We need to start taking care of each other in Gasconade County!!
Mon, 02/08/2010 - 6:23pm — Hank Vonk
I clipped this from the "Hermann Cats" topic, Posted my Susan Haley, because I felt it had a GREATER message hidden within it....... hope she doesn't mind....
Dear friends in business,
I,
too, am feeling a great disappointment in trying to operate a business
within our beautiful historical town of Hermann. Yesterday as I walked
my little dog, I saw that Nana's Place has, regretfully, closed. I
haven't seen the new Dystelfink shop (where Die Hiemat used to be) open
in a long while. I am saddened that it is so difficult for any small
boutique, B&B and other businesses to survive. Unless you are lucky
enough to be a land baron or corporate CEO, you will find yourself
wondering if it is even worth the effort to be in business.
too, am feeling a great disappointment in trying to operate a business
within our beautiful historical town of Hermann. Yesterday as I walked
my little dog, I saw that Nana's Place has, regretfully, closed. I
haven't seen the new Dystelfink shop (where Die Hiemat used to be) open
in a long while. I am saddened that it is so difficult for any small
boutique, B&B and other businesses to survive. Unless you are lucky
enough to be a land baron or corporate CEO, you will find yourself
wondering if it is even worth the effort to be in business.
Here's some comments I've received from business owners I've recently had conversations with.
From a grocery store owner - "Our last utility bill was $10,000".
From
a retail shop owner - "By the time I pay my employees, my rent and
utilities, I have not earned anything for all the time I've put into
this place."
a retail shop owner - "By the time I pay my employees, my rent and
utilities, I have not earned anything for all the time I've put into
this place."
From a another local shop owner - "We had to beg to get more time to pay our utility bill."
From
a restaurant owner of a well-established restaurant - "Between the
drop-off in business and the high utility rates, I almost go broke each
winter."
a restaurant owner of a well-established restaurant - "Between the
drop-off in business and the high utility rates, I almost go broke each
winter."
From a manager of a winery - "This January was the slowest we've had in years."
The
last issue of Advertiser-Courier had the City of Hermann Financial
Statement for July 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2009 published in it. Although
it takes a magnifying glass to read its very very fine print, I see
this ( + indicates excess revenues over expenditures, - sign indicates
deficiency of revenue over expenditures):
last issue of Advertiser-Courier had the City of Hermann Financial
Statement for July 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2009 published in it. Although
it takes a magnifying glass to read its very very fine print, I see
this ( + indicates excess revenues over expenditures, - sign indicates
deficiency of revenue over expenditures):
Electric Fund: + $715,628.51
Natural Gas Fund: - $107, 083.24
Water Fund: - $113,471.96
Waste Water Fund: + $9,502.74
Refuse/Waste Fund: + $32,770.56
My
math shows the above numbers applied to each other to have an end
result of $537,346.61 in excess revenues over expenditures. The
General Fund also shows $39,876.01 excess revenues over expenditures.
All other city categories showed excess revenue over expenditures, with
exception to th Frene Creek TIF District Special Allocation Fund which
showed a deficiency of $27,035.99. The CDBG Downtown Revitalization
Fund Showed Total Revenue of $335,879.00 in and $335,879.00 out. (I
don't know where you go to find an accounting of this fund in
detail.) And now we have voted to approve $6.25 million in revenue
bonds for fixing the sewer system, which apparently is necessary.
math shows the above numbers applied to each other to have an end
result of $537,346.61 in excess revenues over expenditures. The
General Fund also shows $39,876.01 excess revenues over expenditures.
All other city categories showed excess revenue over expenditures, with
exception to th Frene Creek TIF District Special Allocation Fund which
showed a deficiency of $27,035.99. The CDBG Downtown Revitalization
Fund Showed Total Revenue of $335,879.00 in and $335,879.00 out. (I
don't know where you go to find an accounting of this fund in
detail.) And now we have voted to approve $6.25 million in revenue
bonds for fixing the sewer system, which apparently is necessary.
However,
going back to the five categories shown above, doesn't it seem like
maybe the City could charge less for its utlities, or am I missing
something here?
going back to the five categories shown above, doesn't it seem like
maybe the City could charge less for its utlities, or am I missing
something here?
