Budget Week #2 done

We finished week #2 of the "budget marathon". Monday night we met with the Department Heads of the Golf Course, Cemetery & Parks, Events & Special Programs (which included the new Alternative Energy Committee and Snowmobile) and the Fire Department.
Tuesday night we met with Mike Delaware who heads up a lot of Departments including care of the Town Hall, Morrison Building (where the Town Office is located on Main Street), Facilities and Lakes & Dams. Phew, poor guy!

First off, I would like to commend the Fire Department for putting together a comprehensive budget with the help of Finance Officer Marilyn Curtis. The FD just had the unexpectedly loss their Chief Jim Gudroe and new Chief Barry Deering had never put together a budget. He came with 3 other fire members and they worked as a team and their presentation was well researched and sincere. Kudos guys!

Another first timer was Cemetery Sexton Fred Banks (former Councilman). We teased him about being on the other side of the 'table'..... But he did a good job with his presentation. He is running into the usual "we need to replace this or that" but all in all presented his case well with forethought.

The biggest problem that all municipalities across the country are experiencing is the rising cost of heating fuel, gas, lubes, etc. Can you say 'guessestimate'? Right now there is no way to even know what the "locked in" price is going to be. So we take this years, about double it and hope for the best. With our old big historic buildings, it is going to mean cutting back in other areas. But where?

Everyone will have a different answer! Cut the parks..... cut the town hall... cut the golf course.... cut wages..... cut, cut, cut.... But what makes sense for the big picture?

Once again, we invite you to get involved and voice your thoughts!

On another note, flowers for downtown....

Tomorrow morning, Mike and/or his guys are coming here to get the benches (too heavy for me to lift) to put on Main Street and then head on down to Snap of the Dragon to pick up the 15 barrels that will go out on Main Street.

Then on Friday evening, Darlene and I are going to plant annuals in the Heart Garden, the Wayside Gazebo Garden, Town Office garden and up at the Cannon for the Memorial Parade celebration. Oh yeah and the police station window boxes!!!! Christine wouldn't forgive us, if we forgot her :)

Stop by with a trowel if you would like. We enjoy the company and the help!

Town Budgets

At the last Town Council meeting, many young adults were in attendance, most for the very first time. After the meeting some gathered at the same place I stopped at and they had LOTS of "civic" questions.

IE: Can we vote during a meeting?... How do you get elected?... Can we do this or do that during a meeting?... and many other very pertinent questions to do with our town.

It was refreshing, that although there was standing room only during the meeting, many of the young adults stayed throughout the meeting, even after their subject had come and gone.

One said to me after the meeting, "I found it very interesting and want to come again". I told Councilman chairman Brawn, a former civics teacher, he would have been proud to hear the interest from them. It was like Local Government 101. I reminded these young people that now is the time to become aware, because they are the future of Dexter!

So on to the subject at hand, it is "Budget Time" once again! When you run for the council, you know that the months of May and June each year, you have at least 2 meetings per week, in addition to ALL the other meetings we attend. There is a lot of reading, learning and going over figures to familiarize yourself with each department and how & where every tax dollar is going to be spent. Hours are spent agonizing what project is more important than another, to keep the budget in check.

Another thing to take in consideration are the fixed costs that are rising faster than tax dollars! re: heating costs, insurances, pay increases, schools, county, etc. We have no say, we just pay!!!!!

Last week was our first week, covering on May 13 "Police – Recreation – Community Center" and on the 15th "Assessing – Museum/Grist Mill – Economic Development".

Tonight Council Budget workshop, 6:30 p.m. at Council Chambers covering Golf Course – Cemetery & Parks – Events & Spec Programs* - Fire * Includes Alternative Energy and Snowmobile.

At each meeting the Department head of each department presents to the Council their proposed budget for the next Fiscal year. (Dexter's fiscal year runs from July 1st to June 31st).

How it works:
Department Head plead their case for new equipment, capital improvements, tazors, fire trucks, computers, etc. ...... and with that information, we have to provide you, the citizens, a balanced budget that includes the school budget, the county tax, state tax levies, cost of living, and guess the rise in fuel costs and insurance rates for both employees and buildings/vehicles.

I feel I bring to the table a good balance. I am a single low income woman and I want my tax dollars to get more "bang for the buck", especially for children and senior citizens. When I hear that the leased golf course needs a hole alignment, I wonder "aloud", is this more important than childrens programs at the Town Hall?

