diff --git a/app/controllers/data_controller.rb b/app/controllers/data_controller.rb
index 997e38ec..32d751c8 100644
--- a/app/controllers/data_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/data_controller.rb
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ class DataController < ApplicationController
       #save file for later
       begin
         uploaded_file = params[:file]
-        @filename = Tracks::Utils.sanitize_filename(uploaded_file.original_filename)
+        @filename = sanitize_filename(uploaded_file.original_filename)
         path_and_file = Rails.root.join('public', 'uploads', 'csv', @filename)
         File.open(path_and_file, "wb") { |f| f.write(uploaded_file.read) }
       rescue Exception => e
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class DataController < ApplicationController
 
   def csv_import
     begin
-      filename = Tracks::Utils.sanitize_filename(params[:file])
+      filename = sanitize_filename(params[:file])
       path_and_file = Rails.root.join('public', 'uploads', 'csv', filename)
       case params[:import_to]
       when 'projects'
@@ -209,4 +209,9 @@ class DataController < ApplicationController
     raise "YAML loading is disabled"
   end
 
+  private
+  def sanitize_filename(filename)
+    filename.gsub(/[^0-9A-z.\-]/, '_')
+  end
+
 end
diff --git a/app/helpers/notes_helper.rb b/app/helpers/notes_helper.rb
index 1717fa92..0e62f5a4 100644
--- a/app/helpers/notes_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/notes_helper.rb
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 module NotesHelper
   def truncated_note(note, characters = 50)
-    Tracks::Utils.render_text(truncate(note.body, :length => characters, :omission => "..."))
+    render_text(truncate(note.body, :length => characters, :omission => "..."))
   end
 
   def rendered_note(note)
-    Tracks::Utils.render_text(note.body)
+    render_text(note.body)
   end
 
   def link_to_delete_note(note, descriptor = sanitize(note.id.to_s))
diff --git a/app/helpers/projects_helper.rb b/app/helpers/projects_helper.rb
index f6463263..40175c54 100644
--- a/app/helpers/projects_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/projects_helper.rb
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ module ProjectsHelper
 
   def project_summary(project)
     project_description = ''
-    project_description += Tracks::Utils.render_text( project.description ) if project.description.present?
+    project_description += render_text( project.description ) if project.description.present?
     project_description += content_tag(:p,
       "#{count_undone_todos_phrase(p)}. #{t('projects.project_state', :state => project.state)}".html_safe
       )
diff --git a/app/helpers/rendering_helper.rb b/app/helpers/rendering_helper.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9c6f0d97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/helpers/rendering_helper.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+module RenderingHelper
+  AUTO_LINK_MESSAGE_RE = %r{message://<[^>]+>} unless const_defined?(:AUTO_LINK_MESSAGE_RE)
+
+  # Converts message:// links to href. This URL scheme is used on Mac OS X
+  # to link to a mail message in Mail.app.
+  def auto_link_message(text)
+    text.gsub(AUTO_LINK_MESSAGE_RE) do
+      href = $&
+      left = $`
+      right = $'
+      # detect already linked URLs and URLs in the middle of a tag
+      if left =~ /<[^>]+$/ && right =~ /^[^>]*>/
+        # do not change string; URL is alreay linked
+        href
+      else
+        content_tag(:a, h(href), :href => h(href))
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  def render_text(text)
+    rendered = auto_link_message(text)
+    rendered = textile(rendered)
+    rendered = auto_link(rendered, link: :urls, html: {target: '_blank'})
+
+    relaxed_config = Sanitize::Config::RELAXED
+    config = relaxed_config
+
+    # add onenote and message protocols, allow a target
+    a_href_config = relaxed_config[:protocols]['a']['href'] + %w(onenote message)
+    a_attributes = relaxed_config[:attributes]['a'] + ['target']
+    config = Sanitize::Config.merge(config, protocols: {'a' => {'href' => a_href_config}}, :attributes => {'a' => a_attributes})
+
+    rendered = Sanitize.fragment(rendered, config)
+    return rendered.html_safe
+  end
+
+  def textile(text)
+    RedCloth.new(text).to_html
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/helpers/todos_helper.rb b/app/helpers/todos_helper.rb
index 4517ea52..ec1c9348 100644
--- a/app/helpers/todos_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/todos_helper.rb
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ module TodosHelper
     notes = content_tag(:div, {
       :class => "todo_notes",
       :id => dom_id(todo, 'notes'),
-      :style => "display:none"}) { raw todo.rendered_notes }
+      :style => "display:none"}) { raw render_text(todo.notes) }
     return link+notes
   end
 