My
own utility bill was approx. $700 and I practice every conservation tip
I can think of. I turn off all small refrigerators when the rooms are
not occupied. I use compact flourescent bulbs all throughout the inn,
and turn off anything that isn't absolutely necessary for conducting
business or seeing my own workspace. I keep the gas furnace
thermostats at 52 for the upstairs and 57 in the downstairs where I
stay. When there are guests, I then bump the heat up to 65. I wear
sweaters in the house and use a small electric heater set to 65 to heat
the room I'm in if I am staying in the room more than thirty minutes.
When you have a slow winter month with only a few room nights sold, you
can see how difficult it is to maintain your business, not to mention
the other mandatory expenses of insurance, taxes, website presence,
telephone and internet service. Spring and Summers are spent catching
up. During the summer the bills are high again due to air-conditioning
(a necessity if you have guests or customers). By the end of October
you might be even again with your expenses, but then you are faced with
another winter. Between Chamber of Commerce dues, Website costs and
the very high costs of newspaper or Visitor's Guide advertising you
will be lucky to have a nickel for your own pocket.
own utility bill was approx. $700 and I practice every conservation tip
I can think of. I turn off all small refrigerators when the rooms are
not occupied. I use compact flourescent bulbs all throughout the inn,
and turn off anything that isn't absolutely necessary for conducting
business or seeing my own workspace. I keep the gas furnace
thermostats at 52 for the upstairs and 57 in the downstairs where I
stay. When there are guests, I then bump the heat up to 65. I wear
sweaters in the house and use a small electric heater set to 65 to heat
the room I'm in if I am staying in the room more than thirty minutes.
When you have a slow winter month with only a few room nights sold, you
can see how difficult it is to maintain your business, not to mention
the other mandatory expenses of insurance, taxes, website presence,
telephone and internet service. Spring and Summers are spent catching
up. During the summer the bills are high again due to air-conditioning
(a necessity if you have guests or customers). By the end of October
you might be even again with your expenses, but then you are faced with
another winter. Between Chamber of Commerce dues, Website costs and
the very high costs of newspaper or Visitor's Guide advertising you
will be lucky to have a nickel for your own pocket.
To
make the situation worse, part-time employment is not easily found to
supplement income, nor is it easy to sell your residence or business
and move on, although you can see that is what a lot of folks are
trying to do. There are properties still on the market from since when
I moved here at the end of 2006, and more and more going on the market
everyday.
make the situation worse, part-time employment is not easily found to
supplement income, nor is it easy to sell your residence or business
and move on, although you can see that is what a lot of folks are
trying to do. There are properties still on the market from since when
I moved here at the end of 2006, and more and more going on the market
everyday.
I
picked up the Missourian the other day and was appalled to see three
pages of foreclosures listed in the legal notices. Compare this to only
two tiny columns of want ads, mostly for high qualified professions
such as nurses. In our little town we are lucky if we see two help
wanted ads. Lots of home for sale or rent ads though, and a lot of
homes in our area also taken back by the banks. Banks, as you are
aware, are slow to loan now, trying to keep the FDIC and the Federal
government happy with their financial status, however, if they don't
help out the local business owners how will business thrive and be able
to boost the economy. The banks and our city council members ought to
be brainstorming on how to save our city from becoming a ghost town.
picked up the Missourian the other day and was appalled to see three
pages of foreclosures listed in the legal notices. Compare this to only
two tiny columns of want ads, mostly for high qualified professions
such as nurses. In our little town we are lucky if we see two help
wanted ads. Lots of home for sale or rent ads though, and a lot of
homes in our area also taken back by the banks. Banks, as you are
aware, are slow to loan now, trying to keep the FDIC and the Federal
government happy with their financial status, however, if they don't
help out the local business owners how will business thrive and be able
to boost the economy. The banks and our city council members ought to
be brainstorming on how to save our city from becoming a ghost town.
So,
here's what I think we should all be thinking about. We can no longer
stand by and wait for Big Government and Wall Street to get things back
to normal again. We need to look at the microcosm and see what we can
do for each other within our little community. Trapper's Grill has an
$8 lunch two days a week and El Ranchito an all you can eat bar. Panda
Buffet is reasonable. Wings A'Blazin' offers daily specials.
