Mayor Backs Tax Approval.

The City can’t legally spend taxpayer money to promote a ballot issue one way or the other. It can distribute information that explains the issues.

It is legal to issue media releases that don’t cost tax money, and the following was released from City Hall last Friday.

"On Tuesday February 8, 2011, the City Council will be asking the citizens of Carthage to vote YES on continuing the current ½ of 1% Capital Improvements Sales Tax for another term. The continuation will be used to fund the City’s Capital Improvements Program which includes over 190 items and projects.

The continuation of this tax is supported by the City, the Carthage Chamber of Commerce, the Carthage Convention & Visitors Bureau, Carthage Emerging Leaders and the Carthage Water & Electric Board.

Currently 95% of the proceeds are used by Carthage Water & Electric to retire voter approved debt for water and wastewater system improvements identified in the late 1990s. The remaining 5% (approximately $605,000 to-date) is used by the City on stormwater projects. The City has been able to use these funds for matching grants to more than double the money to complete over $1.2 million of stormwater improvement projects. The City plans to use all the proceeds on community identified capital and capital improvement projects. The most current five-year Capital Improvement Plan has identified over $44.5 million of needed community improvements.

Mayor Mike Harris said "although no one likes taxes, including me, this is the most equitable and feasible way to help the City to continue to grow and progress for the future." The Mayor further stated, "one of the strongest points for continuing this tax is that it will have no change on rate that anyone who shops in Carthage will pay. The only change will be how the City is able to use these funds."

Over the past two fiscal years, the City has had to cut its budget almost 17% because of reduced revenues as a result of the current economic situation. At the same time, services that the City provides to its citizens were able to be maintained without significant cuts. If this sales tax continuation is approved by the voters, the City will be able to take care of much needed improvements to the City. A number of these projects are critical to positioning the City in a positive position when the economic situation turns around. However, if the tax is not approved, more operating funds will be needed to pay for capital projects inevitably affecting service level in the City.

The City Council appreciates the support given by the citizens of Carthage in the past, and asks that they continue to support the City by voting YES on February 8, 2011."

Had a teacher once that was big on pragmatism. ‘Course growin’ up in the Midwest, I always called common sense.

This teacher explained pragmatism by tellin’ the class if ya saw a big rock fallin’ off a cliff onto the road, you may not have ever seen someone get smashed by a big rock, but you’d prob’ly figure out ya didn’t wanna be under the rock when it hit the ground. Very pragmatic.

The thing that amazed me in this college level class was the small number of folks that caught on to what the teach was tryin’ to get through. The class seemed unable to cope with not havin’ a question with an answer hooked to it. This teacher didn’t believe in right answers, just a pragmatic approach to solvin’ a problem. Required some thinkin’ and communicatin’, right or wrong.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Weekly Columns

THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

Creating Workspace in a Tiny Garage

Q: I don’t have a lot of workspace, but I want to have a good variety of tools for any repair job and want to make sure they’re stored properly. Can I have a decent workspace in a tiny garage that has to be shared with my car? -- Karl in Philadelphia

A: It’s very possible to build an adequate workspace in a small area and have room for storage besides. First, evaluate how much space you can create during a repair job. Can your car be moved onto the driveway or parked on the curb for a few hours while you work? This would temporarily open up more space.

For storage, since you’re starved for floor space, think up. A pegboard installed on a wall is ideal for hanging up hand tools and gardening equipment. Folding workbenches and tables can free up space as well, and it’s even possible to install a worktable that hinges to the wall, flips down for use, and then can be folded flat to the wall at the end of the day. Tool sets, like wrenches and drill bits, can be purchased in long, flat boxes that can then be tucked away into storage niches or inside a rolling tool chest.

If most of your money is going into tools at this point, take a look at construction sites and note how work areas are improvised on site. For example, a piece of plywood set atop two sawhorses allows painters to place their paint and brushes within reach but can be quickly broken down and stored in their truck.

The important thing with creating a workspace in a limited area is simplicity. You need to be able to set up and break down quickly, just as the pros do. Stick to just one repair or home-improvement project at a time. If the project is going to take more than a day, plan it in stages so that at the end of each workday, when it’s time to put the car back in, you have a good stopping point and can put away all the project materials and clean up without too much effort.

Stay disciplined about cleaning up and storing everything away. It’s easy to put it off, and then suddenly it’s two weeks later and your spouse is asking when she’s going to get the garage back ... and oh, by the way, since it’s your fault, you get to clean all the snow off the car since it was stuck outside during the snowstorm. (Not that that’s ever happened to me.)