Annual City Budget Planning Begins.

City Administrator Tom Short addressed the City Council Budget/Ways and Means Committee Monday evening. He told the committee that this year’s revenues were down from previous expectations and that trend may continue for several years.

He outlined several options to cope with the reduced level of revenue over the next several years if needed.

The City currently has approximately $3.2 million in reserves to work with but approximately $1.7 of that is strictly an emergency fund equivalent to 25% of annual expenditures.

If the Council continues to allocate expenditures equivalent to this year, and revenues remain flat for the next three years, Short says that by the end of 2013 the emergency fund would have to be tapped for approximately $350,000.

The emergency portion of the reserve is strictly a policy adopted by a former Council and can be modified by the current Council.

Short has asked that department heads submit budgets with a 6% reduction from last year as an option.

It’s always handy ta have a few nails around the house. Ya never know when ya might want ta hang a picture or fasten that porch rail. I still feel comfortable with the old fashioned eight penny for nailin’ to 2x4’s and a couple of finishin’ nails for trim work. Havin’ a few sixteen penny spikes come in handy for those heavier repairs or light construction. Now I’ve had ta add a new dimension to my collection, few fasteners for my battery powered screw driver.

Havin’ a few tools and gadgets around in case of emergency was just part of my upbringin’ I suppose. I’d have ta guess that it comes from a heritage of rural "root cellar" dependent ancestors. ‘Course such thinkin’ can lead to just havin’ a lot of useless junk ya have ta trip over. At least if ya got a few nails and a little lumber, you can build a box ta keep it all in.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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HERE’S A TIP

By JoAnn Derson

• Keep a plastic garbage bag in your glove box or somewhere in your car. You can poke arm and neck holes for a rain poncho, cover a stuck or broken window to keep rain out or use it to corral all your things if you ever get into an accident and need to have your car towed.

• Have a squeaky floorboard? Try sweeping some talc or baby powder into the space between the boards. It can serve as a lubricant, and oftentimes will quiet the squeak.

• "Use small sticky notes to help with studying and learning in young children. You can cover up part of a flash card, making them easy for a child to practice on his own. You can use flags to cover up words in a story, then have the child write a new story by writing a new word on the flag. Kids can practice math or spelling on the go. There are hundreds of uses for these lovely paper tools." -- G.A. in New York

• "I keep a fun toy set in the trunk of the car. It’s small enough to bring with me on visits to friends without children and interesting enough to keep my two young ones occupied for up to an hour. It’s only for when I take my children to visit a friend and need to have some adult time. The kids look forward to being able to play with the toy, and it doesn’t get old because they see it only occasionally." -- C.L. in Arizona

• When having fresh corn on the cob: "Trim each ear of corn on both ends, and leave the husk on the corn. Boil it or microwave it the amount of time you like. When it’s done, the husk and silk will come off with no problem." -- P.C. of Florida AND Maryland (He and his wife of 63 years are snowbirds!)