CountyNewsLive.com posts Surviving the Recession tips. What can the
rest of us do to help out our locals to help make it affordable to live
here? What can we do to help each other individually? Can our local
Hermann retail businesses offer other discounts or incentives for the
locals. Hermann residents need to shop locally and support their
Hermann businesses as much as possible. I always look here first for
what I need and only drive elsewhere if I can't find it in Hermann. If
I get a few dollars ahead I try to spend it here with our town's
economy.
here's what I think we should all be thinking about. We can no longer
stand by and wait for Big Government and Wall Street to get things back
to normal again. We need to look at the microcosm and see what we can
do for each other within our little community. Trapper's Grill has an
$8 lunch two days a week and El Ranchito an all you can eat bar. Panda
Buffet is reasonable. Wings A'Blazin' offers daily specials.
CountyNewsLive.com posts Surviving the Recession tips. What can the
rest of us do to help out our locals to help make it affordable to live
here? What can we do to help each other individually? Can our local
Hermann retail businesses offer other discounts or incentives for the
locals. Hermann residents need to shop locally and support their
Hermann businesses as much as possible. I always look here first for
what I need and only drive elsewhere if I can't find it in Hermann. If
I get a few dollars ahead I try to spend it here with our town's
economy.
How
on earth are we going to attract new businesses or residents to this
city with these conditions? New businesses create more jobs and
provide a better tax-base. Where will the high school kids who want
work go? How are we going to keep our real estate market healthy? We
don't want to follow suit to California where there are so many bank
foreclosures on the market that houses have dipped below half their
value of four years ago and where 319.000 people have moved out of
state over the course of one year, seeking greener pastures.
on earth are we going to attract new businesses or residents to this
city with these conditions? New businesses create more jobs and
provide a better tax-base. Where will the high school kids who want
work go? How are we going to keep our real estate market healthy? We
don't want to follow suit to California where there are so many bank
foreclosures on the market that houses have dipped below half their
value of four years ago and where 319.000 people have moved out of
state over the course of one year, seeking greener pastures.
We
need to put pressure on the local newspaper to lower their advertising
rates. I think I'm going to pull out of the Visitors Guide this year
to trim my budget back. Maybe if more folks did so, they would rethink
their rates.
need to put pressure on the local newspaper to lower their advertising
rates. I think I'm going to pull out of the Visitors Guide this year
to trim my budget back. Maybe if more folks did so, they would rethink
their rates.
We
need to set up a place where things can be bartered. Maybe a weekly
newsbulletin, too, where things for sale or giveaway or trade can be
listed without an ad price. How about one of our vacant buildings
being turned into a thrift shop where things can also be bartered?
need to set up a place where things can be bartered. Maybe a weekly
newsbulletin, too, where things for sale or giveaway or trade can be
listed without an ad price. How about one of our vacant buildings
being turned into a thrift shop where things can also be bartered?
But
most of all, we need to go to the City and put pressure on them
regarding the electric rates. In spite of all the committee work that
is supposedly being done, our electric is still
too high. Hermann Minicipal's policy of "we bill on the 1st, you pay
on the 10th or get a 10% surcharge, and if you pay after the 20th you
get disconnected" is a ridiculously strenuous policy that does not
allow for any hardship situations. If they turn off your utilities,
your building must be retrofitted to updated codes with an inspection
before they will turn your utilities back on. Plus your water,
garbage, sewer gas and electric are all bundled into this monopoly.
What really has been accomplished to lower electric rates in the past
few years, does anyone know? Why are their collection policies not in
alignment with other larger utility companies? Isn't enough that we
are being gouged? Why would anyone want to purchase a home or business
in Hermann when it is so much cheaper to live in the County?
most of all, we need to go to the City and put pressure on them
regarding the electric rates. In spite of all the committee work that
is supposedly being done, our electric is still
too high. Hermann Minicipal's policy of "we bill on the 1st, you pay
on the 10th or get a 10% surcharge, and if you pay after the 20th you
get disconnected" is a ridiculously strenuous policy that does not
allow for any hardship situations. If they turn off your utilities,
your building must be retrofitted to updated codes with an inspection
before they will turn your utilities back on. Plus your water,
garbage, sewer gas and electric are all bundled into this monopoly.
