Sales Tax Vote Today.

City Poling places will be open today for the election to see if Carthage citizens want to continue a half-cent sales tax for the next twenty years to be used for capitol improvements.

"The plan," stated City Administrator Tom Short in a memo to Council members, "is to use the Five-year CIP (Capital Improvement Program) as the justification of the extension of the Capital Improvements Sales Tax which expires in March 2012."

The tax is estimated to generate approximately $800,000 a year, or approximately $16 million over the twenty-year life of the tax.

The total requests by department heads, which are typically cut drastically in the budget process, totaled approximately $30 million for the next five years.

The City Council will meet this evening for its regular meeting in City Hall at 7:30 p.m. The agenda includes two Council bills that would redefine the requirements for residency for firefighters and other personnel, and a resolution adopting Rosenberg’s Rules of Order, as amended, as the official rules of parliamentary procedure for the City of Carthage.

Most folks won’t remember to vote today. It’s not a typical votin’ date for most and it will be easy for most to let this one slide by.

Today’s vote is about sales tax. A half-cent for ever dollar ya spend in Carthage. The money is ta be used on "capitol improvements," which, with some broad interpretation, could mean anything from a new fire sub-station to a sidewalk, golf carts, a bridge, or a computer. I’m guessin’ it will mean anything physical that the City can justify.

I haven’t seen much vocal opposition to the proposal and we’ve been payin’ the tax for the last fifteen years or so. That money went to pay a portion of the bill for buildin’ new water towers and sewer plant improvements. What this twenty-year tax will buy hasn’t been actually defined.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

---

Weekly Columns

To Your Good Health

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Rosacea Reddens Nose and Cheeks

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: The tip of my husband’s nose and his cheeks have become noticeably red this past year. People ask me -- half kidding, half serious -- if he’s been drinking heavily. He doesn’t touch alcohol. This doesn’t bother him, but it bothers me. What is this? -- N.D.

ANSWER: The probable culprit is rosacea (rose-A-she-uh). It starts as a reddening of the nose and cheeks, and sometimes can affect the forehead. The skin also develops webs of tiny blood vessels. Pimples -- which look much like acne -- break out. The final stage, which should never be reached these days, is the bulbous nose of W.C. Fields.

Rosacea is common. Fair-skinned people with light hair are the most susceptible. So are those who blush easily. The actual cause is a bit unclear. Some believe the skin mite Demodex is involved. It lives in hair follicles. But people without rosacea also have the mite, so a cause and effect is not certain.

People with rosacea often have eye involvement, something that’s often overlooked but needs consideration. The eyes feel gritty and might burn. They, too, can become red.

Rosacea isn’t a curable condition, but it is highly treatable. Your husband ought to steer clear of spicy foods, sunlight and extremes of heat and cold. That he doesn’t drink alcohol is in his favor.

Metronidazole cream, gel or lotion, or Azelex (azelaic acid) cream can bring gratifying results. Over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide often works for an acne breakout. Sometimes oral metronidazole or an oral antibiotic is added to the program.

You or your husband would do well to contact the National Rosacea Society, which can provide you with informative literature and keep you abreast of the latest changes in treatment. The society’s website is www.rosacea.org, and its phone number is 888-NO-BLUSH.