From the City Schools of Decatur…

City Schools of Decatur offers families a choice in public education. Families living in areas not served by the City Schools of Decatur may choose to apply for tuition slots for the 2010-2011 school year. City Schools of Decatur offers a rigorous, engaging program of study for children in grades pre-Kindergarten through grade 12.

Pre-Kindergarten is handled separately through the College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center. All questions regarding the possibility of pre-Kindergarten paying tuition should be directed to Suzanne Kennedy, Principal (skennedy@csdecatur.net).

City Schools of Decatur accepted tuition applications from March 1 – April 2, 2010. As of June 22, 2010, spots remain in Grades 7, 8, 11, and 12. CSD will accept applications until July 15.

Tuition Fees for 2010-2011: Tuition for students in preK-12 will be $569 x 10 months.

In a recent post on the New York Times’ Economix blog, Harvard economist Edward Glaeser takes a look the solutions to the inherent problems of close human proximity over the course of American city history and determines that basic survival compels city dwellers to be more government-inclined.

Money quote…

I’m a big fan of the free market, and I see lots to like in liberty. But the downsides of proximity, be they cholera or crime, have never been solved with laissez-faire. Costly, often intrusive public action has often been needed to manage the negative externalities associated with urban density.

In a sense, the gulf between the political attitudes of New York City and Montana can be understood as a reflection of the fact that city dwellers need government a lot more than ranchers do.

h/t: Otis White

In response to an off-hand comment by the Mayor about “fees” at last night’s Decatur City Commission meeting, City Manager Peggy Merriss explained that you can actually incur a $25 fine for parking in a metered spot for more than 2 hours.

This is different than the $20 fine for an expired meter.  The City Manager explained that the 2-hour max fine exists to keep cars rotating through spots on the street.

Makes sense…though I’m not sure most people realize that they could technically be fined for returning to a meter and inserting more coinage to continue on their 2+ hour bender.

For more fee fun, check out pages 47-53 of the supporting materials from last night’s meeting!  Like did you know it’s only a $500 fee to sell beer or wine wholesale, but a $5,000 fee to sell “spirituous liquors”?? Or that it’s only $25 for a publication vending bin (aka the Mayor’s worst enemy) permit ??