Use of City Cars to Continue.

The Public Works Committee moved easily through the scheduled business on their agenda Tuesday afternoon and then spent considerable time during staff reports discussing the use of City cars by employees.

After much discussion which included the accusation of a vendetta against the Engineering Department, the Committee voted to authorize the Engineering and Street Departments to take home City cars under new City-wide guidelines to be formulated by City Manager Tom Short. The new policy will insure that IRS guidelines on taxable benefits are met, that insurance coverage is appropriate for use of City cars outside of business hours and outside City limits if necessary, that mileage is monitored and cars are not used for personal use.

According to City policy last reviewed in 1991, employees are allowed to drive City cars to and from work at the recommendation of their department head with the Council’s approval. According to Short, in 1991 police detectives, the fire chief and assistant chief and the assistant to the city engineer were given Council approval to take home cars.

The Street Department is currently not authorized to take home cars and does not. Assistant to the City Engineer Joe Butler and Codes Inspector Bud Rogers drive department vehicles to and from work. Rogers’ use of a City vehicle for commuting, a 1985 Buick, has not been authorized by the Council.

"About 3 years ago Harold (Harold Neely, former Assistant to the City Engineer) changed the department policy to let Bud take the car home," Butler said. "We were under the understanding that this was a departmental decision. When Harold left we continued the same policy. We have not ever intended to abuse any policy or procedure that’s in place. We assumed what we were doing was proper, that we had authority to do it."

Committee member Jackie Boyer questioned whether the City policy allowed vehicles other than emergency ones such as fire and police cars to be taken home.

"What is Bud’s emergency in this...Why does he need one?" asked Boyer.

"We do some inspections before work, after hours and on weekends. It was my understanding that that was part of the reason for the engineering department to take cars home," said Butler.

City Manager Tom Short explained that the current City policy does not specify emergency cars only. It only says that employees must receive permission from the City Council to keep City vehicles on private property during non-working hours. The only differentiation between emergency and other official cars is in IRS guidelines for calculating taxable benefits.

"I don’t see any reason for city employees other than emergency personnel to take cars home," said Council member Lujene Clark who attended Committee meeting. "We have to consider the wear and tear on the vehicle and the use of taxpayer money."

Committee member Nolan Henry pointed out that if left in the lot at the building, the cars would have to be loaded and unloaded each day to prevent theft of valuable equipment. Henry said he thought this examination of the vehicle policy was part of a vendetta that had been ongoing for the past couple of years.

"This is certainly not a vendetta," said Clark. "What brought it to our attention in the Finance Committee was a concern about insurance coverage for vehicles driven after hours not on business and possibly outside the City."

"It’s unfortunate that in an effort to explore what could be a problem, everybody gets defensive about the thing and then abuses the people who are asking questions for information," said Boyer. "There’s not been a vote on a damn thing here that is punitive to Joe or to Bud, and I don’t know that there would be....I resent being chastised for asking the questions. We’re supposed to ask the questions. "

Fund-Raiser for artCentral

Release from artCentral

Well, once again here is some more on Shangri-La. We want to stress the fact that the events of the weekend, the art show, the preview party, and the art auction, are free and open to the public! There is absolutely no admission fee for any of the fun! Free fun! That's the best news yet.

Some of the artists participating in this show are not strangers to this area. There are some who have been here before to participate in the MGA. We welcome all the artists and hope those traveling from afar will have a safe trip here and back home.

Our long distance travellers are Jo Gilkey, Las Vegas, Nevada; Becky Johnson, Green Mountain Falls, Colorado; Rick Bryan, Pineville, Louisiana; and Tracy Ingham, Rockford, Iowa. The rest of the artists will be from Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

The Shangri-La weekend will also feature the musical talents of Joe Leiter, Carthage, and Miriah Kissel, Joplin. We look forward to their performances. They will be playing in the rooms where the art show is set up, as well as at the preview party.

There are two large rooms, the Bradford and the Cedar, that will house the 40 artists and their artwork. This means that there will be a total of 7,200 square feet of artwork just waiting for your inspection and purchase. This is not an event that one can just quickly browse through, oh no. It will take you a good bit of time to see it all. So plan to come and stay for a while.

There are still rooms available at the discounted price of $120 for two nights. Just mention the art show and the folks at the front desk will set you up for the weekend. Golf also is half price during this weekend.

The art auction is going to be fantastic. Original paintings by our own Jerry Ellis, Andy Thomas, and Lowell Davis, as well as one of a kind sculpture pieces from Bill Snow and Linda Simpson.

AND REMEMBER, this is a benefit for artCentral. The majority of the proceeds go directly to the artists with the balance, after show expenses, going to artCentral. So we really need you to be there for us and make some art purchases. The artists and artCentral would greatly appreciate your support.

More, next week.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

What I’ve really been hopin’ for is a little rain. Nothin’ worse that all that sunshine makin’ ya squint and gettin’ a sunburn in the middle of March.

Rain isn’t near as handy as winter. Ya get ready for cold weather. In these parts, ya always figure a day or two of wetness and the sun will reappear. Never have the umbrella in the right vehicle or it’s at work when it starts rainin’ at home. By the time ya leave work, it’s stopped rainin’.

Then there’s those weather predictors. Always promisin’ a glimpse of sunshine tomorrow. It’s hard to get enough gear together to always be prepared.

I used ta have a pair of those rubber shoes ya wear over your regular shoes. Pretty handy unless ya get into one a those ankle deep puddles. Haven’t seen any a those around for a while. ‘Course hip boots are more appropriate this week.

Gonna be clear and sunny for the week end I hear. After the snow that is.

This is some fact, but mostly, Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Oak Street health & herbs

Natural Nutrition

by Mari An Willis

Found this new recipe from Whole Foods Market. Hope you enjoy it.

Best Ever Baked Macaroni

8 oz. box of whole wheat rigatoni

26 oz. jar fat free pasta sauce (with veggies is good)

14.5 oz. can ready cut diced tomatoes

16 oz. bag frozen vegetable mix or just broccoli and red pepper, etc.

10 oz. package of broccoli florets

1 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. fennel seeds

6 to 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (soy cheese is great!)

Preheat oven to 400º. Cook pasta according to package and drain. Combine pasta and the remaining ingredients in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake about 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Good recipe to play with. The whole wheat pasta could be substituted with artichoke or any wheat free pasta to accommodate dietary requirements or just for a change. You can add some pine nuts or garnish with some slivered almonds to add some protein. Crumble in some browned tofu if you like. Using soy products also adds to the protein content of this dish.

Adding an "s" before going a "mile" makes the going easier.

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