Council Votes on "Grandfather."

The City Council will meet tonight in regular session in City Hall at 7:30 p.m. The agenda consists of mainly what are considered as "housekeeping" items.

Included in the agenda is a resolution that would exempt certain organizations from the recent rate increases approved for the use of Memorial Hall. The resolution reads as follows:

"A resolution establishing the grand-fathering of fees and establishment of conditions of use for the Carthage Memorial Hall Building.

Whereas, the City Council of the City of Carthage has established a fee structure and conditions of use for the Memorial Hall building, and

Whereas, users of the Memorial Hall building are required to sign a contract which delineate the fees and conditions of use, and

Whereas, these conditions and fees may not be applicable to all users of the Hall.

Now therefore be it resolved by the Council of the City of Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri, the Mayor concurring herein, as follows:

The Rebekah Lodge and the Duplicate Bridge organizations of the City of Carthage are hereby grand-fathered regarding the amount of fees paid to the City for use of the Memorial Hall building subject to staff scheduling requirements and staff administrative procedures for the efficient operations of the building for events scheduled at the Hall."

There is no mention in the resolution of criteria for other organizations to qualify for similar exemptions.

There has been some question in the past as to whether it is legal to charge different rates to different organizations for similar uses. The local chapter of the Red Cross moved their offices out of Memorial Hall several years ago due to an increase in rent. They were told at the time it was illegal to charge less than a reasonable market value for rental space.

The Council will hear first readings on the following Council Bills:

C.B. 99-06 declaring a 1977 Dodge Van surplus property and authorizing the sale of said property.

C.B. 99-07 amending the FY 1998/99 budget and appropriating $27,400 from general revenue reserves for purchase of a 1999 truck for the Street Department.

C.B. 99-08 authorizing a grant agreement between the City and Missouri Highway Department for the purchase of a station wagon for the City's transportation program (taxi).

C.B. 99-09 rezoning property located at 417 E. Central as requested by Chandubhai Patel.

C.B. 99-10 amending the FY1998/99 budget by establishing a fund to account for the Fair Acres Expansion Project.

Change Order No. 1 increasing Parchman Bldg's contract in the amount of $1,584 by adding to the sidewalk project in Central Park.

The Council is also scheduled to act on a resolution that would establish the authorizing of Emergency Administrative procedures by the Mayor and a resolution to annex property located at 1911 S. Baker as requested by Evelyn E. Curry.

The Memorial Hall Long Range Planning Committee will also meet tonight in City Hall at 5:30 for consideration and discussion of the Long Range plan.

Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin

State Representative, 126 District

I’m beginning to think that government will never run out of new and creative ways to spend money. We started on supplemental appropriations this week in the Budget Committee. Supplemental appropriations is the process by which the present budget is fine tuned to reflect changes and shifting priorities which have occurred since May when we were last in Regular Session. Most of the items are non-controversial in nature because there is usually a need to add or redirect money, or in some rare cases, subtract money.

However, as I found out this week, some items are of a controversial nature. We were listening to the governor’s budget director go through the proposed changes in this year’s supplemental budget when one item caught my attention. There was a line item to spend several hundred thousand dollars on a wireless 911 system. The kicker of that is that the wireless 911 system is going to be voted on in the upcoming April election. I’m not using this column to discuss the pros and cons of the measure, but rather the idea of spending money on it before it has even been voted on! The measure will call for a tax with the proceeds to be used to set up a 911 system for cellular phones.

When I asked why we were appropriating money for something that hadn’t even been voted on, I was told that they were pretty sure it was going to pass, and they wanted to be ready and have a director on board beforehand.

I don’t know whether it will pass or not, maybe there is a good chance it will, but I think we should wait to see if it passes first. I asked what would happen if we bring a director on board and the measure doesn’t pass.

He replied that if that were to happen, then most of the money wouldn’t be spent. I couldn’t believe my ears! I responded that none of the money should be spent if it didn’t pass! I also asked what would happen to whoever we hired in the event it didn’t pass. The reason I asked that is because I have never seen a total reduction of state employees because of a lack of work. I figure that the individual would be found a job even if one had to be created somewhere else. I never got a straight answer on that one. If the measure passes in April, then all of this will be moot.

If it fails, then it will be money down the drain if they are allowed to spend it.

As usual, I can be reached at 1-800-878-7126 or House Post Office, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101. Or mhohulin@services.state.mo.us for your questions, comments, and advice.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

 

I see by the ads for the little round "o" cereal that tests have shown that eatin' three cups of the stuff a day, plus a "sensible" diet, can reduce cholesterol levels. Three cups. I'd have ta guess that eatin' a bale a hay would do the same.

I'm figurin' that most folks don't put much stock in the studies promoted by the food industry. I can't tell ya if eggs are good for ya or not, but I can tell ya if they are cooked enough. I suppose those study folks need somethin' to do, but ya gotta wonder if there is any real value in it all.

The real scare now is the virus in some hot dogs and processed meat. Several companies I understand. That could lower your cholesterol, to zero, from what I hear.

I'm sure we have 'bout the safest food distribution set up on the planet. Studies have shown it, so it must be true.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin'.

by

McCune Brooks Hospital

Health Notes

RECANTING ON FATS? Recently, a news item caught the attention of a lot of people who may, understandably, wonder if the medical community is about to recant on all its warnings to us over the years about ingesting saturated fats.

The item involved the so-called "good fast food" diet which includes cheeseburgers. According to research done at Purdue University, cheeseburgers contain a polyunsaturated fatty acid called conjugated dienoic lioleic acid (CLA) which can inhibit skin and stomach cancer in mice; and can inhibit mammary cancer in rats. But pan fried ruminant meat (as in hamburger) and cheese contain the highest amounts of CLA.

This is just one area in which a great deal of research has to be done before we can let people loose to feast on cheeseburgers, believing they’re helping to keep the risk of skin, breast, and stomach cancers down by indulging in this once taboo food. The fact is, if CLA is an effective cancer-fighting compound, it should be included in a diet that doesn’t also include saturated fatty acids. Also, CLA reportedly acts as an antioxidant, which stops free radicals before they can damage cells and cause many types of cancer. Another thing is the evidence pointing to dietary changes as significant in the development of breast cancer.

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