Lodging Tax Proposed.

The City Council Finance Committee will sponsor an ordinance that would put the question of raising the City lodging tax on the ballot next April according to Committee Chair Don Stearnes.

Stearnes reported to the full Council Tuesday evening that typically such an ordinance would come from the Budget Committee, but in order to have the first reading of the proposed ordinance at the next Council meeting, the Finance Committee voted to sponsor the bill.

Carthage now has a 2% lodging tax on all motels and bed and breakfasts. The funds are earmarked primarily for promotion of overnight stays in the City. Approximately $60,000 a year is generated by the current tax. The proposed increase would raise the rate to 4%.

Council member Jackie Boyer reported that the Carthage Chamber of Commerce Board was supportive of the increase and would help to promote the issue prior to the election.

The City is not allowed to spend funds for or against a ballot issue, only to inform citizens of the facts involved.

Since local motels compete at some level with those in Joplin, there has been some reluctance to promote a lodgin’ tax that was higher that our neighbors to the west. Durin’ the November election, Joplin voted to increase their lodgin’ tax from 2% to 4%.

‘Course the number of dollars generated by them will be substantially more than what Carthage will realize, but the doublin’ of funds available to promote the City to visitors is appealin’ to most.

The pitch we’ll be hearin’ most is the tax will not affect most locals. I’m assumin’ that ta be pretty much accurate since those livin’ here don’t spend much time in the local motels. I’m guessin’ the main the main effort will be to separate this issue from any other tax issues that might appear on the April Ballot.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click & Clack
TALK CARS

by Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

I recently purchased a 1995 Ford Contour with traction control. On the dash it has a pushbutton switch to turn off the traction control. Nowhere in the operating instructions does it state when it’s appropriate to turn off the traction control. Since the traction control is automatic, it operates only when needed. So why would you want to turn it off? -Ken.

RAY: Excellent question, Ken. Traction control is a nice, new feature that uses the anti-lock brake sensors at the wheels to determine if a wheel is slipping. If it detects that one wheel is going faster that the other, it applies the brakes to that wheel until it regains traction. That helps the car from slipping around in the rain and snow. And it works pretty well.

TOM: And the only reason you might turn it off is when it’s working too effectively. For example, let’s say you’re parked on top of a pile of snow. You step on the gas and the wheels start to turn, but they can’t get much traction in the snow. The traction control does what it’s supposed to do; it uses the brakes to stop the wheels from spinning. The problem is, now you can’t get out of the parking space.

RAY: And in that case, you really do want the wheels to spin. So you’d turn the traction control off and start moving back and forth, back and forth...letting the friction from the spinning wheels melt the snow as you move a little farther forward and a little farther backward each time. And if you do that long enough...

TOM: You’ll eventually burn out your clutch! And end up with your wheels a foot deep in snow. Sometimes you just have to know when to give up and get some help.