Archives for June 2005

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to raise the Motel Bed Tax rate during their regular meeting on May 24.

An amendment to Ordinance 270 would increase the tax rate from four percent to seven percent of the cost of a hotel room. A second reading and a final vote on the increase will be held at the board’s next meeting on June 14.

If approved, the tax on an $80 motel room would increase from $3.20 to $5.60, a difference of $2.40.

The city will contact local motels to advise them of the increase.

In other city business, Tom Stauder addressed the board on behalf of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, which has been working to improve land across the street from the church that was originally occupied by St. Mary’s Academy. The church has sown that block with grass, and Stauder asked the board to consider donating or reducing the charges for water needed to get the grass established, the cost of which was estimated to be about $800 for the summer.

Mayor Tex Selvidge and the board said the city was depending on income from its water utility to help pay for this year’s street project, and they expressed concerns over setting a precedent for discounting water rates.

Alderman Michael Tibbets offered to donate a rifle to the church, which could then be raffled off to raise money for the project. Stauder accepted Tibbets’ offer and thanked him on behalf of the church.

City Administrator Sean Pate reported that Clarendon ranked 31st in its application for a Community Development Block Grant to fund improvements to the water pressure system on the west side of town. The city will, therefore, not receive this grant; and Pate said that there likely will not be any more CDBG grants if the Bush administration has its way.

Pate recommended the city look at a 40-year, low interest loan/grant program through the US Department of Agriculture to fund the water pressure project. The board asked him to get more information.

Pate also reported citizens’ complaints about semi-trucks that are being left running all night in residential areas. An amendment to the nuisance ordinance was discussed, and the board also expressed concerns about what effect the weight of tractor-trailer rigs would have on the new paving when its completed.

Bids for that paving project will be opened during a called session of the board on June 2 at 2 p.m.

The Clarendon Enterprise has launched a new digital version of the newspaper in celebration of its 127th anniversary this week.

Enterprise-D has every feature of the print edition and also introduces new benefits to readers, according to publisher Roger Estlack.

“The D stands for digital, and that brings new aspects to the experience of reading the Enterprise,” Estlack said. “Readers can search the entire text of each issue for names or topics at the push of a button, they can zoom in and read small type easily, and they can save each edition indefinitely without cluttering up their home or office with old copies of the paper.”

But the biggest benefit of Enterprise-D will likely be to out of county subscribers who will be able to get their hometown paper much sooner than before.

“We’ve got subscribers on the east and west coasts who report delays of three or four weeks in receiving the paper. Even in the Dallas area, a subscriber can sometimes wait five to ten days for their paper,” Estlack said. “With Enterprise-D a digital paper is delivered to their e-mail box the same day the print edition hits the press. There is no waiting.”

A 12-month subscription to Enterprise-D costs just $9.95, and readers can place their order online or over the telephone. To try out the paper, readers can purchase a single copy from the Enterprise’s Web site for just $1.

Print subscribers can add Enterprise-D to their subscriptions for just $5 and enjoy both versions of the paper.

“This digital concept is something we’ve discussed for about three years, but it has really been spurred on lately by the frustrations our subscribers have experienced with the US Postal Service,” Estlack said. “While we get great service from our local postal carriers, on a national scale, the USPS places newspapers on a low priority when it comes to delivery; and we don’t foresee that getting any better.”

Accompanying the introduction of Enterprise-D, are rate increases for all out-of-county subscriptions and the introduction of a new out-of-state subscription rate. Texas readers outside of Donley County will pay $30 for annual subscriptions. Continental US subscribers outside of Texas will pay $35.

“We don’t want to raise these rates, but the high cost of postage has forced our hand,” Estlack said. “We hope subscribers will at least try Enterprise-D and avoid paying more for the same old snail mail.”

The Clarendon Enterprise was established as The Clarendon News on June 1, 1878 and was the Texas Panhandle’s first newspaper. Enterprise-D is the first weekly newspaper in a digital format in the Panhandle.