Today's Feature

Approved Settlement.

The Carthage City Council met Tuesday evening in a regular session and unanimously approved the settlement agreement with AT&T Mobility for two years of back taxes. The approved ordinance also assigns 5% of the settlement amount to the Missouri Municipal League for legal representation and assistance during the lawsuit. The first reading of an ordinance approving settlement with Sprint was heard as well.

Council also heard the first reading of an ordinance entering into agreement with Schreiber Foods, Inc. which would provide incentives for the construction of new and expansion of existing facilities. Late in 2007 the Council approved an enhanced enterprise zone (EEZ) real estate property tax abatement matrix that outlines the incentives offered in exchange for industrial construction for the purpose of generating jobs that meet EEZ criteria.

Schreiber Foods intends to expand and renovate its building on Fairview and in so doing will create 100 new jobs. These new jobs will pay $17.05 per hour which is 120% of the Jasper County Average Wage. Based on the matrix, the City will offer a 100% tax abatement for 8 years and 75% tax abatement for 4 years. City Administrator Tom Short explained the ordinance, and said that some of the matrix criteria is based on the Missouri Quality Jobs Act, including the average wage information. Other criteria includes that Schrieber provide basic health care for the 100 employees, paying at least 50% of the premiums. Short said that City Attorney Nate Dally had reviewed the agreement several times that several revisions had been made. If the ordinance is approved, Schreibers would have 2 years to complete the hiring of the 100 people required by the contract.

Economic Development Director John Bode added that the abatement would not include the large warehouse facility that has already been completed. Bode said that the abatement could only be applied to the building where the new construction and renovation are to be done.

Filing Closed.

The window to file as a candidate for City Council officially closed this week. Those who have filed are as follows; First Ward - Claude Newport; Second Ward - Timothy Teed and Ronnie E. Wells; Third Ward - John Studebaker and Vince Scott; Fourth Ward - Larry Ross; Fifth Ward - Keith Hurlbut. The election will be held on April 18, 2008 and will decide one candidate for each of the five wards to serve a two-year term.

With all the gizmos that have been incorporated into automobiles, it seems odd to me that there’s still a market for cars with the manual gear shift. Some of the public must still prefer to grab ahold of a stick and move it to put the vehicle in motion.

Although Chrysler tried to introduce the push button shifter some forty years ago, and gave up on the idea, I can’t help but wonder why some sort of button arrangement isn’t finally in place. I can’t figure out why it’s not even an option.

I would have to guess that people just don’t like ‘em. With ever’thing from rollin’ up the window to controllin’ the rear view mirror bein’ remote control, shiftin’ a stick makes us feel a little more in control and like the auto actually needs us to operate. A shift lever is pure vanity.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Click & Clack Talk Cars
By Tom and Ray Magliozzi

I listen to your show a lot, and I completely agree that SUV drivers are a menace. I know, because I just bought one. I had a Saturn sedan and I was very careful and considerate. After I bought my Toyota Highlander, I realized that I drive faster, I can’t see a lot of things, and last week I actually got out of my car and nearly got into a fist fight with another woman. I’m not usually a fighter; in fact, I’m a Catholic school religion teacher at an all-boys school, and I’m really soft-spoken and patient. The only explanation I have is the SUV. It has changed me. I’m thinking about selling it, even though I only bought it in December. It’s only a four-cylinder engine, and it has front-wheel drive only, so it’s not a big gas guzzler. Should I cut my loses and get a Subaru? I want to be safe, but I also want others to be safe in my vicinity! -Trish

TOM: Wow. So the SUV turned you into a jerk, huh, Trish?

RAY: We’re still trying to figure out my brother’s excuse. He drives an MG.

TOM: To be honest with you, the Highlander hardly is among the worst SUVs. It’s mid-size, it’s based on a car platform and yours has the optional four-cylinder engine.

RAY: However, it is quite a change from your old Saturn sedan. In the Saturn, when you got up to 60 mph, the noise vibration probably told you that you were going plenty fast enough, thank you very much. But the Highlander is brand new. And it’s very well-made. As a result, it’s so quiet and smooth that even at high speeds, you don’t feel personally endangered, like you did in the Saturn. And that lack of negative feedback has releases your inner animal, Trish!

TOM: While I normally wouldn’t put the Highlander in the category of dangerous vehicles, in your hands I guess it is.

RAY: So, if it makes you uncomfortable, Trish, and you don’t like the way you behave in it, trade it in for something you like better.