Toe to Toe.

The lack of a policy determining how the City honors various citizens has detoured the allocation of funds for new City limits signs.

The Council appropriated $4,000 last year to pay for signs that would be placed on 71 and 96 Highways. The signs are supplied by the state and were designed to have a maple leaf and also make note that Carthage is the home of astronaut Janet Kavandi. Funds were to come from the Lodging Tax Fund and the Civic Enhancement Fund.

The Budget Committee discussed the issue at its last meeting because the actual cost has risen to $5,599.46. Chair Jackie Boyer reported to the Council Tuesday evening that the Committee has put the issue on hold until a policy was established on community recognition. Mayor Johnson was not pleased.

"Mrs. Boyer," said the Mayor, "we need to bring this to an end. We’ve been working since June 7 of last year on this item. We’ve already told the MODOT people to go ahead with the signs. We need to get the money appropriated." He suggested the Budget Committee discuss the issue again.

Committee member Bill Putnam, Jr. further explained the Committees position.

"It seems to me like you’re not getting the message," Putnam told the Mayor. "We voted not to do this. We voted not to recommend it because we had reservations about how do you decide when to take someone’s name off the sign? If it goes back to committee, I would assume that same decision would come back, unless people changed their minds."

Boyer said she was not personally opposed to the signs, but had just wanted to get more information. She said she would take it back to Committee and see what recommendation they could bring to the Council.

It’s all part of the big picture.

The practice of namin’ street, buildings, parks, baseball stadiums, and even portions of the golf course. Seems ever’one has a suggestion to honor an individual who made some contribution to the community.

The seemingly small act of tryin’ to lure tourist to Carthage by playin’ on the name of the fairly well recognized name of Kavandi is now under fire. Not because of any objection to that particular name, but because there are numerous individuals that could also be considered.

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico took the name of a tv show as a way to attract attention. Other communities have used similar tactics. All it takes is a vote. Any suggestions?

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 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.