Opinion: The State of the City

City Pool – To be or not to be
At its meeting on July 25, the City Council had a lengthy discussion about the proposed swimming pool. The question before the Council over the next three weeks is whether or not to accept the low bid from A&S General Contractors to construct the pool. The Council must make that decision on or before August 23, the last day for accepting or rejecting bids. Fund raising for the pool over the last four years has been very successful, but the costs for construction continue to rise due to the good economy and the government-imposed tariffs on concrete and steel. If companies are busy, they will bid a job but bump up their profits in the event they are selected. A&S had a reasonable bid at $2,716,838, and City officials are working with them now to reduce costs while continuing to fund raise.

The pool was not designed to compete with area waterparks (Wellington, Pampa, and Canyon) but rather to provide a medium size pool that we could afford and would be enjoyed for many years by citizens of all ages. Donley County Commissioners’ Court and the Clarendons Economic Development Corporation (EDC) have already made substantial contributions, but the City of Clarendon has not at this time. The City has ample reserves to make a significant contribution, but the size of that donation is yet to be determined.

In my opinion, it would be a huge lost opportunity for the residents of Clarendon and Donley County to not go forward with this quality of life project. How often does a small community receive such a large amount of donated funds for any project? And, keep in mind that the donations are for the exclusive purpose of constructing a pool and nothing else. If the City does not go forward with the project, all donations would be returned to the donors. However, none of the donors have asked for their money back; they simply want a pool to be built.

Mulkey Theatre
The City staff and City Council applaud the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) for completing the renovation of the Mulkey Theatre. The grand opening in May was very exciting, and the entertainment for the evening was fabulous. Numerous movies have already been shown and several special events are on the calendar, one of which is a concert by Red Steagall on the evening of Saturday, September 28. Red performed at the very first Chuckwagon Cookoff 25 years ago. If you haven’t been to a movie or special event at the Mulkey, give it a try sometime soon. Keep up the good work, EDC!

US Department of Agriculture Projects
The installation of over 800 electronic water meters was successfully completed several months ago. State of the art equipment now allows city staff to read all city meters within an hour or less compared to several days in the past. Additionally, the new technology produces highly accurate water consumption information per customer which includes when water is being used during a 24-hour daily cycle. This information can be very helpful in determining if a customer has a possible leak and can help in resolving other issues as well.

Construction of a new water standpipe on the east side of town was completed several months ago as well. Clarendon now has two standpipes which work in coordination with each other to produce a more consistent flow of water throughout the city.

Replacing several miles of old cast iron water pipe is in progress but far behind schedule. Only about 22 percent of the project is finished at this time, which means that the completion date will likely extend into late 2020. City officials are not pleased with the progress and are doing everything possible to pressure the Amarillo contractor to accelerate the project.

Street Paving
Once the water pipe replacement project is complete, City officials can then concentrate on the next street paving initiative, which will be decided by registered voters. The debt for the last paving project has been retired, so we look forward to paving more streets if citizens vote to do so. However, we must get those new water pipes in place before any paving can be done. In the meantime, work on potholes will continue to be a high priority. Patience and understanding, please.

Abandoned & Unsightly Properties
The City has a contract with Texas Communities Group, headquartered in Lubbock, to focus on abandoned properties that are tax delinquent for at least five years or for three years of non-payment if the property has a history of code compliance issues. Hopefully owners would pay the taxes owed and bring the property up to code. If not, a foreclosure process will follow. The property could then be sold and brought up to code or demolished by the new owner. If the property is not sold, the City could take ownership and demolish the structure.

Additionally, the City Council has established a Building Standards Commission which focuses on those properties that are unsafe and unsightly. Most are current on taxes but the properties need to be brought up to code, sold or demolished. Property owners are sent certified letters inviting them to appear before the Building Standards Commission with the goal being to improve the property within a certain time frame. In the past several months, approximately 8 – 10 properties have been demolished and that trend should continue in the future. The City appreciates those property owners who have stepped up to improve their properties and, in some cases, have demolished structures without City involvement.

Tax Reduction & Elimination
As a result of recently paying off a 2012 debt for street, water, sewer and drainage improvements, the City Council just approved (July 25) a significantly lower property tax rate for next year. As a result, property owners will realize a savings when they pay their taxes in January 2020.
Additionally, In January 2019 the City Council voted to eliminate the City’s portion of the very unpopular personal property tax on cars, trucks, boats, trailers, RVs, campers, etc. The City of Clarendon is now among the majority of Texas cities that do not impose personal property tax on its citizens.

City Budget
The current City Operating Budget is $2,802,037, and it is projected that we will finish this fiscal year (ending September 30) with a surplus of approximately $220,000. Special thanks goes to City supervisors for closely monitoring their department budgets throughout the year. We have been fortunate to finish the last three fiscal years with revenue over expense by over $200,000 annually. Having ample reserves for unexpected expenses and for special projects is a high priority for the City Council.

Appreciation
The City Council wants to express appreciation to all citizens in our great community for choosing to live here, for shopping locally and for supporting various events throughout the year.
Your city representatives are Mayor Sandy Skelton (806-206-7506), City Administrator David Dockery (806-874-3438), and Aldermen John Lockhart (Mayor Pro-Tem), Larry Jeffers, Eulaine McIntosh, Jacob Fangman and Nathan Floyd.