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Archives for February 2024

Early voting underway for 2024 primaries

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Early voting in the 2024 Republican and Democratic primaries opened Tuesday with Donley County voters casting ballots at the Courthouse Annex.

New hours for early voting are giving voters more flexibility this year. The annex will be open for early voting from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday this week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 24, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 25.

Next week, early voting hours will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday, February 26, through Friday, March 1.

Republican voters have several local races to decide. State Rep. Ken King is being challenged by Karen Post. In Precinct 1,

Commissioner Mark White is being challenged by Del Essary; and in Precinct 3, Commissioner Neil Koetting is facing challenges from Sis Bond and Greg Wootten.

Local candidates running unopposed on the Republican ticket are US Rep. Ronny Jackson, District Judge Dale Rabe, Jr., District Attorney Luke Inman, County Attorney Landon Lambert, Sheriff Butch Blackburn, and County Tax Assessor/Collector Kristy Christopher. Bill Word is also unopposed for the county GOP chairman’s position.

Republicans also have 13 non-binding ballot propositions to consider.

There are no local races on the Democratic ticket this year.

CCISD board, Hedley city council to hold elections

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Clarendon CISD and the City of Hedley will hold contested elections this May, but five other local governments will cancel their board elections with two of those still looking for people to serve.

In Hedley, Mayor Trisha Chambless will be challenged by Calvin Holland as the city’s chief executive. Three candidates are also running for two positions on the city council – incumbent Aaron Hanes and challengers Joe Pafume and John Pierce. Hedley voters will also be asked to consider approving a County Assistance District.

Clarendon CISD has three people running for two positions on the Board of Trustees. Incumbent Wayne Hardin will be joined on the ballot by Ken McIntosh and Taylor Shelton. CCISD voters will also consider approving three bond proposals totaling $11.7 million.

The City of Clarendon will cancel its election and will be looking for someone to appoint to an empty city council position. Incumbent Aldermen John Lockhart and Tommy Hill will serve again, but no one filed for a third position on the council.

Likewise at Clarendon College, the Board of Regents will be looking for someone to appoint, and the election will be canceled. Incumbents Janice Knorpp and Lon Adams filed for their full terms again, and former college instructor Jay Anders filed for the unexpired term held by Brittany Word, who chose not to run. A third full term on the CC board remains open.

Hedley CISD will cancel its elections after both incumbents drew no opposition. Carole Ward and Dana Bell will be serving again.

The Donley County Hospital District Board will also cancel its elections with the following incumbents serving again – Mark C. White, Jan Farris, Nikki Adams, and Lori Howard.

The City of Howardwick will cancel its election for city council with no contested races. Incumbent Aldermen Mary Grady and Terry Barnes will be joined on the council by Johnny Hubbard. Howardwick residents will, however, be asked to vote on the creation of a County Assistance District.

Elections in the City of Hedley, City of Howardwick, and Clarendon CISD are scheduled to be held Saturday, May 4, 2024.

Primary candidates ask for support at forum

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Candidates attending last week’s forum included Greg Wootten, Karen Post, County Attorney Landon Lambert, Sis Bond, Commissioner Neil Koetting, Commissioner Mark White, Del Essary, and Sheriff Butch Blackburn. Enterprise Photo / Roger Estlack

A good crowd of voters gathered last Tuesday, February 13, at the Bairfield Activity Center to hear Republican candidates for local offices explain why they want to be supported in this year’s primary election.

Donley County Republican Chair Bill Word opened the forum and thanked those in attendance before turning the floor over to candidates facing contested elections this spring.

Precinct 1 County Commissioner Mark White was the first to speak. White was raised in Donley County and raised his family here. He owns Wallace Monument Co. and has served as a county commissioner since 2009. He said he feels like the county has done a lot of good during his time on the commissioners’ court, starting at a time when there was little extra money to do anything with.

“We’ve bettered everything,” White said, “equipment, sheriff’s vehicles, etc. Being a business owner better prepares you to deal with the county budget and the ongoing things we face.”

White said the county tax rate is lower than it was ten years ago while the equipment has been upgraded and county wages have been increased.

“I enjoy county government and enjoy the court,” White said. “I hope I can serve four more years.”

