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Archives for June 2013

Editorial: Big Brother is watching everyone

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Edward Snowden is on the run. And he should be given that he has made a lot of powerful enemies in the United States government. If you watch enough movies or television, it’s easy to see how this guy could have “an accident” while trying to avoid extradition back to the US. But if you keep up with current events, it’s even easier to think he might just get droned.

Snowden took a job with a government contractor apparently for the sole purpose of finding out what all nasty business the government is up to. He then took that information to the press, and a foreign newspaper shined the light on secret surveillance activities being conducted on American citizens and others in the name of national security.

One of the biggest revelations was that the government had obtained a secret court order forcing Verizon Communications to turn over tons of “metadata” on millions of cellular phone users. Basically, every Verizon customer, including your humble editor, has had their Fourth Amendment Rights violated by our government.

Roger Estlack, Editor
Roger Estlack, Editor

And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Below the surface there are now other known surveillance activities being conducted against the American public for our own good.

We likely would never have known about much of this except for the actions of Mr. Snowden. We can’t be sure what his personal motivations were or are, but he has found himself demonized for his actions. He’s been called a traitor and accused of treason, and you can be sure the federal government has a stack of criminal charges lined up against this guy if they ever get their hands on him.

Or, as has already been mentioned, the administration might just declare him an enemy combatant, blow up his taxi, and trumpet the whole thing on the evening news.

Rather than condemn Snowden, someone ought to give this guy a medal. And all these high-ranking DemoRepublicrats who are calling for his criminal prosecution need to take a good long look in the mirror at what they and this government are becoming.

Snowden and a few allies in the press have pulled back the curtain and exposed some pretty ugly government cockroaches to the sunshine. But rather than scurry off into the shadows, government officials have thumbed their noses at outraged citizens and pledged to continue these “necessary” programs.

It is disgusting what has happened to our government. And it’s been a bipartisan track that has led us here. President George W. Bush’s administration fueled by the attacks on 9-11 got sweeping powers to violate civil liberties under the guise of pursuing terrorists with the passage of the PATRIOT Act by wide majorities of both parties. President Obama first criticized some of those policies… but has continued them and apparently expanded them. We should be reminded that power corrupts, and freedoms lost are hard to regain.

As we approach the anniversary of our nation’s independence, it is a good time to ask what we have become. It’s already obvious that our government is largely unrecognizable from the small, limited federal republic described by our Constitution. But now we have examples of a bureaucracy and power culture that truly appears to be growing out of control to the point that no president can even know what’s happening under him much less be in command of all the forces of the Executive.

We see examples of Internal Revenue agents giving extra scrutiny based on political motives. We see agents of the press harassed and intimidated for crossing the administration. We see federal employees refuse to answer basic questions from the elected Representatives of the People. And now we know that our National Security Agency considers We the People to be the enemy… or at least possibly the enemy and worthy of scrutiny.

There is probably little about our present government that our Founding Fathers would recognize, and they would certainly be appalled to learn what we’ve given up in order to be “safe.”

Imagine if you will what would have happened if government officials had approached Postmaster General Benjamin Franklin with a secret court order. “Mr. Franklin, we don’t want to know the contents of people’s mail. We just want to know who is writing to whom, where they are when they write the letter, where the recipient of the letter is when they get it, and how long the letter is. Is all just for safety’s sake. After all, the Brits still have friends here in America and you never know what they might be up to.”

I’m sure old Ben would have told the government agents to go to hell, and then he would have done just what Mr. Snowden did and blow the whistle so every American could know just what was happening.

Far from condemning Snowden, America should be thanking him. It is time to roll back the power of the federal government. It is time for the People to demand that our representatives pull the plug on these activities, and it is time for those who continue to defend these policies to find other lines of work. It is time for Americans to be free again.

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Proposal would bring wind farm in 2014

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A proposed wind farm would erect 60 to 80 turbines along Interstate 40 in Donley and Gray counties, according to a company representative.

Ceilo Wind Power’s Robert Peña told Donley County Commissioners Tuesday that his company is considering a 120- to 140 Megawatt farm with two-thirds of the project being located on 10,000 to 12,000 acres in the northwestern part of the county and the remainder in Gray County.

Construction and acquisition on the project will cost about $3 million, and the total project will cost Cielo approximately $300 million.

When the project is completed, a five-person crew will be hired to maintain the facility with salaries ranging from the high 30,000s to the low 40,000s.

