The Carthage City Council approved an amendment to the new Purchasing Policy to eliminate classifying City appointed board and commission members as "employees." The action was taken because City employees have traditionally been excluded from doing business with the City outside of their official duties.

The new policy, also approved during last Tuesday’s regular meeting, now allows City employees to supply the City with supplies and services in the amount of up to $1,000 per year. Council members, although not paid what is considered a salary, are to be considered as employees under the definitions approved.

The Policy also states: "Provided, however, that nothing contained herein shall be construed to apply to any contract, sale or lease not initiated, proposed, instituted, introduced by the employee who may be involved or interested in such undertaking, or any contract entered into through the public bidding process."

The Council also approved the new plat for Myers Park Development and a City employee "Care Leave policy.

I’ve had the occasion to have to frequent the automotive parts store way too often over the last couple a weeks. Most of the times were on various short trips outa town. Nothin’ more disturbin’ to a tight travelin’ schedule than to have to stop and make some minor repair.

‘Course in that situation I react like most folks. Get ta feelin’ I’m the only one that is havin’ problems a the time.

Fortunately for me, it wasn’t anything serious. While waitin’ for my turn to tell the hard luck story, I heard some real doozies. By the time I got to the counter, needin’ a quart of transmission fluid didn’t seem to warrant much comment on how inconvenienced I was feelin’. Even felt a little guilty for stoppin’ in the first place.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

by Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a strange problem in my car, which, surprisingly, has improved my dating life! My gas gauge goes straight to empty when the tank reaches half-full.

So I appear to have run out of gas a lot, which is a useful illusion on dates! Help. I don’t really want to fix it. I just want to know what’s going on. -David

TOM: David, you sly little devil, you! When you figure out what causes this, I suggest you immediately market it in college newspapers across the country. You’ll be a millionaire.

RAY: Actually, you probably just have a faulty gas tank sending unit, David. There’s a float in your gas tank that floats down as the fuel level drops. As the float goes down, the metal contact attached to it slides down a variable resistor.

And the contact’s point on that resistor tells your gas gauge how much fuel is left. My guess is that the contact on that float/ sending unit isn’t touching the bottom half of the resistor anymore.

TOM: It won’t hurt anything if you leave it alone. But it will keep you from knowing when you’re really about to run out of gas-which can be inconvenient.

RAY: Should you ever decide to fix it (you know, on the rare chance that anyone ever goes out with you more than once and catches onto your scheme), you can have the sending unit in the gas tank replaced for somewhere between $100 and $200. Have fun until then, David.