Del Essary, who is challenging White for the commissioner of precinct one, spoke next and said he moved to Howardwick 17 years ago and has since volunteered in many positions. He is a former mayor of Howardwick and is currently on the city council there.

Essary said he spent 27 years as a superintendent with the City of Plainview where he managed employees, a large budget, and heavy equipment. He was very active in the public works association and was named Public Works Director of the Year in 2003. He still teaches waste management classes and also does consulting. He thinks the county is in pretty good shape and the budget is lean but thinks change can be good.

“I think you tend to get complacent when you’ve been in the same job for a long time,” Essary said. “People want representation from Howardwick and feel like they haven’t had that.”

Essary also said he wants to move away from the personal property tax and look at an equipment replacement program for the county.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Neil Koetting spoke next and said he hasn’t accomplished all he sat out to do on the commissioners’ court but said he’s still trying. He grew up in Groom, and then went to Clarendon College and has since been in business for 37 years. During his time in office, he said he has worked with the state highway department for certain improvements in Hedley and Lelia Lake.

“Being fully equipped in dirt construction gives you experience in road work,” Koetting said. “I’m someone who cares, and I covet your support.”

Sis Bond is also running for Precinct 3 Commissioner. Bond was raised in Goodnight and went to school. Her grandfather was “the best maintainer operator you’ve ever known,” and he raised her on the equipment and taught her to operate it. Bond is also a nurse and an EMT. Her passion is serving the elderly, the weak, and the sick; and she wants those people to be able to be reached in times of crisis.

“When you call, I will answer,” Bond said. “I have good backing and resources; and I have a friend whose been a commissioner for 27 years to mentor me.”

Greg Wootten is the third person running for Precinct 3 Commissioner. He was also raised in Clarendon and said he started his first business right out of high school, which quickly failed. He then found what he was needing in the United States Marine Corps and then returned to Clarendon to own and operate the NAPA store, which taught him how to budget and set realistic goas. He started a cattle business in 2016, which has since grown, he said.

“As a commissioner I want our sheriff’s office to have what they need, I want our roads to be in improved, and I want to be part of the discussion and the vote for the future of Donley County,” Wootten said.

Karen Post spoke next. She is from Plainview and is challenging State Rep. Ken King for his seat in the Texas House of Representatives. Post said the 19 counties in our district are “suffering a slow death” and also said it’s important to maintain the red wall in Texas. She said the morals of West Texas have always been the backbone of the state. She said she wants to listen to the people of the district.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn was the last candidate to speak. He faces no opposition but thanked the voters for their past support and encouraged everyone to “push the Republican card” this election.

Lady Broncos fall to Farwell

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Lady Bronco Tandie Cummins fights for the ball against Farwell. Enterprise Photo / Elaina Estlack

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos took on #3 ranked Farwell in the Area round at West Plains HS last Friday night and fell short at 38-52 in a game that was closer than the score revealed.

The Lady Broncos finished a stellar season of 31-2 and were Co-Champions in the district race as well as Bi-District Champions.

After a fairly close first quarter, the Lady Steers went on a 15-0 run early in the second quarter. Several three-pointers from Farwell put them in a spot to take a sizeable lead into the break. But the Lady Broncos roared back with a 12-0 run of their own grabbing the momentum to pull within four points at half time at 26-30.

In a game of back-and-forth momentum swings, the Lady Broncos gained the lead with 25 seconds left in the third period. Farwell was able to recover control of the boards to go on a 5-0 run after they drained one from behind the arc and got made another two from a steal. They used their momentum to stop the Lady Broncos’ offensive attack holding them to only four points in the final period of play.

Farwell out rebounded Clarendon with 27 to 16 with most of those being on the offensive end of the court.

Fouls seemed to come at the wrong time for the Lady Broncos. Just as they were developing a big run, they were called for a foul. Sophomore Kate Shaw was making a big difference under the basket but fouled out in the final quarter.

Missed free throws also made a difference for the ladies who are normally at a higher percentage from the bonus line. Farwell hit five three-pointers in the game and the Lady Broncos only hit one. Farwell hit 91 percent of their free shots and the Lady Broncos recorded 79 percent of theirs.

