(1/2102) At the December 13, 2011 Carroll Valley Borough Council meeting, the proposed 2012 budget was approved. The new tax rate for the year 2012 is 2.45 mills or 24.5 cents on each one hundred dollars of assessed value. At the same meeting, I had the pleasure to present a Certificate of Appreciation to the Councilman Frank Buhrman for his outstanding 25 years of local government service to Carroll Valley residents. Frank has served on the Planning Commission since 1987, the Borough Council for four years and is currently serving on the Sewer & Water Authority. Frank chose not to run again for the Borough Council. Thank you for your contribution to our community.

It is January and you all probably know what I am about to share, but just in case. Have you ever heard the expression "Ring out the old, ring in the new"? Well after some research, I come to find out that January gets its name from a Roman god of beginnings and transitions called Janus. This Janus is a two faced god that looks back in the old year and forward into the New Year. I guess this is where "resolutions" come into play.

A resolution is a pledge or promise to one’s self to make the New Year a better one for ourselves and hopefully those all around us. The short of it is the tradition of making resolutions at the beginning of a new year may have come from this two faced god. And, if these resolutions are not too unrealistic, we may even be successful in achieving them. Some resolutions may even be prompted by others. For example, I resolve to get rid of all of my old computer peripherals prompted by a loved one in my household. Problem is how to accomplish the task. Beginning in January 2012, most of the Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA) that was passed in 2010 will go into effect. This means that approved certified recyclers will accept all electronic/electric items for recycling – basically anything with a cord as long as the item does not contain any Freon, oils or fuels.

In Adams County, the Adams Rescue Mission at 2515 York Road in Gettysburg is an approved CDRA certified recycler and will accept computers, monitors, peripherals and televisions. If you are unsure whether the Adams Rescue Mission will accept an item, you can reach them at 334-7502. If you would like to get a copy of the Adams County recycling pamphlet you can get a copy at the Adams County Environmental Services Department located at 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Gettysburg or send me an email and I will reply with a pdf copy of the pamphlet.

The next resolution given to me to accomplish was to get rid of the old oil and antifreeze I have stored in the garage. Well, for residents of Carroll Valley and Fairfield, you can deposit all in Carroll Valley behind the Municipal Services Building at 14 Ranch Trail. You can pour your waste oil, hydraulic oil and transmission fluid into the flat black tank marked waste oil next to the building. The anti-freeze should be poured into the blue drum next to the black waste oil tank. You are asked that all empty containers be placed in the large dumpster. Maybe one of your resolutions could be to serve on one of Carroll Valley’s committees, authority and board. There are vacancies on the Finance Committee, Parks, Recreation & Environmental Advisory Council, Sewer & Water Authority and the Zoning Hearing Board.

With January comes snow which means we need to make sure that you winterized your car. If you haven’t, you need to get it done. Check the car’s tires and tire pressure, the heat/defroster and wipers. Please slow down. If you drive too fast, those antilock brakes will not help you to come to a smooth stop. When driving behind another car, remember to leave more space between your car and the car in front of you. Some experts tell us that this distance is four car lengths for every 10 mph you are traveling. Remember you have less control over your car during bad road conditions.

The Borough will be holding the following meetings in January: Borough Council Reorganization Meeting (Jan 3rd), Planning Commission (Jan 9th), Borough Council (Jan 10th), Sewer/Water Authority (Jan 23rd) and the Parks/Recreation Committee (Jan 25th). Hopefully, one of your resolutions for the New Year is to try to spend more quality time with the family. Time really flies by quickly and you cannot go back. By the way, if you attended the "Breakfast with Santa" held at the Fairfield Fire & EMS Hall, the pictures taken can be seen and downloaded by going to www.ronspictures.net. Happy New Year everyone! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at mayor@carrollvalley.org or by cell at (301) 606-2021.