More people should come to town meetings including council meetings, planning board meetings, budget meetings, etc. My feeling is, don't keep on bitching if you have not come and spoken your piece! You have to realize that the council may not have heard your point of view, and it might change the way some of them vote.

Come to meetings... It is FREE to come & FREE entertainment to benefit both you and your community~

Become involved..... Ask questions!

This is the schedule for upcoming
budget meetings

New Babies

I wanted to update you on my little Emma...

I took Emma a week ago to Holly's (my friend and breeding co-owner who lives in Arundal) to deliver the pups. We thought she needed to be there for a few days before the deliver to adjust (without me).

Holly called on Thursday night just after 9 pm and said "if you are coming to see the delivery, you better come now"

I called Courtney to come and get Meg (my black lab), threw my overnight bag in the truck, and off I headed on my 2 3/4 hour trip to Arundal.

I was almost there when Holly's husband called me on the cell and said, meet Holly at the vet's! Thank goodness I knew the general vicinity of Dr. Hutchinson, as I had been with Holly a few times when Emma was born.

I walked in at 12 :05 am or so and baby #1 had just been born, but #2 wasn't budging. Emma was soooo excited to see me, that she almost "pooped" the baby #2 out right, then and there.
#3 baby was going to take awhile, so Dr. Doug gave Emma various shots, we wrapped her up in a big blanket, the 2 babies in another and they placed 'em in my arms and off we went to Holly's house (which fortunately is only less than 10 minutes away. I kept thinking, omg, is she going to deliver right in the car???? But I tried to stay calm.. ya right!

When we got back to Taylor Made Yorkies (Holly's) Emma was put in the whelping box with a heat pad for the babies and we waited.... at 1:30am or so, puppy girl #3 started and it was scary. She too didn't want to come out, like girl #1, but when she did, she didn't want to breath regular. Holly, who has delivered LOTS of yorkie pups, knew just what to do! We rubbed, rubbed and rubbed some more on #3, then tossed her around and fed her a special bottle and all of a sudden #3 came around. Now she is one piggiest of the 3 girls :)

Delivering healthy little dogs is more work than you expect!

Emma is doing well as a new mother despite the fact that she is a bit spoiled. After the birth and we tried to go to bed a 3:30 am, Miss Emma was heard to be screaming for me and waking all the other dogs and humans. Finally, I went down and stayed with her to settle her in until almost 5:30 am. Friday night she slept much better.

I took this picture of Emma and her 3 girls later on, but on delivery day....

They are still doing very well, although Emma needs a bath desperately, she wont be getting that until the end of the week. She needs and wants to be with her babies other than to go out for a minute to do her 'business".

It was eventful to watch my little girls birthing process. Kinda scary too!

They all will be coming home to Dexter in a week or so until the new parents pick up the babies. We talk about that at a later date.
Judy

Great Job guys during the rain storm

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain...... and it did on Tuesday night!
I went to the Snap of the Dragon at 4:15 pm and the ditches and fields were rising, but within an hour on the way home, drain/ditch water was were starting to edge out into the roadways.
The Abbott Dam and the town dam were flowing with brown crashing cascades of water! All that in an hour.
When I got home, I had the scanner on listening to our highway, facilities and police all talking quickly to the dispatcher. The dispatcher was relaying messages of flooded roadways faster than Officer Emerson could get from one to another.
I heard Highway supervisor Mike Delaware instructing his crew from on flooded out road to another and the Chief radioed in and said he was there to help with his own truck, what could he do?
At one point, the funniest thing said, was Officer Emerson saying to dispatch, "Could you call the DOT boys and ask them if they will come out and play with us tonight?"
Road after road were being closed, barricaded and/or warned about.
With all that said, I just want to say, "great job guys"! I was proud of our Town crews and want to say thanks for a job well done!

Hi I'm back...................

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking of clever things to say in my blog to get back on track again, but as soon as I get out of bed, come down stairs, my cleverness slips away!
Things like "the long winter is over and with spring comes throwing open the windows and airing out the cobwebs in the home and in the brain".
While laying in bed it was much more eloquent and the words flowed, but there is something about going from horizontal to vertical in the early morning, dogs waiting with legs crossed to get outside, and trying not to fall down the stairs, that make any great thought vacate the brain by the time I hit the bottom step!

