Short and Sweet Meet.


The City Council concluded its business in only forty minutes at the regular meeting last Tuesday evening.

Seven ordinances, approval of a bank requisition , and the Mayor’s appointments to various committee’s were all by unanimous vote of the Council and with little discussion. The Council then went into closed session.

Council bill approved include:

Amending the budget and appropriating $7,000 from the Public Health Fund reserves for additional funding of the landfill maintenance building.

Authorization of a contract with Traffic Engineering Consultants, Inc. to provide a traffic impact study.

Authorized an agreement with Blevins Asphalt for annual paving work.

Providing for issuance of food concession permits for sales at the Myers Park soccer fields.

Council bill 01-43 deleted a reference in the City Code pertaining to the election of a City Attorney and Municipal Judge. Since the Charter was adopted those positions have been appointed by the Mayor.

2001 United Way
Citizen Review Team.

news release

The 2001 Citizen Review Team of the Carthage United Way have completed their review of all seventeen United Way agencies. This team functions as part of the annual allocation process of the United Way.

During the allocation process, the Board of Directors of Carthage Area United Way reviews budgets submitted by the agencies which lists services they provide, the costs of those services, and their projected needs for 2002 funding. A member of the Citizen Review Team visits his/her assigned agency checking on those program and budget needs for the coming year. Then that Citizen Review member comes to the Allocation Review with that agency’s representatives and makes recommendations to the United Way Board.

These local citizens serve an important part of the review process of each agency. Their input is an integral part of setting the fall’s campaign goal and the allocations the agencies will receive for 2002 when that goal is met.

The 2001 Citizen Review Team members are: Kimberley Bass, Leggett & Platt, Inc.; Chuck Bryant, Carthage Water & Electric; Darren Collier, Edward D. Jones & Co.; Mark Duncan, H. E. Williams, Inc.; Lorie Garner, Arvest Bank; Ron Graber, The Carthage Press; Christi Hare, Bank of America; Tracy Irwin, Southwest Missouri Bank; Shelly Jones, Precious Moments, Inc.; Brenda Kaiser, McCune-Brooks Hospital; Dave McCoy, retired; Denay Phipps, Leggett & Platt, Inc.; Linda Riley, Hometown Bank; Janet Stafford, UMB Bank; Doug Studyvin, Southwest Missouri Bank; and Allan VanDenBerg, Precious Moments, Inc.

County Fire Chiefs
Seek Federal Grants.

news release

For the first time, the federal government has created a grant program that can truly help rural and urban fire departments. A total of 100 million dollars was made available by Congress with a clear recognition that volunteer and smaller agencies had to be able to participate in the program.

The eleven fire agencies, served by the Jasper County Emergency Services Board, have followed the progress of the grant program for several months, according to Bill Cade, Executive Director of the Board. The Chiefs, who represent those departments that provide daily fire and rescue services to over half of the population of Jasper County, as well as thousands of daily visitors, were eager to see a program that finally recognized the significant contribution to life safety and property protection made by volunteer fire and rescue services. The Board, which was not eligible for any funding, did however assist local chiefs, obtain information and complete required documents for submission. Over 19,000 grant requests were received by the deadline of May 5th.

The departments which have been awarded funding, should be notified this summer with possible disbursement by the fourth quarter of 2001.

A tentative budget proposal distributed to the Council Tuesday evening by City Administrator Tom Short shows a scenario that results in about $200,000 added to general fund reserves. This would be in addition to the approximate $1.7 million that is set aside each year as emergency reserves, and $800,000 that is set aside earmarked for Civil War Road and the proposed Fairview/Highway 71 interchange.

The total spendin’ would still be more than the estimated $6.8 million in revenues for next year by about a $900,000. That’s possible ‘cause the City will end this year with about $1.3 million in spendable reserves.

The City sold two pieces of Myers Park for $1.2 million total last year. ‘Bout a million will go for new Myers Park streets this year.

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 just bought a brand-new Mazda 626 three months ago. The time will soon be approaching for its first oil change. Like a mother about to send her baby off to kindergarten, I want to make sure it’s a good experience.

The dealership put out a heavy load of parental guilt telling me not to dare take it to a "jiffy-on-the-spot" oil-change racket or to my own mechanic because it wouldn’t get the "Mazda guaranteed service" my car was bred to expect. Tell me, guys, are they full of it? Should I take it to the dealer until the warranty runs out and then give my wallet a rest at the "jiffy-on-the-spot" places? - Sharon

TOM: In our opinion, the oil and filter you’re likely to get from an independent mechanic or a quick-oil-change place is essentially the same quality as what you’d get at the dealership. In fact, a lot of independent shops buy their parts right from the dealerships, in which case their stuff is exactly the same. So feel free to go wherever you want, Sharon.

RAY: If you’ve had good experiences with the dealer, and his prices are reasonable, you can take it there. You can have your warranty work done at the same time.

TOM: But if you don’t like the dealer’s prices, his service or the coffee in his waiting room, feel free to take the car someplace else for your oil and filter changes. It’s a simple job, and even the former NASA engineers who work in the quick-oil-change places have a hard time screwing it up (although I admit they do occasionally forget to tighten up the drain plugs).

RAY: As long as you keep your receipt to show that the work was done, doing it outside of the dealership will have no effect whatsoever on your warranty.