Guest Column: 2020 State of the City

On behalf of the City Council and all City employees, Happy New Year to all Clarendon and Donley County residents. It is our hope that 2020 will be a good year for you and your family.

New City Hall
Our new location will be at 313 South Sully (across the street from the courthouse). We hope to move around the middle of January. The facility, which is in excellent condition, will provide adequate space for all employees and will accommodate numerous citizens for city council meetings and other gatherings. The Municipal Judge’s office will have an outside door for convenience and privacy. Employee parking will be in the rear of the building which will allow for ample citizen’s parking on Sully Street. The Volunteer Fire Department will occupy the offices in the old City Hall. Look for more information in the near future related to an Open House.

Clarendon Aquatic Center
The City Council accepted the low bid from A&S General Contractors (Amarillo) in August 2019 to construct the pool. A&S then subcontracted with Gold Medal Pools (Frisco, Texas) for assistance with the construction as that company has built hundreds of pools over the last 30 years. Today’s pools are highly sophisticated and require a state-of-the art design to accommodate the numerous features of the pool. We are pleased to have the experience of these two companies.

Although the actual construction is off to a relatively slow start, Gold Medal Pools began digging two pools (one for young kids and the other for older kids/adults) in mid-December. Weather permitting, construction of the entire complex will be significantly accelerated over the next several months, with a goal of opening in the summer of 2020. Features will include a spray ground with zero depth entry, underwater bubblers, toddler slide, helio spray, water bench under sunshade, bucket trio, shallow play area, deep area with climbing wall, diving board, basketball and volleyball nets, three lap lanes, several sunshades, bathhouse, equipment room, admissions office and concessions, and concession tables under sunshades. Additionally, there will be ample parking on the south end of the property.

The aquatic center was not designed to compete with area waterparks (Wellington, Pampa, and Canyon), but rather to provide a medium size facility that Clarendon can afford. The numerous donors and City Council members are becoming more excited about this project as construction progresses. More information will be available over the next few months.

USDA Projects
As reported earlier, two of the three projects have been completed: a new standpipe on the East side of town and the installation of over 800 electronic water meter readers. City workers can now 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.

The third USDA project, replacing several miles of old cast iron water pipes, is progressing but at a very slow pace. The project was a little less than 50 percent complete at the close of 2019. As a result of city officials complaining about the speed of the project, the Amarillo contractor (LA Fuller) has recently agreed to double their workforce until the project is complete.

However, completion is not likely to occur until late summer of 2020. The City appreciates your continued patience with the water pipe replacement 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 paid off; consequently, the city budget should be able to accommodate the cost of future paving if voters so choose. Potholes and rough streets are the top complaints expressed by residents.

Abandoned & Unsightly Properties
A contract the City has with Texas Communities Group (TCG), headquartered in Lubbock, is beginning to produce positive results. Four properties have been sold recently to new owners and that trend should continue indefinitely. TCG focuses 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. The goal, of course, is to have abandoned properties brought up to code, regardless of who the owner is, and to collect taxes on each.

In addition to the good work being performed by TCG, the City Council established a Building Standards Commission during 2018 which focuses on properties that are unsafe and unsightly. Most are current on taxes, but the properties need to be brought up to code, sold or demolished. Approximately 10 properties have been demolished in recent past. The City appreciates those property owners who have stepped up to improve their properties and, in some cases, have demolished structures without City involvement.

Taxes
The City Council has already approved a significant property tax reduction and the elimination of the unpopular personal property tax on cars, trucks, boats, trailers, RV’s, and campers. However, in a previous Mayor’s Message, I incorrectly stated that those tax changes would become effective when City residents pay their taxes in late December 2019 or early January of 2020. I should have said December 2020 or early January 2021 (approximately one year from now).

Keep in mind that the property tax reduction and the elimination of the personal property tax relates to the City portion only.

The current City budget is $2,417,202 (fiscal year being October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2020). The City has 27 employee positions (17 full-time, 6 part-time and 4 seasonal). Supervisors are: David Dockery, City Administrator; Machiel Covey, City Secretary; John Molder, Public Works Director; Joe Shadle, Director of Sanitation; Jerri Shields, Librarian; Grett Betts, Code Compliance Officer. The City Council includes Mayor Sandy Skelton; Mayor Pro-Tem John Lockhart; and Aldermen Larry Jeffers, Eulaine McIntosh, Jacob Fangman, and Nathan Floyd.

The City Council expresses genuine appreciation to all citizens in our community for choosing to live here, for shopping locally and for supporting various events throughout the year.