Peña said Cielo is working with local landowners at this time, and Tuesday’s meeting with county commissioners was to lay the groundwork for the company to request a tax abatement.

Peña hopes to formally begin that process in July with the county approving a reinvestment zone for the farm and holding a public hearing.

Construction would likely begin in 2014 and last about eight months, Peña said.

Cielo also enjoys working with community colleges, Peña said, and this week Clarendon College announced that the company has donated a meteorological tower to the college’s wind program on its Gray County campus.

“We like to be good community partners,” Peña said of the company, which has been in business since the 1990s.

Peña said Cielo will also make improvements on the county roads it will need to use during the construction of the wind farm and will maintain those roads during the duration of construction.

Peña also met with the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Chandra Eggemeyer and said he was planning to meet with Clarendon ISD officials later in the day.

November election to fill city’s vacancies

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 The Clarendon Board of Aldermen is unable to make decisions and cannot hold official meetings following the resignation of three of its five members last week.

City officials say November will be the earliest that a special election can be held to fill the vacancies. The Texas Secretary of State’s office had last week informed City Hall that the law does allow the governor to call an earlier emergency election, but legislative activities in the State Capitol were slowing the city’s request for such action, making November the likely date.

Aldermen Abby Patten and Jesus Hernandez resigned their offices last Tuesday, June 11, and Alderman Debbie Roberts Hillis followed with her resignation Wednesday afternoon, June 12. It takes three members of the board to have a quorum.

Hernandez did not give a reason for resigning in his signed statement last week. Patten’s letter to the board said it had been a pleasure serving and cited her recent admission to law school in Oklahoma and the need to focus on her studies and being unable to attend meetings as her reasons for stepping down.

“Therefore, I would like to take this time to thank you for allowing me to serve with you for the time I did and present my resignation to the board,” Patten wrote.

Hillis, who just won a full term in office last month, said in her resignation letter that she had planned on serving out her term and hopefully into the future. “But due to the recent false allegations filed by an unknown resident and several other issues,” she wrote, “I will no longer subject my family or myself to this sort of underhandedness.”

Mayor Larry Hicks said the three resignations came as a surprise.

“We were not expecting resignations from three aldermen within a 24 hour period,” Hicks said. “We did receive some good news from the Attorney General’s office in that the Mayor, City Secretary and the two remaining aldermen can legally meet in the meantime to participate in planning, drafting a budget for the coming year, and dealing with other city business; however, no formal action can be taken on any matter until new aldermen are seated.”

Hicks also said the situation would not affect the daily operations of the city, and he said City Hall expects to finish the current fiscal year on September 30, 2013, with revenues over expenses.

Alderman Will Thompson was optimistic about the city’s future.

“I would like to wish my former fellow council members the best as they move on from the city council,” Thompson said. “Their departures do present a challenge in the short term, yet we can take this opportunity to focus on building a better future for Clarendon and recommit our energies to that goal. We all realize the issues facing our community such as water, city infrastructure and economy. However, we are not without several resources that can help overcome these challenges. I hope as we begin selecting new council members that we look for those that have the vision and wisdom to leverage these resources in building a bright future for our community.”

Alderman Sandy Skelton said an election this fall would be an opportunity for Clarendon.

“The citizens of Clarendon now have a great opportunity to elect three new aldermen who believe that the City should come first as opposed to petty politics and game playing,” Skelton said. “Potential candidates should be residents of Texas for one year, a resident of Clarendon for at least six months, abide by the laws of the United States and Texas to include all sections of the Open Meetings Act, make decisions in the best interests of the city and its citizens, have a desire to promote economic development and growth, embrace infrastructure improvements through innovation, creative thinking and a “can-do” attitude, have an ability to work well and in a professional manner with others and lastly, understand the limited duties and boundaries of an alderman.”

Skelton also said people should not run for the board to settle a personal agenda, and he applauded Mayor Hicks’ daily efforts overseeing city projects and City Secretary Machiel Covey’s handling of city business. He also thanked all the city employees for their hard work and dedication.

A timeline for a November election was not available at press time. The election, however, will come too late for the city to adopt a new budget or tax rate, which must be done before the end of September. City officials say the current tax rate and budget will simply carry over into the new fiscal year. Once new board members are seated, budget amendments can be adopted.

City’s sales tax revenue up 41%

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Clarendon’s sales tax receipts were up sharply for the third month in a row, bolstered by economic activity of pipeline workers making their temporary homes in Donley County.

