complete budget is available on the City of Hickory website.

There will be a public presentation tonight of the Downtown Morganton Master Plan Draft. A reception at COMMA will start at 5:30, with the presentation at 6:15. The event will present artist renderings of some future projects along with demographic information. The seven key goals are to restore two way operations to the streets, maximize the Courthouse Square as a more flexible public space, focus activity into the core, diversify and expand housing, connect to the community, embed art into everything, and have fun and experiment.

Sex charges are filed on two Burke County men in separate arrests after an undercover operation by the Burke County Criminal Investigations Division. The Burke County Sheriff's Office Tuesday, reported the arrests of 33-year-old Ricky Lee Lackey, Jr. of Morganton and 30-year-old Joshua Leon Barnes of Connelly Springs. Lackey was charged with Solicitation of Minor by Electronic Device while Barnes was charged with Sex Offender Use of Social Media. They were placed in the Burke Catawba District Confinement Facility under secured bonds of $25,000 each. Valdese Police assisted the Sheriff's Office in the Lackey case.