Making Christmas cheer
We are so fortunate to live in a community that’s filled with energetic, imaginative and hardworking organizations and volunteers that make Christmas bright and special. A special thanks to everyone who decorates Main Street, hosts holiday events in their town, organizes toy and winter clothing drives, volunteers at community holiday meals and more.
Giving back
Donations both large and small make a big difference to people in need. Recently an area family who wishes to be anonymous gave over $50,000 to the Nevis School trades program to help students explore opportunities that could lead to a good job after graduation. A donation doesn’t need to be that big to make a difference. There is a woman in the Nevis district who faithfully gives $100 a month to help with student needs, and for the students she helps that makes a big difference too. Whether it's putting some bills in the Salvation Army kettle, helping Habitat Humanity with a house build, dropping off items at a local food pantry or supporting one of the other organizations that helps people here at home or around the world, everyone can find a way to give back and make the world a better place.
Scouting public meetings
A local Scouting leader and two young Scouts sat all the way through the Park Rapids City Council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 28. When asked, they said they were just there to observe and learn. Too often, no one attends these meetings unless they have a personal stake in something on the agenda. It’s nice to see a few people, especially young people, taking an interest now and then in how local affairs are run.
ADVERTISEMENT
Opportunities missed
At last week’s budget workshop, the Park Rapids City Council saw its preliminary levy cut from a 33% increase on the year to a 17% increase. Meanwhile, with the city capturing a big, one-time bump in tax capacity, council members heard that property owners’ actual tax bills will probably stay level if not decrease next year. While this is good news, some of the things the council cut from its budget will be needed sooner or later, and this would have been a good opportunity to fund those things. Council sentiment leaned toward giving more money back to the taxpayers. Admirable as that is, when those projects finally must be done, they’re going to cost more and they won’t wait for another revenue boost.
The Trust Project