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs distributed sales tax allocations last Wednesday, June 12, and Clarendon posted revenue of $35,562.59 for the month of May compared to $25,085.09 for the same month in 2012, an increase of 41.76 percent.

The city is now ahead 24.02 percent for the calendar year-to-date for sales tax revenue with collections totaling $194,329.54, up from $156,680.37 for the same time last year.

Hedley also continues to see an upward swing in tax revenue with a monthly allocation of $399.72, up 33.99 percent from $298.31 last May. That city is now 35 percent ahead for the year at $3,566.60.

Howardwick’s monthly sales tax revenue was up 22.26 percent for the month at $1,778.15, but that city still lags just slightly for the year compared to 2012, down 0.33 percent at $7,818.75.

Statewide, Combs said that state sales tax revenue in May was $2.26 billion, up 7.9 percent compared to May 2012.

“Growth in state sales tax revenue was led by collections from the information services and construction sectors,” Combs said. “Restaurants also showed notable growth, while oil and natural gas-related activity remains a major source of strength.”

The sales tax figures represent monthly sales made in April.

Editorial: Time to move forward with new leaders

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A visit to Clarendon’s City Hall by the District Attorney’s investigator. Three resignations of city aldermen. And the complete paralysis of the city’s legislative process. It’s been an interesting month, but now it’s time to figure out how to move forward.

As plans continue to take shape for an election this fall to fill the vacant board positions and get the city council functioning again, it is important to consider the qualities we want in future aldermen. First and foremost, Clarendon deserves aldermen who are committed to following the letter and spirit of the law to conduct the people’s business out in the open.

For the past year, it seemed that there was more happening outside of the council chamber than inside official meetings. Decisions appeared to be predetermined, and some folks – including your editor – believed that the

Roger Estlack, Editor
Roger Estlack, Editor

Texas Open Meetings Act was being side-stepped. All elected officials are supposed to be trained in the requirements of that law, but some still don’t understand it fully. In addition to setting forth the guidelines for posting agendas, conducting meetings, properly holding executive sessions, and other requirements, the law prohibits officials from meeting to conduct official business outside of public meetings.

The law also bans members from meeting in numbers of less than a quorum – through successive meetings, phone calls, or electronic messages – for the purpose of circumventing the act. That’s called a “walking quorum.” In laymen’s terms, Alderman Z cannot call or go see Alderman Y about an issue, formulate a plan, and then call or visit Alderman X in an effort to coordinate their actions or to plan to vote as a block.

In addition to being unfair to the public, violations of the Open Meetings Act can have serious consequences including fines up to $500 and up to six months in jail. Current and future city aldermen and other local elected officials need to be aware that this newspaper will expose them if they violate the law.

The second quality potential aldermen need is the ability to put aside personal feelings and act only in the best interests of the City of Clarendon and its people. The past behavior of the board can most kindly be described as unprofessional. Some would go so far as to say dysfunctional. Your editor has been attending city council meetings for 18 years, and never has the actions of the board been so driven by personal vendettas, animosity, and vindictiveness. Those emotions have no place on an elected board. Working only to thwart the efforts of city employees or participating in witch hunts does nothing to move Clarendon forward. Instead, those actions sully our town’s reputation and stymie progress.

We need aldermen with a vision of what Clarendon can become rather than always harping on the negative. We need men and women who can let the past be the past and focus on the future. We need leaders who want to take Clarendon to new heights instead of holding it down or undermining it. We need people of integrity who will stick with the job with which they have been entrusted and work to bring about solutions to our problems. It’s fine to disagree on some things but not when disagreement devolves into dysfunction.

And we need people who understand some key things. First, we can’t fix this city’s issues by always trying to spend less money. The “poor boy” way doesn’t work. You want better streets? Someone has to pay for it. We’ve got a street project underway on Third and Sixth streets. Let’s make sure it’s done right; and remember, progress can sometimes be an inconvenient mess while it’s happening.

Second, someone needs to be in charge and that person’s authority needs to be clear. It just doesn’t make sense to have a million-dollar operation with 18 employees and try to run it with a five-member committee meeting twice a month. It’s not 1980 anymore. We need a boss, we need a good code compliance officer, and we need to act professionally. Some people will get their toes stepped on, but it will be okay and Clarendon will be the better for it.

And finally, we need leaders and citizens who will concentrate on the good things about Clarendon and seek to build upon our assets. There are a lot of positive things happening here – some are the result of actions taken by our former city administrator, some are due to the efforts of our Economic Development Corporation, some are the result of just plain old hard work and determination of our citizens, businesses, and city employees, and some are the blessings of divine Providence.

