Fuels to Keep the Cars Running Still Many Years Off

One of the most recent changes in fueling vehicles is the switch to “Ultra-Low Sulfur” diesel fuel with no more than 15 ppm (parts per million). As the only road worthy diesel now available, this permits auto manufacturers to use the high tech emissions systems used on diesel cars in Europe and Asia. That is, our old 500+ ppm diesel fuel would have damaged the sensitive emissions equipment.

This new diesel fuel seems to be pricier than the old but I have no evidence of such. Lately gasoline prices have shown a steady increase in price making the diesel priced between the mid and high grades of gas.

Of course many people are assuming we’ll simply all shift to one or more of a number of “alternative” fuels being marketed currently or in development. These include ethanol, bio-diesel and hydrogen. Via Green Car Congress is a look at a new report from the US Government Accounting Office on alternate fuels. GCC reports:

The technologies examined currently supply the equivalent of only about 1% of US annual consumption of petroleum products;

DOE estimates that even under optimistic scenarios, these technologies could displace only the equivalent of about 4% of projected annual consumption by around 2015.

DOE projects that these technologies could displace up to the equivalent of 34% of projected US annual consumption of petroleum products in the 2025 through 2030 time frame, assuming the challenges the technologies face are overcome.

Basically if the effects of peak oil come in the next 10-20 years we will have some serious issues to deal with. The report suggests, depending upon timing, we could face a world-wide recession.

One of the things we do know is that we simply cannot grow ourselves out of this fuel crisis. If we grew enough corn to supply all of our petroleum needs we’d not have any corn left to eat or any crop land to grow much else.

The answer is very clear, at the same time we develop new fuels we need to be reducing our dependence on the car through mass transit, cycling, walking or simply reduced trips/distance in the car. As fuel prices increase, it will get easier and easier to justify capital improvements for mass transit. As regular readers know, I’m more of an advocate for lower-cost streetcar/tram systems serving compact local areas than long distances of light rail serving the broader region. The costs to get transit out to the low-density suburbs can be just as bad as running a highway out there. Building compact in the core will support the transit I seek as well as supporting those that choose to bike or walk.

Who knows, maybe in 2030 I’ll get that new hydrogen car but in the meantime we need more realistic solutions to our transportation needs.

What’s on the Ballots in St. Louis County

The City of St. Louis is not the only area having elections on Tuesday. Municipalities throughout St. Louis County are also holding elections. Here are some highlights:
The Big Picture:

• Elections are for municipal offices, school boards, special (fire) districts, and propositions.
• All are non-partisan. This is worth repeating, all are non-partisan.
• Huge majority of aldermanic/council/board terms are for two years with some being four and a few being three. Mayorial positions are all four year.
• Only 90 out of 259 seats are challenged, a rate of 35%. Thus, the other 65% will be elected simply by filing for office.
• 86 municipalities in St. Louis County have elections on Tuesday.
• The City of Ferguson didn’t even get a single candidate for their council in ward 3.
• The Village of Sycamore Hills is to elect three trustees but only two candidates filed.

Recall Question – City of Overland:

• A simple majority of voters in Overland is all that is needed to remove controversial Mayor Ann Purzner from office.
• Purzner won the election a year ago by a mere four votes over Ward 2 Councilwoman Mary Beth Conlon.
• This is likely the main election result you will see on the evening news.

Propositions – all are simple majority votes:

• Lateral Sewer: Four cities are considering a fee up to $50 annually per sewer line; Bella Villa, Crystal Lake Park, Edmundson, and Greendale.
• Sales Tax Increase for General Revenue: Village of Bellerive
• Sales Tax increase for Parks & Storm Water Control: Beverly Hills, Charlack, Country Club Hills, Sunset Hills, Velda Village Hills
• License Tax on Outdoor Advertising: Charlack
• Sales Tax increase for Economic Development: Charlack, Normandy
• Business License Fee Increase: Glendale ($15 to $100 annually)
• Sales Tax increase for Capital Improvements: Lakeshire, Woodson Terrace (may include debt service)
• Property Tax increase for police & fire Pension fund: Maplewood
• Local Use Tax on purchases: Normandy
• Motel Tax for Tourism: Pacific
• Operating Tax Levy: Shrewsbury
• Tax on Public Utilities: Velda Village Hills

Charter Changes:

• Clayton is looking to bring their charter in line with state law regarding elections. Simple majority.
• Creve Coeur has six amendments which appear to be housekeeping items (they reference ordinance numbers. The sixth item requires a 2/3 vote of the city council to exercise the power of eminent domain. All are simple majority.
• Kinloch is considering changing the terms for their aldermen from two years to four years and making the mayor a full-time position. Simple Majority.
• Moline Acres is also considering increasing aldermanic positions from two to four years. Simple majority.

Municipal Bond Issues – City of Shrewsbury:

• Shrewsbury is trying to pass three bond issues totaling just over $2 million.
• $785K for public safety, including a new fire engine and ambulance.
• $615K for park & recreation improvements, includes Aquatic Center bath house and backup generator for city center.
• $660K for street and street-related improvements including replacement and reconstruction of city streets.
• These require a four-seventh majority to pass.

School & Fire Protection Districts:

• Nothing really stood out on these with the exception of a few proposed bond issues.
• Ritenour School District is seeking $32 million in bonds for an Arts Education Center, an Early Childhood Center, and renovating existing facilities. 4/7th majority.
• The Ladue School District is seeking just shy of $30 million to do a bunch of things such as repairs, furnishings, renovation and upgrading facilities. Includes additional security equipment. 4/7th majority.
• The Maplewood Richmond Heights School district is seeking $9 million for improvements and such to the High School, Middle School, Early Childhood Center and the central office. They also seek to do an addition to the Earlly Childhood Center. This requires a 4/7th majority. They also seek to increase the property tax levy by $0.3067 per $100 of valuation.
• It should be noted that 12 Fire districts have elections for director(s).

