| Today's Feature Recycling & Taxes On Tonight's
Agenda.
The issue of recycling appears
on the City Council agenda for this evening's
regular meeting at City Hall. The mandatory
recycling charge approved at the last Council
meeting would add $1.29 to the new monthly
charges for trash pick up for family residences,
and $1.46 for single residences. This is the
fourth meeting in a row the controversial topic
has been discussed.
The issue has followed the
efforts to put a five-year solid waste removal
contract in place. The contract originally
recommended by the Public Works Committee
included a mandatory recycling charge to pay for
curb side recycling. However, when the bill was
first read in the Council meeting on July 28, the
recycling portion of the bill did not appear.
When Public Works Committee Chair Bill Fortune
stated that the bill was not the one recommended
by the Committee, Mayor Johnson told the Council
he had instructed staff to remove the recycling
language. He told the Mornin' Mail that he
did so because he would have vetoed the bill if
it had passed. He also stated that the maneuver
was probably a mistake.
During the discussion that
ensued during that meeting, Art Dunaway moved to
establish a recycling drop-off center. This
passed with a voice vote.
At the meeting on August 15 it
was announced that American Disposal Services was
merging with another national company. This,
along with some questions raised about the
bidding process, prompted four Council members to
vote against the bill as submitted by the Mayor.
One Council member was out of town which left
only five votes in favor of the contract and it
takes six votes to approve a Council bill. With
the current contract set to expire September 30,
time was running out. Mayor Johnson assigned the
issue back to the Public Works Committee.
The "possible
reconsideration" of the solid waste contract
was placed on the agenda for the August 22
meeting. The night before, in a special Public
Works meeting, the Committee voted 4-0 to
recommend the curb side recycling option if the
Council bill was brought back under
reconsideration.
Reconsideration requires a 2/3
vote of the Council. Reconsideration was achieved
with a 7-3 vote and the amendment to add the
mandatory recycling charge was approved with a
6-4 vote. The Council bill was then approved 8-2.
Mayor Johnson told the Mornin'
Mail that he would not veto the bill
following that meeting because it would mean the
regular trash contract might not be in place
before the current contract expires. He has
looked at other options, however.
He has yet to sign the Council
bill passed last meeting. According to City
Charter, if he does not sign it tonight, it will
go into affect anyway. By putting the recycling
program on the new business agenda, there will be
the opportunity for an amendment to be offered to
the bill without it having to be formally
reconsidered; i.e., require 7 votes. Amendments
can be approved by 6 votes, or with 5-5, the
Mayor votes to settle it.
There are indications that
there are at least five votes that would be in
favor of only using a voluntary drop-off center
for recycling. It is estimated the cost of such a
program could be as low a two to three hundred
dollars a month. The mandatory recycling charge
would amount to over $60,000 a year in increased
rates.
The Council is also scheduled
to vote to set the annual levy for City property
taxes. The recommendation of the Finance
Committee is to raise the levy from its current
eighty-five cents to ninety-five cents. The rate
was voluntarily reduced last year but the State
allows it to be set at any level up to
ninety-five cents according to City Attorney
David Dally. The levy would include forty-four
cents for the general revenue, ten cents for the
landfill, twenty-two cents for the library, and
nineteen cents for parks.
Main Street Carthage to Host
Design Workshop
news release
The Design Committee of Main
Street Carthage, Inc. will host an educational
Workshop, Thursday, October 8 beginning at 6:30
p.m. in the Common Room of Grace Episcopal Church
(Chestnut and Howard Streets).
Mark Miles, Historic
Preservationist with the Missouri Department of
Natural Resources, will lead the discussions
regarding Elements of Design, Appropriate
Building Renovation, and Historic Preservation
Tax Credits.
"This workshop will
provide an excellent opportunity for property
owners, contractors, and preservationists to
learn about structural features and their
functions; appropriate methods to renovate these
structures; and ways to receive up to 40% in tax
credits for these renovation projects. Please
come with lots of questions and learn from the
expert," says Diane Sharits, Main Street
Carthage Program Manager.
Communities throughout
Southwest Missouri are invited to attend. A deli
buffet will be served and a small registration
fee will be charged. For reservations or
additional information, please call (417)
358-4974.
Commentary
by Martin
"Bubs" Hohulin
State
Representative, District 126
Most of the new
laws that were passed in the last Session of the
Legislature took effect on August 28. One of the
most visible ones was House Bill 1147 et.al. It
was a combination of several bills with one
common objective; to reduce methamphetamine
production and use in Missouri. Missouri is
number one in the nation in meth arrests and as
such one would assume we are number one in active
meth labs.
This was actually one of the
easier bills to work on since most everyone was
in agreement that meth use needed to be addressed
and tough measures passed. Oh sure, there were
the usual folks that complained we were trampling
on someone’s so-called rights, but they were
quickly dismissed as the usual feel-good
liberals.
By the way, have you ever
noticed that those folks that want to allow
everyone to do everything are the first to bemoan
the condition of society and wring their hands as
they propose yet another new government to
"fix" the problem. They usually do this
as they are blaming the law-abiding, hard
working, tax-paying citizens for not paying
enough in taxes. But I’m getting off the
point of this column.
There are many provisions of
the bill which should help law enforcement in its
efforts to combat meth. One that effects us in
this area is the one that allows law enforcement
officials in different jurisdictions to join
together to share information and resources. This
is especially important to us in this area since
we border one state and are very close to two
others.
Another is one that makes the
theft of any amount of anhydrous ammonia a
felony. I introduced this measure at the request
of Barton County Sheriff, Bill Griffitt. He told
me that he and other sheriffs were being
frustrated with people stealing anhydrous ammonia
to make meth, but since the dollar value of the
anhydrous was only a few dollars at the most, the
only thing they could charge them with was a
misdemeanor.
That is about like getting a
speeding ticket. I offered the legislation as an
amendment to the bill in the House and it passed
on a voice vote. The Senate kept it in and it
became law on August 28.
I’m glad we were able to
come together to come up with some solutions that
might help in the fight against meth, but the
ultimate answer, like so many answers in society,
is going to have to come from the people. If
everyone would quit using meth, the problem would
be solved.
I’m not so naive as to
think that is going to happen, but I use that to
illustrate the point that most all problems in
our world could be solved by folks taking
personal responsibility for themselves. It would
be more effective and it certainly would be
cheaper. Gee, maybe character counts after all!
As usual, I can be reached at
House Post Office, State Capitol, Jefferson City,
MO 65101 or 1-800-878-7126, or
mhohulin@services.state.mo.us for your questions,
comments, or advice.
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