So... how about that winter??????? Holy catfish it was long and lots of snow.
Other highlights of my winter, I had the flu for about 3 weeks, (thought I was going to die), my back went out for weeks (wanted to die), and I got the end of the winter blues!!! All that was intermingled with more snow blowing and shoveling than the past 4 years all put together.

Now I think Judy Wilbur Craig is back again with the spring air, flowers and the green grass! Phew, I made it out on the other side, how about you?

Other notes: My little Emma Mae, (Yorkshire Terrier) is expecting and due around the 10th of May. This will be her first litter, so we are very excited.

I was sworn in to the Dexter Town Council in January and that has been busy. The next month or 2 is budget time for the Council so we will be very busy. I encourage citizens to attend the Budget process and see how it is done.

The Green Thumb Society which consists mostly of Darlene and I are readying barrels for Main Street for the end of May.
Last week Darlene and I cleaned the debris from the Dexter perennial gardens, ie: Wayside Park in front of the Gazebo, the Town Office Garden and the Heart Garden in front of the Post Office.
I will write more on that later, but will say, volunteers anyone?

Tourtiere Pie

Now that the holidays are over, it is time to update my blog.
Christmas was great here on Number 10. My daughters came home for the holidays which makes it perfect.
My girls and I never have much money, but we always buy lots of food and drink and share with family and friends, and this year was no exception.
Tiff and I went to P&L Market on Monday morning and picked up our various meats and other specials, followed by a trip to Buds Shop'n Save for the rest of the holiday ingredients.
They went to East Corinth on Christmas Eve which gave me a chance to start cooking for a family dinner that night and the next day.

While they were gone I made 4 Tourtiere Pies from scratch and what a hit they were with all our guests on Christmas night open house. No need to buy them when they are so easy to make! Get your fresh ground pork and beef at P&L!!! They make it to order while you wait!

Next I started on a "verbal" recipe for lasagna rolls that Holly Clukey Cleary makes, but mined turned into a huge pan of spinach/sausage lasagna with 6 cheeses... YUMMM
My brother and his girlfriend Dianne, his son Jonathan and girlfriend & baby, Jen, Tiff and I mound down on garlic bread, lasagna and cocktails. FUN...

Christmas morning started out whipping up my triple batch of homemade rolls (my brother says it is not a holiday without those), and on to making Balsamic glazed Brussel sprouts with fresh garlic and bacon, basmati rice with goat feta and fresh spinach and almonds, carrot/pineapple salad with raisins. I was just whipping out food with no recipes, only with the Christmas spirit as my guide. Love it when it all comes together. My daughter asked at one point if I felt if I was the Christmas slave? I gave her a resounding NO! I was having fun!!!

People brought all kinds of yummy sweets, so there was no need to make dessert.

OH yeah, and I roasted a 28 pound turkey stuffed with garlic sausage stuffing that I threw out because it was freezer burned and didn't want to serve it. Guess 2 years is too long to keep a turkey in the freezer. Lesson well learned!

Family, neighbors and friends gathered throughout the day on Christmas and Christmas night to eat and drink and be very merry! Wonderful Holiday!!!

Oh yeah, on the way out the door, my brother Steve, Alan and Dianne grab a Tourtiere Pie and a whole pan of rolls and headed across the road with the goodies. They were trying to sneak it by us, but......... That was a good laugh... but was one of things "you had to be there".

Who needs lot of presents when you can share good food, good drink with good friends?
Hope you had a similar Christmas.

#3 Christmas Memory

Tourtiere Pie: A tradition of French Catholic's is serving Tourtiere Pie on Christmas Eve, or that what I was told.
Although, my family was Baptist, the Wilbur family embraced the practice of Tourtiere Pie as well.
I don't remember that my mother made them, we ordered them at Log Cabin Grocery, who baked LOTS of the delicious pies at Christmas time.
My mom would also make homemade eggnog to serve to guests that dropped by during the Christmas season and laced it with "spirits" that was left in the house over the past year.
She would sit at her spot at the island, and serve one for you and one for me. BUT the one for me was one times the amount of guests. I don't remember my parents drinking much any other time of the year, so it was fun seeing my parents getting in the "spirit". Mostly Mom, but I think Dad had a glass or two :)

If you have more information about the Tourtiere Pie tradition, let me know.

I think I might call Log Cabin Grocery and see if Helen is baking the yummy pies, OR if they are sold out as she did in the past.