Clarendon controls its own destiny; and if we can put aside petty politics, there is no limit to what we can accomplish. Instead of looking at what other communities have and pining for it, we need to bring those things here. We need to work for more jobs, more amenities, more businesses, and a better quality of life. Together, we can do that. But to make it happen, we all have to start rowing this boat in the same direction and stop working against each other.

Opinion: Don’t fret about geezers; we’re fine

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 As a recent inductee into the Geezer Brigade, I must admit that I’ve been a little concerned that Social Security, a program into which I’ve paid tens of thousands of dollars over the years, would go belly up, and I would be forced to either live in a tent or commit a tiny misdemeanor so Butch and his deputies would rent me a cell at a reasonable price.  Not to worry.  I’m pleased to report that Social Security will do just fine, both now and into the distant future.   Butch can continue to rent his cells to those who need them.

Fred Gray.
Fred Gray.

Last month, the Congressional Budget Office released its most recent anticipated projections for debts and deficits.  The deficit disciples immediately wailed and gnashed their teeth because the numbers show that our deficits are falling fast, and the ratio of debt to gross domestic product is projected to remain fairly stable over the next decade or so.  While most people think it would be nice to eventually reduce our debt, those who have made their careers around proclamations of imminent fiscal doom, this was not a report that they wanted to see, much less become public.

Still, we can still try to find a way to blame the baby boomers for delivering disaster, can’t we.  Doesn’t the tidal wave of retiring baby boomers mean that Social Security and Medicare are doomed?  Don’t we need to change (cut back) those programs now, like yesterday? 

Hmmm.  Maybe not.

To be fair, the reports of the Social Security and Medicare trustees released Friday do suggest that America’s retirement system needs some significant work. The ratio of Americans over 65 to those of working age will rise inexorably over the decades ahead, and this will translate into rising spending on Social Security and Medicare as a share of national income.

However, the numbers are nearly as overwhelming as one might think.  If one looks closely, the numbers suggest that we can, if we so choose, maintain our social insurance as we know it with only minor adjustments.  Eureka!

Start with Social Security. The retirement program’s trustees do project rising spending as the population gets older, with total payments rising from 5.1 percent of G.D.P. now, to 6.2 percent in 2035, at which point they stabilize. This means, by the way, that all the talk of Social Security going “bankrupt” is nonsense; even if nothing at all is done, the system will be able to pay most of its scheduled benefits as far as the eye can see.

Still, it does look as if there will eventually be a shortfall, a few score years into the future, and the usual Republican suspects insist that we must move right now to reduce scheduled benefits. But I’ve never understood the logic of this demand. The risk is that we might, at some point in the distant future, have to cut benefits (and let the old people eat pet food); to avoid this risk of future benefit cuts, we are supposed to act pre-emptively by – cutting future benefits. What problem, exactly, are we solving here?

What about Medicare? For years, many people have warned that Medicare is a much bigger problem than Social Security, and the latest information from the program’s trustees still shows spending rising from 3.6 percent of G.D.P. now to 5.6 percent in 2035. But that’s a smaller rise than in previous projections. Why?

The answer is that the long-term upward trend in health care costs — a trend that has affected private insurance as well as Medicare — seems to have flattened out significantly over the past few years. Nobody is quite sure why, but there are indications that some of the cost-reducing measures contained in Obamacare, are actually starting to “flatten out the curve” just as they were supposed to. And because there are a number of cost-reducing measures in the law that have not yet kicked in, there’s every reason to believe that this favorable trend will continue.

Even better, there is plenty of room for future savings, mainly because recent research confirms that Americans currently pay far more for medical care than the citizens of other advanced countries pay; and the price premium can and should be brought down to a more affordable level.  When it is, Medicare’s financial outlook will improve.

What are we facing here?  The latest numbers show the combined cost of Social Security and Medicare rising by a bit more than 3 percent of G.D.P. between now and 2035, and that number could easily come down with more effort on the health care front. Of course, 3 percent of G.D.P. is a big number, but it’s not an economy-crushing number. The United States could, if we really wanted to, close that gap entirely through modest tax increases, with no reduction in benefits at all, and still have one of the lowest overall tax rates in the advanced world.  The result would be senior citizens that are happy, happy, happy.

