Seminary will be closed to thru-traffic on Tuesday, March 9 through Wednesday, March 10 for waterline improvements. This road will still be accessible to emergency vehicles.

March 10th is the last day to register to vote in the April 6th elections. The April 6th election includes Cameron City Council and school board positions among other regional issues. The residents of Clinton and DeKalb Counties can register at City Hall while Daviess and Caldwell County citizens can visit their respective court houses to register. To register, you must be able to show that you will be at least 18 years of age on election day. Applications are also available at City Hall and the county seats for absentee voters.

Due to possible inclement weather on Tuesday, March 9, the scheduled Annual Statewide Tornado Drill has been postponed until Thursday, March 11, at 1:30 pm.

City officials urge Cameron residents to make sure they fill out this year's short census form to ensure that Cameron receives its fair share of state and federal funding. The US Census Bureau says that population numbers determine which states win or lose representation in Congress and the amount of state and federal funding communities receive over the next ten years. 2010 census data will directly affect how more than $4 trillion is allocated to local and state governments during the decade. The goal of the Census Bureau is to count everyone once, and only once, and in the right place.
This year, all households will receive only the 10-question short-form which should take only about ten minutes to complete. Questions about housing, education and jobs which were formerly covered in the long form, are now handled in the American Community Survey which is conducted yearly throughout the decade and replaces the long form. The law requires that households respond to the census, but some people erroneously think that the census will allow law enforcement or a former spouse to find them. By law, the Bureau cannot share your answers with anyone, including other federal agencies or law enforcement entities. All Census Bureau employees take a lifetime oath of confidentiality. The census will take a snapshot of America on April first.

Cameron's use of the International Building Code (IBC) benefits builders, homeowners and neighbors, but it is only a minimum standard according to City Inspector Clyde Han. Use of the IBC means that builders and developers working in different cities or different states "know what to expect when they are looking at Cameron...and it saves hundreds of questions", says Han. The IBC establishes minimum requirements for safety and health through affordability, structural integrity, sanitation, light & ventilation, energy conservation and protection of life and property. The IBC is revised every three years and he has been involved in the revision process by voting on proposed changes to the code. IBC members include expertise from all disciplines, research & development, climate, foundations, insulation, HVAC, energy conservation and alternative energy bringing builders and buyers more choices in materials, technologies and methods of construction. Han says, "The bottom line is that IBC saves lives, money and time for Cameron and our citizens." Another IBC benefit for property owners is lower insurance costs. In the past twelve years, the City's insurance rating has improved by two categories and says his own home insurance dropped by $1,400 over six years. The IBC does not, however, address craftsmanship and that a poor job of putting the pieces together will result in poor performance. IBC is a minimum standard and that "when someone says they built a structure to code," don't be too impressed; it means they didn't do any more than they had to. If you related the Code to grades in school, the Code is a D minus".

Over 50 exhibitors will be on hand for the 2nd annual Show Me Resources Fair, March 20th from 9:00-Noon at the Cameron United Methodist Church. The free fair targets children, youth and adults in DeKalb, Daviess, Clinton and Caldwell Counties with a one-stop resource event for social services. Sponsors will offer free health screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar, BMI and more. A mobile food pantry will provide free 40-pound boxes of food for those in need. In addition, exhibitors will provide information on finance, weatherization, utility assistance, senior and disability services, volunteer opportunities, emergency preparedness and safety.
The Community Blood Bank will conduct a blood drive at the nearby First Christian Church. There will be games for kids, free hot dogs & chips, a Cameron Fire Department ladder truck and a police squad car.
The Fair is free and open to the public. For more information, call Peggy Keesaman at Community Action Partnership, 816-632-7345.

The Census Bureau will have a representative available to answer questions and assist the public in filling out their census forms. This representative will be at the Cameron Library from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the library's regular business days now through April 19.

The City of Cameron now offers accessories for recycling bins: wheel kits to make transport easier and lids to keep critters out. The wheel kit costs $10.00 and is easy to mount to your bin using existing holes. Lids are $5.50 each and new bins are $15.00. All prices include tax and the recycling items are available for purchase at City Hall. The wheel kit also includes a rope pull which makes it easier to move full bins to curbside for pickup. The City also provides recyling bags for bin liners which crews leave when they pick up recyclables curbside. To see a photo of the installed wheel kit and lid, click the link below.
Several months ago the City began picking up recyclables curbside on the same day as your regular trash pickup, but you must have a blue recycling bin to ensure that recyclables are separated from regular trash. This is because the recyclables are not picked up by the same crew as the trash. Recyclables are transported to Clinco Industries in Cameron for processing and sale to manufacturers who use them to make new products from our discarded bottles, cans, plastic and paper. A recycling drop-off site is also available at Sutherland Lumber during open business hours seven days a week.
The City has also received grants from the Region D Recycling and Waste Management District which serves several area counties. The City has used the grants to purchase recycling bins and and large totes, construct a shelter for the drop-off center and buy a new recycling trailer which is used to pick up recyclables curbside and take them to Clinco. City voters decided to provide recycling service in 1995 following federal directives that landfill waste be reduced by 40%. [Additional info...]

R&W Container has announced that it will offer weekly yard waste collection for $6.50 per month. For complete details of this new service, follow the 'additional info' link herein and view the Yard Waste section on the Trash, Recycling, Yard Waste, & Open Burning page. [Additional info...]

After much debate & discussion, the City is on track to resolve the issue of parking in the 'parkways.' City Council and Staff have diligently worked at developing a plan to identify and permit many existing parking in the parkway situations. See the 'additional info' link for complete details of this issue and the proposed solution. [Additional info...]

Cameron citizens Keith Swindler, Robert Balliet, Charles Catron, David Fry, Scott Cole, Doug Severe, and David Slover have all filed for City Council. The Council Election will take place on Tuesday, April 6. Clinton County residents will vote at the Public Safety Building (101 W. Second). DeKalb County residents will vote at the North Branch of 1st Cameron State Bank (515 Platte-Clay Way). Don't forget to vote!