State Of The City – 2022

On behalf of the City Council and City employees, we wish all citizens of Clarendon and Donley County a Happy New Year. Your current city council consists of the following: Mayor Sandy Skelton, Mayor Pro-Tem Jacob Fangman, Alderman Larry Jeffers, Alderwoman Terri Floyd, Alderman John Lockhart and Alderwoman Eulaine McIntosh.

Looking back over the past three years, city residents have benefitted from several major accomplishments:

• Elimination of the city’s portion of the unpopular personal property tax on automobiles, trucks, boats, trailers, RV’s, and campers while maintaining reasonable property taxes.
• Installation of approximately 800 state-of-the-art electronic water meters allowing city employees to read all meters within a few hours rather than several days and allowing the city to determine if a citizen has a possible water leak based on daily usage.
• Installation of a new water tower (stand-pipe) on the east side of town in order to replace the old tower which was non-functional for several years.
• Replacement of several miles of old cast-iron water pipe resulting in cleaner water for all citizens and significantly reducing water leaks throughout the city.
• Evaluation and coordination of several dangerous properties which were demolished.
• Relocation of City Hall to Sully Street in a more convenient and suitable facility.
• Coordination with our Economic Development Council to re-open the newly remodeled Mulkey Theatre.
• Opening of the new Clarendon Aquatic Center in the summer of 2021 which was enjoyed by approximately 325 swimmers weekly

Good News for 2022

The city has recently been awarded several major grants which will result in the following projects:

• Downtown Revitalization – $413,100: New sidewalks, accessibility ramps and lighting for main street. A citizens committee will help determine the specifics of the project. Matching funds have been budgeted.
• Infrastructure Projects – $481,874: Funds must be used for water, wastewater and/or broadband expansion (to be decided in near future). Matching funds have been budgeted.
• Sewer Enhancement – $385,600: Funds must used for replacement of one of the city’s sewer lift stations on the north side of town. Matching funds have been budgeted.

Additionally, the city will make major improvements in the area of 7th Street and Koogle in order to prevent future erosion of 7th Street. An engineering design is currently being developed to include reshaping the street, adding curbs and concrete paving for at least one block and maybe more. Funds for this project have been budgeted and the project will begin in the spring of 2022.

The city has accumulated a sizable amount of funds over the past several years to begin paving more streets. The City Council is now in discussions to determine which streets can be paved and the associated costs. We hope some paving can begin in the spring/summer of 2022.

City Budget/Personnel

The City has finished each of the last six years in the black (revenue over expense); as a result we have been able to put a significant amount of funds in reserves (to be used for future projects, emergencies, etc.). The current Operating Budget is $2,999,958 (fiscal year ending September 30, 2022). We have 19 employee positions (13 full-time and six part-time).

Supervisors are David Dockery, City Administrator; Machiel Covey, City Secretary; John Molder, Public Works Director; Grett Betts, Code Compliance Officer; Jerri Shields, Librarian; Tommy Waldrop, Municipal Judge; and Jeremy Powell, Fire Chief.

City Council meets on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m., and the public is always invited. David Dockery can be reached at 806-673-4500 and Mayor Skelton at 806-206-7506.

The Council expresses sincere appreciation to all citizens in the community for choosing to live in Clarendon, for shopping locally, and for supporting various events throughout the year.
Once again, Happy New Year to you and your family.