Kenidee Hayes led the way on the scoreboard for the ladies with 11 points and Graci Smith added 10. Kashlyn Conkin put in five, Berkley Moore and Shaw had four and Tandie Cummins helped with two.

Early voting now open in 2024 primary elections

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Early voting in the 2024 Republican and Democratic primaries opened today with Donley County voters casting ballots at the Courthouse Annex.

New hours for early voting are giving voters more flexibility this year. The annex will be open for early voting from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday this week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 24, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 25. Next week, early voting hours will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday, February 26, through Friday, March 1.

Republican voters have several local races to decide. State Rep. Ken King is being challenged by Karen Post. In Precinct 1, Commissioner Mark White is being challenged by Del Essary; and in Precinct 3, Commissioner Neil Koetting is facing challenges from Sis Bond and Greg Wootten.

Local candidates running unopposed on the Republican ticket are US Rep. Ronny Jackson, District Judge Dale Rabe, Jr., District Attorney Luke Inman, County Attorney Landon Lambert, Sheriff Butch Blackburn, and County Tax Assessor/Collector Kristy Christopher. Bill Word is also unopposed for the county GOP chairman’s position.
Republicans also have 13 non-binding ballot propositions to consider.

There are no local races on the Democratic ticket this year.

This year’s primary election day will be Tuesday, March 5.

CCISD board meeting to consider bond election

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The Clarendon CISD Board of Trustees will meet tonight, February 14, to consider calling a bond election on May 4 to fund improved athletic and ag facilities as well as safety upgrades to the school.

The board meeting will begin at 7 p.m. with the community invited to attend a presentation beforehand at 6 p.m. in the CHS Auditorium.

CCISD Trustees met in a called session last Wednesday and discussed potential projects and bonds totaling between $9.4 million and $13.2 million, which would be paid for by an additional property tax of between 25 cents and 35 cents per $100 valuation.

In open forum during last week’s meeting, Roger Wade expressed his concerns about the possible issuance of bonds and asked several questions of school officials.

“I’m not against some improvements, but we have to consider what do we want and what do we need,” Wade said. “Who is going to pay and who is not going to pay?”

Wade criticized the school’s ag program and the proposed construction of a new ag facility, saying he felt the current building wasn’t being used adequately. He also suggested the Bronco field house could be renovated instead of replaced. He also voiced concerns that people who won’t have to pay for the bonds (due to the new $100,000 homestead exemption) will vote for the bonds.

Corey Gaither also addressed the board and asked for “a little common sense.” He objected to the cost estimates for some of the items up for consideration.

“Three and half million for a field house. Really? Half a million for an announcer’s booth? That’s the cost of a house,” Gaither said.
As the meeting moved into the discussion of the projects, Superintendent Jarod Bellar addressed the concerns of those present while re-presenting some information from the board’s January 16 meeting.

“I want to be as transparent as possible,” Bellar said.

The superintendent explained that if the board votes to move forward, citizens would be asked to vote on two separate ballot questions. Proposition A would be for a new ag building and campus safety improvements for about $4 million. Proposition B would be for improvements at Bronco Stadium for about $7 million.

Among the athletic improvements discussed were a new facility for the field house, restrooms, and concession stand; accessibility issues in the stadium; a new press box; new visitor and home bleachers; and possibly a new artificial turf field.

The superintendent said it’s possible the school could use some of its fund balance – $1.2 to $1.5 million – to help with the projects. He said about $576,000 of the fund balance is designated for construction.

Bellar told Wade he understood his comments about the ag program and said the school was working to make the program better with industry certifications.

“I want that for our kids,” Bellar said. “We’re trying to make a strong program.”

Bellar said the facility study completed of the school campus last year probably did not include the Band Hall but said it generally found most facilities in “fine working order” except for the ag building and the field house.

Citizens in attendance expressed concerns about the short time available before decisions can be made about the bond. To which Bellar replied that if the board votes to proceed with calling for a bond election, the election would be May 4 and that would give adequate time for the information to be presented to the voters so they can make an informed decision.

Local cities’ sales tax revenues drop for February

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Sales tax revenues for Donley County municipalities dipped this month when Texas Comptroller Glen Hegar delivered monthly allocations to local governments.