But haven’t all the great and good Republicans been telling us that Social Security and Medicare as we know them are unsustainable, that they must be totally revamped – and made much less generous?  Why yes, they have; they’ve been telling us that we must slash spending right away or we’ll face a Greek-style fiscal crisis. They were wrong about that, and they’re wrong about the longer run, too. The truth is that the long-term outlook for Social Security and Medicare, while not great, actually isn’t all that bad.   We’ll be just fine.  Don’t hurt us further.

CC announces service area scholarship program

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Clarendon College is pleased to announce a new scholarship opportunity for service area high school graduates – the Bulldog Bucks Tuition Assistance Program.

Clarendon College has committed to providing available resources through the Bulldog Bucks Program to assist every graduating high school senior in the service area in paying for college.

The Bulldog Bucks program will aid in covering fall and spring tuition, fees, books and housing costs for the first year at Clarendon College following a student’s high school graduation.

 “We are proud of our area high school graduates and as a sign of our dedication to the higher education of these students we are awarding each graduate a $500 scholarship,” CC President Dr. Phil Shirley. “We hope this contribution will help each student unleash their potential as they work to achieve their future dreams and endeavors.”

The scholarship is to be redeemed during the first-year following high school graduation and will be divided equally between the fall and spring semesters for full-time enrollment. To be eligible for Bulldog Bucks, students must graduate high school from a school district located in Armstrong, Briscoe, Childress, Collingsworth, Donley, Gray, Hall or Wheeler counties; enroll full-time (12 credit hours) in the first Fall or Spring semester after graduating from high school; and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

For more information on the Bulldog Bucks program, please contact the college at 1-800-687-9737.

Billy Joe McFall

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Billy Joe McFall, 83, of Pampa, passed from this life peacefully, on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, at his home with his wife and children by his side.

Services were held at Central Baptist Church on Friday, June 7, 2013, with Pastor Norman Rushing officiating. Burial followed at Citizen’s Cemetery in Clarendon, Texas, under the direction of Carmichael Whatley Funeral Directors.

Billy Joe was born December 2, 1929, to Sid and Delila McFall, of Polar, Texas. The family later relocated to Quitique, Texas. At the age of 13, Billy Joe left home to work as a cowboy for the R O Ranch near Clarendon which was owned by the Lewis family. While there, Billy Joe made his home with Johnnie Rex and Bill McClellan at Hodge Camp south of McLean and would later move to the ranch headquarters northeast of Clarendon. He was the oldest of the 3 remaining R O Ranch cowboys – the others being Butch Turpin and Joe Glass, both of McLean. Billy Joe later worked for the late Jake Chamberlain, who managed the Shoe Bar and Shoe Nail Ranches.

From 1950 – 1952 he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. After returning from his tour overseas, he married Jo Dean Trout, and began his work on the Sitter Ranch.

In 1966, Billy Joe moved from ranching life to Pampa to begin his livestock management tenure at Heaton Cattle Company and then managed the Wheeler Feed Yard until his retirement.

Billy Joe was the epitome of a southern gentleman and a true cowboy through and through. He devoted his life to the cowboy way which was evident in his character, beliefs, remarkable and respected business sense. He took the very essence of what being a cowboy was all about and displayed this through his artistic abilities through leather works, rawhide plaiting, and horse shoe creations. Growing up with parents who were share croppers he knew from a very young age that adversity was not a time to give up but to survive the best you could. He had an impeccable work ethic and expected no less from others. He was very much a perfectionist and believed that a hand shake was your word. He always helped anyone in need and felt his horse was his partner.

On February 14, 2009, Billy Joe married, Roberta Collins. They resided east of Pampa where they have enjoyed family and worshipping together at Central Baptist Church.

Billy Joe’s all time motto was: Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. –John Wayne.

Billy Joe was preceded in death by his loving wife of 53 years, Jo Dean, parents Sid and Delila McFall, his brother, Sid McFall, son-in-law, James Pergeson and great-granddaughter, Kensi Jo McFall.

Survivors include wife, Roberta, of the home, son, Gary McFall, and wife, Cheryl, of Pampa, daughter, Donna Simpson, and husband, Scott, of Morton, daughter, Diane Goodman, and husband Anthony, of Pampa, and daughter, Danette Powell, and husband, John, of Fort Worth along with 16 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren and one on the way. Also surviving are step-daughters Tammy Hiett, Dianne Cornelison, and husband, Jackie, and Sebrina Ozment and husband, DJ, all of Amarillo, 3 step-grandchildren and 3 step-great grandchildren, his 2 brothers, Jack McFall, and wife, Jo Ann, of Silverton, Texas, and Bud McFall of Cottage Grove, Oregon, and sister Alpha McFall of Watsonville, California.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Central Baptist Church, 513 E. Francis, Pampa, Texas, 79065, Citizens Cemetery, P.O. Box 983, Clarendon, Texas, 79226 or Saints Roost Museum, P.O. Box 781, Clarendon, Texas 79226.

