Bargaining

If there's one thing that irritates Hagerstown officials including Ric Kautz, the city's planning director, it's those real estate listings that advertise, "City services, but no city taxes!" That implies that it's cheaper to live outside the city than inside the municipal boundaries, and it's just not true, Kautz said. To give him a chance to debunk what he feels is a persistent myth, I recently sat down with Kautz, City Finance Director Al Martin and Community Relations Director Karen Giffin to find out how city living can be cheaper, even if you must pay city taxes.

Officials say double tax is no bargain By KERRY LYNN FRALEY Staff Writer Between city and county taxes, the owner of an $85,000 home in Hagerstown would have paid $1,363.40 in property taxes this year while the owner of a similar home just outside the city limits would have only paid $785.40 in county taxes. For its $578 share of the taxes, Hagerstown provides a high caliber of services, including a city police department, street lights, prompt snow removal and cheaper utilities than the county, city officials said.

HAGERSTOWN -- Santa Claus wasn't in his seat at the Valley Mall Junction, and the American Red Cross wrapping station was bare, but shoppers still filled the mall Friday morning, some cashing in their gift cards and others taking advantage of after-holiday sales. Valerie Malott of Williamsport said she saved 50 percent on everything she bought Friday morning -- some slacks, a calendar and shoes. The mall was not as crowded as she thought it would be, she said. Malott said she tries to avoid the crowds and usually doesn't shop on major sales days such as Black Friday.

HAGERSTOWN ? Several years ago, Herb Johnson sold a small ceramic vase for 50 cents at a yard sale. What he didn't know was that the vase once belonged to his wife's grandmother and was considered a family heirloom. "It was in a box in the garage," Johnson said. "I thought it was something she was planning on throwing out. Boy, did I get in trouble. " Now, nothing leaves the house without his wife's permission. "I learned my lesson the hard way," he said. Johnson was among the many vendors who participated Saturday in a community yard sale at the Fairgrounds Park stables.

  In downtown Montreal the shopping malls are below ground, which in my opinion is a good place for them. A little deeper might not be a bad idea. I wanted a suit but was delivered a lecture by a little snip of a sales boy with slicked back hair, an emaciated face and puppy dog eyes who seemed intent on destroying the wisdom of every clothing purchase I'd made over the past year. Yes, blue is in, but not THAT shade of blue which is too bright for this year and you certainly should have selected a more muted gold but if you're going to wear it in public anyway then you DEFINITELY don't want that yellow fleck in the tie which is much too close in hue. And he was saying all this in one of those French-English hybrids, with me answering back in kind with "Look ici Marc, vous sont starting to fromage me off. I certainment don't need vous to parlez me what to wear avec mon pantaloons.

The Women's Club will hold its fall bargain sale Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Household items, clothing, jewelry and collectibles will be for sale. The club is at 31 S. Prospect St. in Hagerstown. For more information, call 301-739-0870.

andrear@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Shopping for bargains and exchanging holiday gifts is a day-after-Christmas tradition for Hagerstown resident Anita Long and her female descendants, they said. Long, daughters Sandy Reeder and Krista Bowers, and granddaughters Allison Bowers and Ashley Reeder, were among thousands of shoppers who flocked to retail stores in Washington County on Thursday to take advantage of discounted holiday items and other sales, and to return Christmas presents.

As she sorted through tables Sunday at the Friends of Legal Services book sale, Linda Webb-Jenkins carried in her pocket a list of the titles filling her shelves at home. That list was about to get much longer. Webb-Jenkins filled at least four shopping bags with selections from the sale held at Wilson College. Each bag cost her $5. “Some of these books are $30 apiece,” she said of the retail cost. Volunteers hauled in 1,000 boxes of about 50 books each for the 29th annual Friends of Legal Services book sale.

tarar@herald-mail.com While recent amendments to a state bill would restrict some of the items Maryland's teachers could negotiate, Washington County School Board member J. Herbert Hardin said he doesn't believe the changes are restrictive enough. Hardin said he thinks that even with the amendments, the collective bargaining bill would bankrupt local school systems and lengthen the amount of time it takes to negotiate a contract with teachers. Claude Sasse, the president of the Washington County Teachers Association, said he continues to support the bill with the amendments.

By STEVEN T. DENNIS Staff Writer Several union members at the Washington County Roads Department said Thursday they are happy to be getting raises but not that the Washington County Commissioners has taken away their collective bargaining rights. "I think it was a little premature and unjust," said Wayne Topper, a sign mechanic. Topper said that the membership had scheduled a March 25 vote on the commissioners' latest proposal. Eighty-seven Roads Department, landfill and County Commuter employees are members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2677.