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ module TodosHelper
   end
 
   def feed_content_for_todo(todo)
-    item_notes = todo.notes ? todo.rendered_notes : ''
+    item_notes = todo.notes ? render_text(todo.notes) : ''
     due = todo.due ? content_tag(:div, t('todos.feeds.due', :date => format_date(todo.due))) : ''
     done = todo.completed? ? content_tag(:div, t('todos.feeds.completed', :date => format_date(todo.completed_at))) : ''
     context_link = link_to(context_url(todo.context), todo.context.name)
diff --git a/app/models/todo.rb b/app/models/todo.rb
index ea1fbf1c..fa6a7e90 100644
--- a/app/models/todo.rb
+++ b/app/models/todo.rb
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ class Todo < ActiveRecord::Base
   MAX_DESCRIPTION_LENGTH = 300
   MAX_NOTES_LENGTH = 60000
 
-  before_save :render_note
   after_save :save_predecessors
 
   # associations
@@ -378,14 +377,6 @@ class Todo < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
 
-  def render_note
-    unless self.notes.nil?
-      self.rendered_notes = Tracks::Utils.render_text(self.notes)
-    else
-      self.rendered_notes = nil
-    end
-  end
-
   def self.import(filename, params, user)
     default_context = user.contexts.order('id').first
 
