Archives for August 2023

Sales tax funds could be used to support emergency services in Donley County under a system of County Assistance Districts currently being discussed by local officials.

Donley County Judge John Howard presented information on the subject at the Clarendon Lions Club meeting Tuesday at noon and said the idea would present an equitable way of helping fund law enforcement as possibly other emergency services.

Currently the Donley County Sheriff’s Office is funded primarily by the county, which derives about half of its operating income from property taxes, Howard said. Fifteen percent of the sheriff’s budget in the coming fiscal year will be paid through a contract agreement with the City of Clarendon in the amount of $140,000.

Clarendon’s support of the sheriff’s office by contract dates back to 1981 when the city dissolved its municipal police department resulting in local law enforcement resources and responsibilities being concentrated at the county level.

Howard said the city’s contract cost increased over the years and was scheduled to be about $168,000 this year, but the city determined it could not continue with the three percent annual increases that had been adopted a few years ago.

The city’s trouble, City Administrator David Dockery said, is related to recent changes the state legislature made to how local governments levy property taxes.

“The state has totally changed how we can assess property tax,” Dockery told the Lions Club. “All local governments have been extremely limited in this regard.”

Local governments used to be able to raise property tax rates by up to eight percent before triggering a possible rollback election by voters. The Legislature has pushed that limit down to about 3.5 percent, and the formulas for calculating property tax rates have become more complex. If the county property tax rate went up one penny, it generates about $35,000 for the county, Howard said, which is not enough to fund a single sheriff’s deputy salary, much less the entire cost of the position.

County Assistance Districts would have the ability to levy sales taxes for the emergency services, provide a more equitable income source, and offer predictability for future planning. County Assistance Districts funds could be spent on law enforcement, fire departments, jails, economic development, and libraries, Howard said.

Howard said the idea would be to create four County Assistance Districts – one for the county that excludes the incorporated areas of Clarendon, Hedley, and Howardwick, and one in each of those cities. All four districts would have to be approved by local voters, and all four would be governed by a board comprised of the county commissioners.

Local sales tax rates cannot exceed 2.0 percent. There is currently no local sales tax in the unincorporated areas of the county, Hedley’s sales tax is 1.0 percent, and Howardwick’s sales tax is 1.25 percent. Those communities could determine what additional sales tax to set if any, but Clarendon, which already maxed out at 2.0 percent would have to give up part of its sales tax to a County Assistance District.

Currently, Clarendon officials are talking about giving up 0.625 percentage points to the proposed assistance district, the amount that would generate about $140,000 currently provided by Clarendon to the sheriff’s department.

Howard said he has not yet discussed the assistance district plan with Hedley or Howardwick officials but plans to do so soon.

The Donley County Sheriff’s Office has found no witnesses or suspects in its investigation of a reported abduction attempt at Bronco Stadium last Friday night, August 24.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said a 14-year-old Panhandle girl reported she had left the stadium through the east gate after the game and was grabbed by someone as she walked up Allen Street toward the southeast corner of the stadium. The girl said she got away from the person, and Donley County EMS examined the girl that night.

The girl suffered no injuries, and school camera footage captured no incident, Blackburn said. No witnesses have been located, and no suspects have been identified.
Blackburn said Tuesday the investigation was still continuing, and he urged people to always be cautious.

“Parents need to always do their due diligence to know where their children are, and kids need to always pay attention to their surroundings,” the sheriff said.

Clarendon College will celebrate its 125th anniversary next Tuesday, and plans are being made to observe the milestone throughout the school year.

The Texas Panhandle’s first college was established as Clarendon College & University Training School and opened its doors on September 5, 1898, under the guidance of the Methodist church conference.

As a Methodist college, CC actually became a four-year institution for a short time before the church conference shifted its support to what is now McMurry University in 1927.
At that time, Clarendon College became a public institution and was managed by Clarendon ISD through the school board before a separate college district was created in the 1960s. CC moved to its present campus in 1968.

Today, Clarendon College offers classes in Pampa, Childress, Amarillo, Shamrock, and Canyon in addition to courses on the home campus. Many students also enjoy the opportunities CC provides through dual credit classes in high schools and through classes online.

CC President Tex Buckhaults said the college will hold a celebration on Saturday, September 9, as the official kick-off to the anniversary observations.

A public meet and greet will be held at the Vera Dial Dickey Library from 2 to 4 p.m. that day. Light refreshments and snacks will be served, and the library will have on display some of the history and artifacts of the college’s past.

The evening of September 9 will feature an invitation-only event at the Bairfield Activity Center for donors, former members of the board of regents, and other dignitaries, Buckhaults said.
On September 27, the college is inviting all former coaches and volleyball players to attend the volleyball game that day.

Former basketball coaches and players will be invited to games on November 14, and former softball and baseball players and coaches will be invited to ballgames on April 27.

Additional plans call for a dinner theatre, and the striking of an commemorative coin for the 125th anniversary. The college rodeo team may also incorporate anniversary observations during its NFR send-off next year.

Buckhaults said the college also plans to raise funds to replace trees on the campus that have been lost over the years.

Graduation festivities in May will cap off the year’s celebrations, the president said.

For more information about these or other events, contact Clarendon College at 806-874-3571.