Clarendon saw its revenue drop 1.59 percent with an allocation of $51,772.88. The city is still almost even with last year’s figures with a calendar year-to-date total of $90,227.28, down 0.02 percent.

In Hedley, sales tax revenue dropped 4.38 percent to $1,836.40 this month, which brought the year-to-date figure down 4.05 percent

to $2,553.16.
Howardwick’s revenue dropped 13.64 percent this month to $1,850.27. The lakeside city is now down 22.23 percent to $3,119.08 for the year-to-date.

Statewide, Hegar delivered $1.3 billion in local sales tax allocations for February, 1.6 percent more than in February 2023. These allocations are based on sales made in December by businesses that report tax monthly; October, November and December sales by quarterly filers; and 2023 sales by businesses that report tax annually.

Super winner!

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Tara Allred (left) presents Tammie Johnston with more than $1,000 in gift certificates and prizes after she correctly answered the most questions in the Enterprise’s Pigskin Predictions contest. A total of 52 people entered the contest. Enterprise Photo / Roger Estlack

Hedley adopts ‘no cash’ policy for City Hall

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The Hedley City Council met in regular session February 8 as officials continued steps to move the city’s fiscal year in line most other local governments.

Hedley has historically run a budget year from July through June, but the city recently moved to the more common October 1 through September 30 calendar. As part of that, the council gave consideration last week to a new budget to cover fiscal year 2024.

Karen Watt spoke in open forum about concerns she had with the proposed budget and said there was not enough information to support the budget.

The council later unanimously approved the proposed budget.

Ordinance 160 was also discussed and approved. The new measure allows the city to remove a water meter after the account is 60 days past due.

The council also voted to attempt to renegotiate existing loans the city has.

Aldermen considered adopting a policy of no longer taking cash in the office. A motion to approve the “no cash” policy failed to get a second, but at a called meeting on Monday, the council did approve the policy.

Payments at Hedley City Hall can now be only made by draft, money order, or check. City officials will be looking into taking debit and credit cards.

Also at Monday’s called meeting, the council approved calling an election this May for the mayor and two aldermen’s positions.

City, county continue sheriff’s contract discussion

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Donley County and the City of Clarendon this past week continued their back-and-forth on a contract with the sheriff’s department for law enforcement services in the city.

The city council met in regular session Thursday, February 8, with Mayor Jacob Fangman and the aldermen saying they want to support the sheriff’s office but they have to provide other services to the citizens as well. Mayor Pro-Tem Larry Jeffers also wanted to make clear the city’s support for law enforcement.

“I think some misstatements have been going around that we’re defunding the police and I’d like to see that put to rest,” Jeffers said. “We’re doing the best we can with the money we have.”

As the discussion continued, County Judge John Howard again raised the actual cost of employing and equipping two deputies at more than $220,000 per year and the county’s desire for a $180,000 contract with the city. Alderman Eulaine McIntosh pushed back on that discussion.

“You can keep saying what you’re saying, and we’ll keep saying what we’re saying,” McIntosh said. “We’re wasting time.”

City officials asked for a commitment from the county about their annual contribution to the Burton Memorial Library. The city holds that the library used to be funded 50-50 by the city and county, but that practice ended several years ago with city funding growing past what the county contributed.

The city gave the county two proposals. A five-year agreement starting at $155,000 in the next fiscal year and going up 1.5 percent each year with no additional contribution by the county to the library. Or a five-year agreement starting at $165,000 and increasing 2.0 percent per year but with the county increasing its library contribution from the current $35,000 to $47,000 in the next budget.

On Monday, the Donley County Commissioners’ Court took up the city’s proposal and pushed back on “conflating” the library funding with the sheriff’s office funding. Sheriff Butch Blackburn asked that the library not be part of the discussion about his contract with the city.

During the county meeting, Mayor Fangman and City Administrator Brian Barboza brought up city budget issues with the mayor saying he felt like the city could get to where the county wanted them to be but that it would take time to figure out what other services the city might not be able to offer its citizens.

County officials vote to leave in place the current contract at $140,000 for the remainder of the current fiscal year and approved a proposal of $170,000 starting in October and continuing for five years with a 2.0 percent increase each year. The proposal must be accepted by the city in 60 days and is non-negotiable.

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