MET Tower to be erected at CC Pampa Center

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Construction is now underway at the Clarendon College Pampa Center for a 50 foot meteorological (MET) tower as part of the college’s Wind Energy Program.

Representatives from Cielo Wind Power were on the campus this past Thursday evening to survey and stake out the site for the tower, which will be erected on the southwest corner of the college’s property.

The tower will consist of a 50 foot Rohn-25G Communications tower anchored at three points with two guy wires on each point. The tower will support various meteorological equipment such as a wind vane, an anemometer to measure wind speed and a cellular modem to transmit the data collected by the instruments.

Once operational, students of the Clarendon College Wind Energy program, as well as Cielo Wind Power representatives, will analyze and utilize data as it applies to the wind energy industry.

The data collected from the MET tower will be an invaluable resource as a learning tool to the students. The data will also serve as a record of weather information used by Cielo Wind Power for consideration of future wind projects in this area.

“I am very excited to see this project get off the ground – it has been a long time coming,” CC Wind Energy Instructor Lance Porter said. “This will be a great learning tool for the Wind Energy students of Clarendon College, and it’s also very encouraging to have a wind industry developer like Cielo Wind Power supporting our program.”

The Clarendon College MET tower project has been in the works for the past two years, and Cielo Wind Power donated the tower to Clarendon College as part of their program to promote educational and vocational programs geared toward the wind industry.

Instructor changes in the Wind Energy Program as well as a full schedule for the Cielo Wind Power crew have delayed the project from getting off the ground, but if all goes according to plan, excavation will begin by the end of next week. The actual tower is scheduled to be raised by the end of this month, and final assembly of the instruments and operation should take place in August – just in time for the fall semester to begin.

Cielo Wind Power, LP is an Austin based wind power developer. Its purpose is to develop wind power generation field referred to as the Wind Ranch®. Cielo erects MET towers, like the one being installed at Clarendon College Pampa Center, in areas being considered for development as a Wind Ranch. These towers give the developer the necessary information to go ahead with a project.

Cielo has been very active in the development of several local wind energy developments such as the Golden Spread Panhandle Wind Ranch, the Spinning Spur Wind Ranch, the Lubbock Wind Ranch, the Wildorado Wind Ranch, the Brazos Wind Ranch at Fluvanna, the Llano Estacado Wind Ranch at White Deer and now the Spinning Spur II project which is scheduled to begin this year. To date, Cielo has developed 1,148 megawatts of wind energy generation facilities.

For more information about Cielo Wind Power, visit their website at http://www.cielowind.com/.

For information about the Clarendon College Wind Energy program, call (806) 665-8801, visit the college’s website at http://www.clarendoncollege.edu/, or come by the Pampa Center at 1601 W. Kentucky in Pampa.

BREAKING NEWS: City Hall in turmoil

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Clarendon Alderman Debbie Roberts Hillis turned in her resignation this afternoon, leaving the Board of Aldermen without a quorum and unable to meet.

Hillis’ resignation comes one day after two other board members – Abby Patten and Jesus Hernandez – also resigned. The five-member board now only has two members left – Sandy Skelton and Will Thompson – who cannot take action on their own.

Mayor Larry Hicks is exploring the city’s options at this time. City Hall says advisors with the Texas Secretary of State’s office and the Texas Municipal League say the city must have an election to fill the vacancies. There is a process to have the county commissioners’ court call a November election, or the city can apply to Governor Rick Perry’s office to call an emergency election at a time of the governor’s choosing.

A November election is problematic because the city’s tax rate and budget have to be set before the end of September. Otherwise the current tax rate and current budget would carry over into the new fiscal year.

A third election option would be to wait until next May when the three positions would be up for a vote regularly.

For now, city operations continue as usual with all current city policies and the budget in place. The Enterprise will have more information as it becomes available.

For more on Tuesday’s resignations and an interview of city officials by the district attorney’s office, check out this week’s Enterprise on newsstands now or available by clicking here.

 

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