Snow, Ice, and Frigid Temperatures

     Hello faithful readers. It’s hard to believe the middle of February has come and gone. Soon it will be March. Like you, I can’t wait for the scent of freshly cut grass to fill the air as I watch kites flying around our town. But, we’re not there yet and the best we can do is enjoy every moment as if it’s our last.

     Everyone I know has experienced the loss of a loved one. It’s painful to say goodbye. The truth is none of us know if we will see another February, let alone another snowflake. It is not guaranteed, is it? So instead of complaining about the frigid temperatures or the accumulation of snow, look around and be thankful for what you have. Take this time to enjoy the company of your loved ones. They might not be here tomorrow. Take time to hug your child, your spouse, your sibling, or your pet. Be thankful they are with you today. Some of my favorite childhood memories of my late mother include days when we were snowed in when we lived in Somerset, PA. It would take all day for me to write about those great recollections.

     What about the ones whose heating units went out during this cold blast? I have personally communicated with people in our town who have been relying on electric and kerosene heaters to keep their living space above 55 degrees. I have invited families to my home, but they are too proud to accept my hospitality. Think about those who do not have a four-wheel drive and have been stuck inside for the last several days because they can’t get out of their driveways. And if you’re able to read this blog, you are able to do a search from your favorite search engine be it google, bing, or whatever floats your boat for images of what the people in the northeast are experiencing in the way of snowfall. Really people, what Bedford and Trimble County has is minimal compared to what they are getting up north. The argument about us not having the equipment to deal with snow and ice down here is invalid because of the differences in snow fall.  When you see a snow plow someone you know who drives a snow plow thank them instead of complaining to them. They are doing the best they can to clear the roads for your safety all while risking their lives.

     If you are shut-in, my phone number is (502)321-6288. You can call or text and texting is the best option. I don’t listen to voicemails because I think it’s a waste of time. My email is Mayor.Pollock@yahoo.com. Email works great too. What I am saying is this, call, text, or email me and I will do what I can to help you if you can’t get out or if you know someone who is shut in and needs assistance.

     The city commission meets Monday, February 23, 2015 at 10am in the Morgan Community Center on Victory Ave in Bedford. In March, we will begin meeting on the third Tuesday of every month at 10am. I encourage everyone to attend. As far as having a voice at the meeting, it is best if you notify me, the city clerk, or any of the commissioners three business days before the meetings to be placed on the agenda. By law, that is the only way you will be afforded the opportunity to address the commission. As many of you know, I am an open-minded person and will listen to anyone about anything so if you miss the deadline, contact me (see paragraph 4) and I will see what I can do to help you. If nothing else, I will listen to you. 

      I realize many of you work during the hours of the commission meetings and cannot attend because you have to work. For years, the commission met at 7pm on the third Monday of the month and the only people who would show up is the press and on occasion a resident with a gripe. So, we, the commission agreed to change the meeting times to 10am. Believe it or not, the same amount of people show up. If you’re interested in the commission changing their meeting times to 7pm, stop by city hall and ask to sign the petition. If I get at least half the number of votes from residents inside the city limits from the most recent election, I will recommend the commission change the meeting times to the evening. In the city limits, there were less than a hundred votes cast in the general election of 2014. So I want at least 48 signatures to bring up the matter and then it will require a majority of the commission to agree to change the meeting times.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. If you are a praying type of person, keep those working on our roads and streets in your prayers. Keep me in your prayers. I am still battling a very serious condition but I see light at the end of the tunnel. May the spirit of God bless and protect you and your family. 

Our town

     Our town. What does that mean to you? The words ‘our town’ can be used to describe a given group of businesses, schools, churches, fraternities, civic groups, philanthropic groups and homes in which a group of people work, go to school, attend worship services, congregate, and live? Even if a person grows up and moves away, they always think back to their hometown. What kinds of thoughts go through your mind when you say the words ‘my town?’ Do you think about your neighbors, school friends, co-workers, business associates, or family members?

     On the topic of our town, I am working on defining the lines of our town’s boundaries. As many of you know or some of you may have heard me talk about an ordinance from May 5, 1955. Along with that ordinance, there is a map that illustrates the corporate boundaries for the city of Bedford.  Unfortunately, the ordinance was never properly filed with the secretary of state’s office. This means it is not binding because it does not have their stamp of approval. Further on that, the secretary of state’s land office informed me that the last map presented to them was when the department of transportation gave them one in 1980.