What really has been accomplished to lower electric rates in the past
few years, does anyone know? Why are their collection policies not in
alignment with other larger utility companies? Isn't enough that we
are being gouged? Why would anyone want to purchase a home or business
in Hermann when it is so much cheaper to live in the County?
And now we have the cat issue and the talk of exterminating cats. Here's a clip from the CountyNewsLive.com report:
"Hermann Police Chief Frank Tennant
suggested hiring a Washington-based companny called Show-Me Predator to
deal with trapping and disposing of feral cats. “Basically, it’s a $45
service charge for them to come out for the day and $20 per animal,”
Tennant said. Other options, including a trapping-only company and the
local veterinary clinic, were not as economically feasible.Tennant also
reminded aldermen that an ordinance about domestic cats and a public
education program are necessary precursors to combating the feral cat
population. City Attorney David Politte is
formulating an ordinance, and Tennant will submit a fact sheet to
aldermen before making any decisions on dealing with the stray cats."
suggested hiring a Washington-based companny called Show-Me Predator to
deal with trapping and disposing of feral cats. “Basically, it’s a $45
service charge for them to come out for the day and $20 per animal,”
Tennant said. Other options, including a trapping-only company and the
local veterinary clinic, were not as economically feasible.Tennant also
reminded aldermen that an ordinance about domestic cats and a public
education program are necessary precursors to combating the feral cat
population. City Attorney David Politte is
formulating an ordinance, and Tennant will submit a fact sheet to
aldermen before making any decisions on dealing with the stray cats."
Doen't this seem to always be man's solution.
Something gets in your way - just exterminate it. Never mind trying to
work out compassionate alternatives to God's creatures. Just trample
right over them - after all we have Human Sovereignty over animals,
right? Wrong - we have this only if we deserve by acting as their
loving and protective stewards, not by exploiting them or abusing
them. We've spent thousand of years domesticating animals and making
them dependent on us and encroaching upon their habitats and now we get
mad if they seem to be underfoot. How 'bout we take some of those
"excess revenues over expenditures" and pay for the "trapping only"
service?
Let's
all make it a point to be at Monday's 7pm City Council Meeting and
speak our minds. I may be an idealist, but it is the idealists that
have gotten much accomplished for the better in our Nation.
all make it a point to be at Monday's 7pm City Council Meeting and
speak our minds. I may be an idealist, but it is the idealists that
have gotten much accomplished for the better in our Nation.
Hope
I haven't offened anyone, and thank you for reading this. I would like
to do everything possible to stay here in Hermann because I love this
town and its people. I just want to see it better for all of us.
I haven't offened anyone, and thank you for reading this. I would like
to do everything possible to stay here in Hermann because I love this
town and its people. I just want to see it better for all of us.
Well said friend!!!!
Hank Sez... I'd like to expand upon this... It's not only Hermann... It's Owensville, Bland, Rosebud, Anywhere in the County!! We're all taking a beating right now... and we all need to do whatever we can to help the "other guy" NEXT DOOR!! I posted on another Forum about the LAST Video store in Owensville, and the lady who's comment when I asked "How's Business" was.. "It'd be alot BETTER if those "RedBox"s weren't here!! " to which MY thoughts were.. the local store pays local people, and local taxes!! The "redbox" sends it's profits to who knows where, but NOT HERE! I'd like to challenge ALL residents of Gasconade County to "Think Gasconade" FIRST!! We need to help and "take care of our own"!! I needed a police scanner setup, and I drove up to HERMANN to buy it. Why?? Could have went to Washington, Sullivan or Rolla etc... but I bought it HERE, in our county. The local Radio Shack guy made some money off it. MAYBE that money will trickle back my way later....same with clothes stores, shoes, Car repair, Hardware, Restaurants.... We have several FINE places to eat out in this County... Rosebud, Swiss...Owensville, and some I'm sure I missed....and Hermann is chock full of great "eateries"!!! We used to go the Rolla or Washington etc for a night out, not anymore! Since we all know we're facing tough times.. we all need to see what we can do, buy, and spend our money on within our home County... you're not only helping the "other guy", in the end. you're helping your SELF!!! They say Charity begins at home. WELL.....Lets all try to " Think Gasconade County" First!!
Hank Vonk