-News from Sept. 3, 2009 issue

Local News
The Crittenden Press Full Version (PDF)

Local food bank asking for assistance
Whether it’s a sign of the times or a product of inadequate funding, the local food bank is close to running on empty.
The program, which started three years ago with monthly distribution days at the Crittenden County Senior Citizens Center, is struggling to meet a growing demand for food.
Minnie Lou Brown, who has been heading up the effort for the past few months, said assets are being gobbled up faster than available funds can replenish the shelves. The cupboard is almost bare and resources are limited.
“We operate on about $750 a month and that’s just not going to be enough if we keep having as many people show up as we’ve been having,” said Brown.
In August, the program served more than 188 people which included about 400 people. There is no particular criteria for qualifying for the free food, Brown said. The only requirement is that you be from Crittenden County.
“All of our carryover is gone. We’re completely cleaned out other than a few cans of pork and beans and a few cans of spaghetti,” Brown added.
In the past, stockpiles of food from previous months helped the food bank withstand an occasional heavy demand. However, after the past few months of record handouts, the program is just about busted and Brown said more financial assistance is needed.
“We need some churches or community organizations to help us,” she said. “There are a lot of families out there with husbands out of work. People are having a hard time. There is mission work to be done right here in our own county to help people and we need to do that if we can.”
Funds come from the city and county and a couple of churches, Brown explained. Governmental assistance amounts to $600 a month. Sugar Grove Presbyterian and Calvary Baptist donate a combined $150.

Board raises property taxes 3.51 percent
The Crittenden County Board of Education approved a 3.51-percent property tax increase last Thursday during a special meeting.
The new tax rate on real and personal property will be 44.2 cents per $100 of assessed value. That rate is expected to generate $1.489 million for education, up $189,456 over what the current rate of 42.7 generated in 2008.
The proposed 3.5-percent increase in tax revenue coupled with last year’s 3.1-percent bump is aimed at offsetting what school officials have said is roughly an eight-percent decrease in allocations from the state.
By state law, as much as a four-percent increase in tax revenue could be requested by the board without a referendum.
Currently, the school district is using federal stimulus money to pay about $225,000 of staff and faculty salaries. The stimulus money drops to $70,000 next year and then to nothing the following year.
“Hearing that statistic alone, I don’t know how we’re going to do it,” Chairman Chris Cook said. “There is nothing left to cut in the school system.”
Cook said the modest tax hike is an investment the county needs to make in the youth.
“We want our kids to have a world-class education,” Cook said. “I have to vote for an increase to honor our young people.”
On properties valued at $50,000, the tax increase would add 62 cents per month, or $7.50 per year. On properties valued at $100,000, the increase would add $1.25 per month, or $15 per year for taxpayers.
A three- to five-percent cut in state spending for education is anticipated. That is in addition to a 2.6-percent reduction already in place.
“It’s how it’s been for the last three years,” Superintendent Rachel Yarbrough said. “Every school district has to take advantage of every resource possible.”

Owners are negotiating land deals
A real estate development group is apparently interested in buying about six or seven properties at the intersection of U.S. 60 and U.S. 641 in Marion for a major project.
It’s unclear the precise plans for the northwest corner of the intersection, but a couple of landowners involved in the deal have confirmed that a Paducah real estate agent has contacted them regarding the potential purchase of their lots and buildings.
Among the sites considered for the new development is Tabor’s Chevron. Owner Scott Tabor said he is in talks regarding the possible sale of his property, but did not want to discuss in any detail the ongoing negotiations.
City Administrator Mark Bryant confirmed that a representative of Zaremba Group of Cleveland, Ohio was in town recently to research zoning laws.
A phone call to Gary Hough of Zaremba Group was not returned by press time.
According to online information, Zaremba Group develops sites for CVS and other corporate chains.
Landowners say the group looked at a couple of other sites in town, including the northwest corner of Main and Bellville Streets.