     Getting our lines in order is something I would like to discuss at a ‘Town Hall’ type of meeting when I finish collecting all the information about the subject.  When I have all of my ducks in a row, I will invite everyone in town to come voice their opinions for or against. Although, I can’t see how anyone would oppose restoring an important part of Bedford’s history. After all, the men and women who drew out the city limits of Bedford were our forefathers. I’m not pulling any of this out of thin air and I will gladly share all of my information with everyone at the ‘town hall’ meeting.

     According to a person at the Trimble County PVA, there is no record to be found showing the last time the city limits of Bedford were surveyed. Therefore, I am in talks with a local surveyor who has copies of the ordinance that gives a property description. He is on the agenda to give us a ballpark figure of what it is going to cost the city to be surveyed at the February meeting.  I see it as an investment. And although I talk about forging into the future with our eyes wide open, I think we must take what our forefathers have given us and do something with it instead of sitting back bickering over who’s doing what for how much and how often, I want to set down some guidelines for what ‘our town’ will look like 20 years from now. Ask anyone over 40 years old, 20 years flies by fast. So because of that, we must join together and get this right for our children and grandchildren. Our forefathers set us pretty good, but we didn’t plan on time going by so fast. If you’re a younger person reading this blog, this is for your future. Getting these boundaries lined up is for you and your children.

       One of the reasons people might not want to be inside city limits is the small tax burden associated with being in the city limits. In some of the old minutes from ‘Town Board’ meetings,  property tax was as much as fifty cents per hundred dollar’s worth of assessed value. I haven’t found where it dropped to sixteen cents per hundred dollars, but that is what it is right now and I don’t see any reason to raise them at this time. It is true that people in the city limits pay county and city taxes. It doesn’t seem right because in the past, there have been conflicts between city and county and who pays for what on what streets. It need not be this way and I am hopeful that as time goes by the relationships between city and county elected officials will be better suited for the best interest of the people, collectively. Please do not mistake my intentions; I am not trying to put down any previous elected officials. I am just stating the way it has been for years. For better or worse. The city currently offers waste water services and curb side trash collection. 

     Many people in the city are already aware of a municipal insurance premium tax. The city has been collecting taxes that way since the 1980s. The county began collected money that way a couple of years ago because they realized the revenue they could gain from it. The city of Bedford charges 11% and the county initially charged 5%, but recently raised it to 10% and the city of Milton charges 8%.

     Here is where boundaries matter even more, how does the insurance company know if you’re in the city limits or in the county? If they go by the map the secretary of state has on file which is the exact map the county PVA has on file, the city of Bedford is very small. I know firsthand that insurance companies don’t know because I have sent letters and seen letters faxed to insurance companies saying ‘so and so’ is not in city limits or vice versa. But that decision was based on oral tradition that has been passed down from city clerk to city clerk and commissioner to commissioner for decades.

     I am hopeful to get these boundaries resolved. You, the reader of this blog, deserve better from your local government. If you live in a sketchy boundary area, you know that if you ask the city to do something they pass the buck and say that’s the county and vice versa.  Don’t you agree? Have you ever been in that situation? I have. But that was before I was mayor. Now that I am mayor, and not just a commissioner, things are changing for the better. We all have vested interest in the community.

     What about voting? Another great reason to get the boundaries lined out. The city of Bedford has commissioners who have been serving over 20 years. It’s not because they were power hungry and liked controlling everything, well hopefully not. It boils down to nobody else inside the small city limits wants to do the job. How do you think I got elected? I am a traumatic brain injury survivor claiming that I can see the future and firmly believe if “WE THE PEOPLE” don’t get off our butts and set ‘our town’ on a better course, someone 20-30 miles away will step in and tell us how to live. That’s not what I want and I can’t imagine you want that either. I know nearly everyone around here. There are some highly educated and intelligent people raising teenagers and younger children in our town.  Surely, we can put our heads together and do what’s best for our homes and our way of life.

     That’s all I have to say tonight. Thank you and God bless you for reading this blog. I hope to hear from you soon, whether I agree with you or not.  I’m open minded enough to hear your opinion. Maybe I will sell you on my idea or perhaps you will sell my on yours. But as everyone knows opinions are just opinions and everyone is certainly entitled to his or her own. Right? I hope you agree.