Today's Feature

Budget Looks at Contracts.

The City Council Budget Ways and Means Committee met Monday evening in a regular session. The committee discussed the upcoming contract renewal with the Chamber of Commerce. Chamber board members George Earl and Pam Barlet were present as well as new Economic Development Director John Bode.

Bode told the committee that his plans for the future include studying past budgets in order to create a cost benefit analysis, speaking with local businesses to gather input about the Chamber and creating a strategic economic development plan.

The committee discussed the length of the contract, agreeing that 5 years is excessive. It was decided that a 2 to 3 year contract would be a good decision, allowing time for the new direction to get established.

The committee also discussed the Humane Society contract. Humane Society Director David Butler was present at the meeting and spoke with the committee about the contract. Several changes were proposed by the committee, including the addition of written monthly reports on the number of animals taken in and adopted, and quarterly reports before Council. Butler requested drafting of a policy for the pickup of injured animals.

Other topics of discussion during the meeting included the goals and priorities for the 2008 budget. City administrator Tom Short spoke briefly about some of the proposed goals which include; added programs, increased enforcement, enhancing the parks system, increased salaries, and the possibility of hiring a grant writer.

Stench Report:

Tuesday,
2/13/07

No Stench Detected on Carthage Square

I was seen on tv at an early age. My Cub Scout troop went up to onea those Saturday afternoon "Little Rascals" telecasts. The camera would pan the bleachers set up for the hunderd or so kids between the "Rascals" episodes. ‘Course none of us got to see the program ‘cause it was live. No time delays in those days.

The station had two "personalities" at the time. They did ever’thing from the news and weather to the kid shows and commercials. Only black and white back then, so there couldn’t be anything off color.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

• "To clean out your coffeemaker, run a cycle of water through it and then pour out half the water and replace it with white vinegar. Pour that mixture back through the coffeemaker (make sure it’s off) and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then run the vinegar mixture through, then two cycles of fresh, cold water." -- A.L. in New York

• To keep your coat in tip-top shape, unbutton it in the car or when sitting. Less pulling on the buttons means less stretching on the seams.

• Another cold-weather-wear tip: Cookie sheets make great temporary shoe bins when the ground outside gets wet, muddy and yucky. Place a few by the door, and mud and snow won’t get tracked in.

• "Last year, I got a wonderful bunch of roses from my sweet husband. After they had started to bloom really wide, I cut off a lot of the leaves and bunched them up. I tied the stems together and hung them in my closet, blooms facing down, with some string. They dried and I sprayed them with a little polyurethane spray to make them shine. I put them out again this year, and they are still lovely!" -- H.E.D. in Georgia

• "I love the taste of roasted sweet potatoes. The trouble is, I rarely have the time to roast one. So I do a half-dozen at a time and take them to work for lunch. They taste great and are very nutritious. They heat up quickly in the microwave and still have that oven-baked taste days later." -- D.I. in Maryland

• "Whenever my husband gets rid of a stained T-shirt, I cut the sleeves off to use as headbands for when I work out or work in the yard. They are bigger and keep stray hairs out of my face." -- V.F. in California