diff --git a/app/views/projects/_project_settings.html.erb b/app/views/projects/_project_settings.html.erb
index 5244e949..a421f40c 100644
--- a/app/views/projects/_project_settings.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/projects/_project_settings.html.erb
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
     <%= link_to_edit_project(project, t('projects.edit_project_settings')) %>
   </div>
   <% if project.description.present? -%>
-    <div class="project_description"><%= Tracks::Utils.render_text(project.description) %></div>
+    <div class="project_description"><%= render_text(project.description) %></div>
   <% end -%>
 </div>
 <div id="<%= dom_id(project, 'edit') %>" class="edit-form" style="display:none;">
diff --git a/app/views/todos/show_notes.m.erb b/app/views/todos/show_notes.m.erb
index e67def56..d367ce28 100644
--- a/app/views/todos/show_notes.m.erb
+++ b/app/views/todos/show_notes.m.erb
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <h2><%= raw "#{t('todos.next_action_description')} (#{link_to(t('common.go_back'), @return_path)}" %>)</h2>
 <%= link_to @todo.description, todo_path(@todo, :format => 'm') -%>
 <h2><%= t('todos.notes') %></h2>
-<%= Tracks::Utils.render_text(@todo.notes)  %>
+<%= render_text(@todo.notes)  %>
 <%= link_to t('common.back'), @return_path %>
diff --git a/db/migrate/20150413194512_remove_rendered_notes.rb b/db/migrate/20150413194512_remove_rendered_notes.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5a763c21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrate/20150413194512_remove_rendered_notes.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+class RemoveRenderedNotes < ActiveRecord::Migration
+  def self.up
+    remove_column :todos, 'rendered_notes'
+  end
+
+  def self.down
+    add_column :todos, 'rendered_notes', :text
+    
+    # Call save on each todo to force generation of rendered_notes
+    # Copied from 20120412072508_add_rendered_notes
+    say "Rendering todo notes..."
+    Todo.all.each{ |todo| todo.save(validate: false) }
+    say "Finished rendering todo notes."
+  end  
+end
diff --git a/lib/tracks/utils.rb b/lib/tracks/utils.rb
deleted file mode 100644
index c9942bb1..00000000
--- a/lib/tracks/utils.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,58 +0,0 @@
-require 'redcloth'
-
-module Tracks
-
-  class Utils
-    AUTO_LINK_MESSAGE_RE = %r{message://<[^>]+>} unless const_defined?(:AUTO_LINK_MESSAGE_RE)
-
-    # Converts message:// links to href. This URL scheme is used on Mac OS X
-    # to link to a mail message in Mail.app.
-    def self.auto_link_message(text)
-      text.gsub(AUTO_LINK_MESSAGE_RE) do
-        href = $&
-        left = $`
-        right = $'
-        # detect already linked URLs and URLs in the middle of a tag
-        if left =~ /<[^>]+$/ && right =~ /^[^>]*>/
-          # do not change string; URL is alreay linked
-          href
-        else
-          content = helpers.content_tag(:a, h(href), :href => h(href))
-        end
-      end
-    end
-
-    def self.render_text(text)
-      rendered = auto_link_message(text)
-      rendered = textile(rendered)
-      rendered = helpers.auto_link(rendered, :link => :urls, :html => {:target => '_blank'})
-
-      relaxed_config = Sanitize::Config::RELAXED
-      config = relaxed_config
-
-      # add onenote and message protocols, allow a target
-      a_href_config = relaxed_config[:protocols]['a']['href'] + %w(onenote message)
-      a_attributes = relaxed_config[:attributes]['a'] + ['target']
-      config = Sanitize::Config.merge(config, :protocols => {'a' => {'href' => a_href_config}}, :attributes => {'a' => a_attributes})
-
-      rendered = Sanitize.fragment(rendered, config)
-      return rendered.html_safe
-    end
-
-    def self.textile(text)
-      RedCloth.new(text).to_html
-    end
-
-    def self.sanitize_filename(filename)
-      filename.gsub(/[^0-9A-z.\-]/, '_')
-    end
-
-    private
-
-    def self.helpers
-      ActionController::Base.helpers
-    end
-
-  end
-
-end
diff --git a/test/helpers/rendering_helper_test.rb b/test/helpers/rendering_helper_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..358e3c68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/helpers/rendering_helper_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+require "test_helper"
+
+class RenderingHelperTest < ActionView::TestCase
+  include RenderingHelper
+
+  test "auto_link_message" do
+    html = "This is a sample with a message - message://<123456789>. There we go."
+    rendered_html = auto_link_message(html)
+    assert(
+      rendered_html.include?(%|<a href="message://&lt;123456789&gt;">message://&lt;123456789&gt;</a>|),
+      "Message was not correctly rendered. Rendered message:\n#{rendered_html}"
+    )
+
+    html = %|This message is already tagged: <a href="message://<12345>">Call bob</a>."|
+    rendered_html = auto_link_message(html)
+    assert_equal(html, rendered_html)
+  end
+
+  test "textile" do
+    raw_textile = "This should end up *strong*."
+    rendered_textile = textile(raw_textile)
+    assert_equal("<p>This should end up <strong>strong</strong>.</p>", rendered_textile)
+  end
+
+  test "render_text" do
+    simple_textile = render_text("This is *strong*.")
+    assert_equal("<p>This is <strong>strong</strong>.</p>", simple_textile)
+
+    autolink_message = render_text("Call message://<123>.")
+    assert_equal(%|<p>Call <a href="message://&lt;123&gt;">message://&lt;123&gt;</a>.</p>|, autolink_message)
+
+    onenote_links = render_text(%|Link to onenote <a href="onenote://foobar">here</a>.|)
+    assert_equal(%|<p>Link to onenote <a href="onenote://foobar">here</a>.</p>|, onenote_links)
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/models/todo_test.rb b/test/models/todo_test.rb
index 682bcb4c..f9791084 100644
--- a/test/models/todo_test.rb
+++ b/test/models/todo_test.rb
@@ -532,14 +532,12 @@ class TodoTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     todo = user.todos.create(:description => "test", :context => @completed.context)
 
     assert_nil todo.notes
-    assert_nil todo.rendered_notes
 
     todo.notes = "*test*"
     todo.save!
     todo.reload
 
     assert_equal "*test*", todo.notes
-    assert_equal "<p><strong>test</strong></p>", todo.rendered_notes
   end
 
   def test_attachments_are_removed_after_delete