For more information see the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners.

The New Role of the Elected St. Louis School Board

The following viewpoint was submitted to me by a regular reader that I have met in person. Given that we will be electing two new members to the St. Louis Public School board in the face of a state takeover, I thought this was timely and of interest.  The election is this coming Tuesday April 3, 2007.

When reviewing the lists of tasks proposed for the new versus the existing leadership boards, I wondered, “What positive impact and responsibilities would the publicly-elected board have?”The answer appears to be the same function as that of a group of officers elected to represent a large PTA, in its traditional role (see mission of National PTA). Reflecting on what I recall that PTAs of my generation would do for their schools and their district, I don’t recall any PTA being involved in representing much less leading labor and employment matters, nor capital expenditures, nor curriculum, nor any of the functions that are being proposed to be assigned to the new appointed board. The PTA’s role was to act as a macro conduit from the parents to the schools in improving communications and guidance ultimately to the superintendent for the benefit of the students and to act as a conduit from the schools to the parents to improve the parents’ abilities to raise, educate and protect their children…nothing more. They had no taxpayer-funded, salaried staff nor outside legal counsel reporting directly to them, as the present board has. They did not get involved in union negotiations or any personnel decisions, nor did they have a role in reviewing neither curriculum nor vendor contracts. They simply were to act a constructive voice of the parents as well as a constructive voice of the schools.I think the elected board’s new role could be a very positive thing to publicize going forward. The people running for office to serve in this new role of a publicly-elected board would have to ask themselves and sell to the public why they were interested as well as qualified to serve in this more limited, but still very important function. The superintendent and other school officials would find it helpful to utilize this group to download new policies and procedures that were designed to improve classroom and student outcomes, to increase volunteer and community support of existing and new programs and the neighborhood schools themselves and, most importantly, to improve parents’ abilities to, frankly, be excellent parents of their children.

Perhaps the elected board would assign themselves geographic areas of the school district, so every school would have one board member assigned to it to facilitate the dialogue between each parent and school management. If a parent could not make progress on their own to resolve an issue or could not understand how to assist their children on a matter, then the board member could be turned to for following through on the issue, acting as an advocate for the parent but also to help communications and provide assistance on educational and parental topics if indeed that was all that was needed.

In essence, the present and newly elected board members would serve as the vox populi, a role that many could clearly be qualified for.

The author of the above also suggests reading the report; School Boards: Focus on School Performance, Not Money and Patronage
By Paul T. Hill. From the introduction:

Local school boards meet frequently, sometimes more than once each week, and produce a steady stream of policies and initiatives. They spend the bulk of their time on budgetary and personnel issues and on resolving complaints, leaving little time for oversight of instruction or even reviewing data about school performance.

Should Americans be content with the principle that government oversight follows money and jobs? This paper argues to the contrary, that government regulation and oversight are now both excessive in one dimension (budgetary) and shockingly negligent in the other (school performance). It concludes that the work of local school boards can be focused on what children need to know and whether the schools are teaching it effectively. The report has three parts:

• Why the existing structure of oversight does not promote school performance;
• What performance-focused oversight of schools would entail; and
• How the missions and activities of school boards and district central offices must change.

This is certainly all food for thought. What do you think?

ADA Ramp Fixed Before Project Completion

In January I brought you images of an ADA ramp under construction that, if completed, would ironically prevent the public sidewalk from being ADA compliant (see prior post). In addition to posting the information here, I bought the issue to the attention of several city officials who were able to intervene in the public’s interest.

Above is the situation from late January, with the wall for the ramp into a building entrance very close to the lamp post and the parking meter just out of view.  This basically blocked the public sidewalk from being ADA compliant.

It wasn’t long before the contractor had the curving brick wall torn down and rebuilt so that it intruded less into the public right of way.  The above is from 3/26/07 showing the area nearly complete.

Another view of the too-close wall and how little space it left for pedestrians on the sidewalk.  Those using mobility scooters or wheelchairs would have had a nearly impossible time getting past this area.

Today the sidewalk works for pedestrians and the ADA ramp works for those entering the renovated building. It is nice to see things work out well in the end. I just hope that the city, designers and contractors will begin to pay more attention to these issues so that work must not be redone midstream.

Sound Off on St. Louis Public Schools

The other night a friend said I was “suspiciously silent” on the entire St. Louis Schools controversy, knowing I had been on vacation in California when the latest went down. Everyone is likely aware of the events of last week, the state of Missouri taking the final step to strip the St. Louis Public Schools of its accreditation and appoint a 3-member board to run the system, all effective in June. Governor Blunt has appointed suburban sprawl profiteer Rick Sullivan with Mayor Slay and President of the Board of Alderman-elect Lewis Reed to appoint the remaining two.

My silence has more to do with my lack of a clear position on the entire mess. I’m conflicted on events over the last few years leading to this point.

I know this much, Veronica O’Brien still seems to be the most unstable figure in the process as evidenced the recent phone incident with Superintendent Diana Bourisaw. See report from KSDK. Furthermore, we have a school board election just over a week away to replace two members whose terms are ending, yet it is doubtful anyone will pay attention as the elected board will likely be powerless. The local teacher’s union is pushing two candidates who will most likely win.

Legal challenges to the state takeover will also be put forth soon enough. A good thing or simply delaying the inevitable? Meanwhile Mayor Slay is pushing for the right to sponsor additional charter schools in the city.

I’m still researching and talking with various individuals closer to the subject than myself, hoping to form a clear and coherent position on the state and future of our schools. In the meantime, let me know what you think about where we’ve been over the last few years and what you think the future holds.