City council approves sanitation rate hike

The Clarendon City Council approved a 14 percent increase in sanitation rates during its regular meeting last Thursday, August 13.

Mayor Larry Hicks said the city had been struggling to keep up with expenses in the sanitation department for several years.

City officials said the increase will raise about $36,000 for the department and stave off having to use other revenues to support the trash service. The rate increase will also include a new $40 set out and pick up fee for delivering and retrieving Dumpsters that aren’t part of a regular service.

Alderman Doug Kidd asked if it would be cost effective to contract sanitation services, and City Administrator David Dockery said he would be happy to look into that. Dockery noted that the city has built up an enormous amount of capital equipment in the sanitation department that would be hard to rebuild if it was ever done away with.

The board voted unanimously to approve the 14 percent rate increase. Aldermen Larry Jeffers and John Lockhart were absent.

Aldermen also listened to proposals from engineer Clayton Scales to solve drainage issues on West Third Street. The board voted to pursue an option that will lay 10 feet of blacktop behind the north and south rollover curbs in order to armor those areas and carry storm water better. The work is expected to cost about $117,000 and will be paid for from reserve funds.

Will Jordan of Texas Panhandle Cyber Medics presented a proposal for contracted code enforcement services. The city currently pays Jordan $500 per month, and he is seeking twice that amount in the new contract.

City officials discussed needing better reporting, and Jordan said he’s losing money under the current contract. Former alderman Bob Watson said he was interested in the job. No action was taken on the contract.

Aldermen considered abandoning one block of Fourth Street west of Collinson Street, which has never been opened. Neighbors Larry Gray and Kenny Black asked for the street to be abandoned, and citizen Roger Estlack spoke in open comments against the request, asking the council to think about future development. Gray said his house was for sale and closing the street would benefit future owners. The council approved the request with the property owners to split the legal costs and the city to maintain a 20-foot utility easement and right of access.

In his administrator’s report, Dockery said the permitting process for a demolition landfill was continuing, and he said the Clarendon EDC will be working with Texas Tech University to develop a master plan for downtown development.