Payment Mandatory -

Recycling Optional.

Residential Trash Bill to Increase $1.29

The City Council voted Tuesday evening at their regular meeting to add a mandatory charge for recycling to the trash hauling contract proposed by American Disposal Services. The amendment came after a vote of 7-3 to reconsider the hauling contract that was defeated during the last Council meeting. A two-thirds vote (7) was necessary for reconsideration.

The proponents of the $1.29 charge per month to every resident in the City stated that the last minute amendments did not include a mandatory recycling clause. "You don't have to recycle", said Council member Bill Fortune, "you only have to pay for it."

Some opposition calls the maneuver equivalent to a $60,000 tax increase for the community.

Mayor Kenneth Johnson has opposed the mandatory charge and says it will be especially detrimental to those on fixed incomes. As of yesterday afternoon, he had not yet signed the Council Bill, apparently waiting to see community reaction. He told the Mornin' Mail that he will not veto the bill because it would also kill the trash hauling contract. According to the City Charter, if the bill is not signed by the next regular Council meeting, it will automatically go into effect. The actual contract with American would have to be signed by September 30,1998.

The motion to add the $1.29 monthly charge came from the Public Works Committee which met the previous day and voted 4-0 to recommend the amendment. Committee members include Chair Bill Fortune, Trish Burgi-Brewer, Larry Ross, and Charlie Bastin.

Council members Mike Harris, Larry Ross, J.D. Whitledge, and Don Stearnes voted against the recycling amendment. Bastin, who voted for the recycling amendment, ultimately voted against the contract with American.

The amendment came as a surprise to most spectators because the Council had voted during its last meeting to establish a voluntary recycling drop off center for those who wished to use it.

"The complexity of recycling has not been addressed," Harris told the Council. He wanted to wait for more information on the mandatory charge.

"Recycling just doesn't pay," said Whitledge." He said that his research showed that there was not a shortage of landfill space.

Council member Trish Burgi-Brewer defended the Committee's motion.

"This is not mandatory recycling, it is optional," said Burgi-Brewer. She said the charge was minimal and was "for the greater good of the Carthage community."

The recycling proposal approved would include a weekly pick up on the regularly scheduled pick up day that would include the following items:

(Bagged separate from garbage in recognizably different bags. Customer will supply all bags)

Plastic milk jugs, detergent jugs, bleach jugs, must be rinsed with water.

Plastic soda pop bottles, must be rinsed with water.

Tin and aluminum cans, rinse with water and remove any paper labels.

Newspapers, to be place in a blue bag, a clear bag, or brown paper bag, or bundled securely (no magazines or other paper).

Corrugated cardboard only, bundled securely in a size no more than 24 inches by 24 inches.

One Tower Painting Approved.

The cost of painting the award winning design by Chris Leiter was cut in half during Tuesday's regular Council meeting. The Council voted 8-2 to use the design on just the south tower and use plain block lettering on the north tower.

The compromise came after a lengthy discussion over the City's $11,570 portion of the total of $25,570 for painting both towers. Council member Mike Harris initially moved to ammend the $11,570 appropriation so the Council would take a wait and see position after the south tower was painted. This would have required the Council to approve releasing the funds at a later date for the north tower.

Council member Art Dunaway called $11,000 a "drop in the bucket" compared to other projects facing the city. Charlie Bastin recommended that the City "cut its losses" and use plain block lettering on both towers. He said the bill came from some "crazy crowd mentality" and it was time to "stand up and say no to some of these crazy bills."

Member Jackie Boyer again pointed out that the City was helping fund billboards to promote tourism. She said that to have two billboards for the projected twelve year life of the tower paintings would cost $60,000. She called the tower paintings a "bargain" compared to billboards.

After some discussion it appeared that there was little support for the total project and Harris offered his second ammendment. Members Bastin and Burgi-Brewer voted against.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

I've got nothin' against recyclin.' I've got nothin' against anyone who wants ta recycle. I don't even have anything against folks havin' a truck stop at their house and havin' their sorted trash picked up ever' week. I just really don't like the idea that I'm havin' ta pay for what somebody else thinks I oughta be doin' when in all likelihood I won't be doin' it even if I'm havin' ta pay for it.

I'm not even overly concerned with the $1.29 it would cost each and ever' month for the next five years ($77.40 total, but who's countin'). I figured the idea passed at the last Council meetin' (free recyclin' facilities for those who want it) was a pretty good way ta go. Instead the community is gonna pay $5,728 each and ever' month for the next five years ($68,736 per year, $343,680 total) so folks who want to won't have ta drive a mile to recycle at a convenient location here in town. At that price, I hope we'll at least get ta look at a shiny new trash truck though.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin'.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click and Clack Talk Cars.

Dear Tom and Ray:

I was driving to work this morning in my 1996 Honda Civic with the CD player playing really loudly to mask the sound of my new studded snow tires. I heard a high, whining sound. I turned off the heater fan. No change. I turned off the CD player. Still there.

Then I looked down and noticed that I was going about 55 mph in second gear! There's no tachometer on this car, so I usually shift by listening to the engine noise, which I couldn't hear with the music blaring. So I guess I just forgot to shift. I probably drove like this for a total of 30 seconds, a minute at most. Everything seems fine. But did I do the engine any harm? - Susan.

TOM: Don't worry, Susan. I've done this myself several times. Fortunately, though, never with my own car!

RAY: Right. My brother did it most recently with an Infiniti I30 we were testing. And it IS easier to make this mistake with better engineered cars like the Infiniti which have wonderful, smooth engines.

TOM: HAD wonderful, smooth engines!

RAY: Actually, you didn't do any damage Susan, so don't worry about it. I'd guess that at 55 mph in second gear, you were doing 5,500 rpm in this car. And that's below this engine's "red line."

TOM: The "red line" is named for the red "danger" area on the tachometer, which tells you when the engines going to fast. If you drive your car with the tachometer above the red line, there's a real danger that the engine will fly apart into hardware stores' worth of nuts and bolts.

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