Morgan Wheatly

Donley County and Clarendon College are walking away from a security agreement between the two that has been in place for more than ten years.

With both parties in the midst of working on their new budgets, all involved said the decision was mutual to let the contract lapse when it expires this fall.

Donley County Judge John Howard said the sheriff’s department had more reserve deputies on its roster when the county agreed to provide security for the college campus, dorms, and athletic events.

Howard met with Sheriff Butch Blackburn and CC President Robert Riza recently to discuss the contract, which had changed little from when it was first approved in 2002. Clarendon College was paying a little more than $20,000 per year for the service.

Dr. Riza said the county was concerned about its liability under the current contract and the college was wanting to do somethings different with security.

“We’ve changed how we staff our dorms, and we’re exploring options for security during games,” Riza said.

The county and college did enter into a Multi-hazard Emergency Operations Plan this week, a formal agreement to render mutual aid in times of need.

County commissioners continued working on their budget this week, and Howard said the court is looking at several items specifically – salary structures, equipment and vehicle fleet, and improving roads. Howard said a slight increase may be possible in the County Special or road tax to help with those improvements.

The judge said he hopes the court will adopt a five-year plan for these expenditures and really focus on roads.

“We need a concerted effort to use our resources to improve roads,” he said. “People in the country depend on our roads for police, EMS, and fire protection, and they deserve them to be well maintained.”

In other county business, the court approved a contract from Texas Panhandle Cyber Medics for the coming year, accepted a bid on tax delinquent property in Howardwick, and agreed to pay its share of the regional 911 budget.

Judge Howard updated the court on the Salt Fork Wind Farm project in the northwestern part of the county.

Cielo Wind has sold out to EDF Renewable Energy, but the 200 Megawatt project is still scheduled to break ground in 2016 and be operational by December of that year.

The Clarendon and Hedley school districts met the state standards according to state accountability ratings released last week.

Districts, campuses and charters receive one of three ratings under the accountability system: Met Standard, Met Alternative Standard, or Improvement Required. Both Clarendon and Hedley were rated as “Met Standard.”

“The 2015 state accountability system takes into account a number of factors unique to the 2014-2015 school year,” said Commissioner of Education Michael Williams. “As in previous years, most districts, charters, and campuses met the state standards, which reflects well on our public education system and for the economic future of our state.”

Hedley Superintendent Colby Waldrop said he was pleased with the report.

“We’re happy that our teachers and kids worked hard, and we got the highest rating available,” Waldrop said.

Clarendon Superintendent Mike Norrell said the high rating was due to a combine effort.

“It’s a reflection of the hard work of teachers, kids, and parents and the support of the community,” Norrell said. “It takes everybody.”

Clarendon High School earned a single Gold Star for distinction for Reading/English-Language Arts, and the Junior High campus earned a Gold Star for distinction in Mathematics. Clarendon Elementary earned two Gold Stars for distinction for Reading/English-Language Arts and for scoring in the top 25 percent of Closing Performance Gaps.

Hedley schools earned two Gold Stars for scoring in the top 25 percent of Closing Performance Gaps and for Postsecondary readiness.

“Earning any type of distinction under the state accountability system is commendable and should be a source of pride in that community,” said Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams. “Achieving all seven distinctions on a campus or a district-level postsecondary readiness distinction reflects extraordinary work while affirming a strong commitment to students.”

Norrell said schools are getting a break on test results this year as the state begins its new accountability system. Clarendon Junior High fell three points short of its goal in one area “Student Progress,” an area that Norrell said is always a challenge.

“Student progress is based on how they grow from one year to the next, and that growth is determined by how they perform on that one test,” he said.

Parents and the general public seeking a quick overview of the state accountability system and what goes into the annual ratings of schools, districts and charters can watch an informational animation video at http://youtu.be/cbEgrdijuc8.

To view the 2015 ratings, visit the Texas Education Agency website at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2015/index.html.

WASHINGTON – The President has signed in to law legislation that included a provision that makes the excise tax on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and diesel comparable on an energy-equivalent basis.

The provision was introduced earlier this year by US Congressmen Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) and John Larson (D-Connecticut) as the “LNG Excise Tax Equalization Act of 2015,” H.R. 905.

The federal excise tax on LNG and diesel has been set at 24.3 cents per gallon. Because it takes 1.7 gallons of LNG to produce the same amount of energy as a gallon of diesel fuel, LNG is being taxed 70 percent higher than diesel. The new law that will take effect in 2016 levels the playing field by applying the excise tax to LNG and diesel based on the amount of energy each produces, which is how it is applied to Compressed Natural Gas and gasoline.

“We have been working for several years to achieve a fair, market-centered solution to fix the tax disparity between diesel and LNG,” said Thornberry. “This change will encourage more private sector investment in LNG infrastructure and production, and that will have a real, positive effect on our economy.”

Thornberry originally introduced the provision in 2009, and he has reintroduced it in each subsequent Congress. Rep. Larson, a Member of the Ways and Means Committee, joined Thornberry to advance the bill and permanently correct the excise tax disparity.

“I have long called for a fair tax on natural gas fuels, which are cleaner and more efficient than gasoline, said Congressman Larson.” “Utilizing natural gas is key to gaining energy independence, and lowering taxes on natural gas fuels will encourage more vehicle manufacturers and businesses to make the switch. This is a commonsense step in the right direction for clean, affordable, and domestic energy.”

A diesel truck traveling 100,000 miles per year at 5 miles per gallon consumes 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel. An identical LNG truck would require 34,000 gallons of LNG to travel the same distance. While the LNG truck uses a cleaner, domestic form of fuel, it had to pay an additional $3,402 per year in taxes for using LNG.

Disc golf – one of the fastest growing sports in America – is coming to Donley County with the help of two local men and the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation.

Melvin Balogh, one of the organizers of the Green Belt Disc Golf Club, is a longtime player of the sport and says it’s a great family outdoor activity.

“My son and his friends play, and I play with my son,” said Balogh, who is the volleyball coach at Clarendon College. “There’s no learning curve. If you can throw a Frisbee, you can play, and any age can enjoy this game.”

Flying disc sports have risen in popularity ever since Frisbees were popularized in the 1950s, and the development of disc golf has followed that rise with more and more people catching on to the sport. The concept is simple: follow the basic rules of golf but throw flying discs into metal baskets.

Balogh and fellow disc golf enthusiast Yancey Gill first officially brought the game to Greenbelt Lake this summer when their newly formed club hosted a tournament at Kincaid Park June 13-14. Twenty participants and 30 total attendees from around the Panhandle were on site for the tournament, which used temporary baskets.

Balogh said the response was excellent and showed that a course would draw people to Clarendon.

“We received feedback there is not another course like this in West Texas,” he said. “The lake, the trees, the topography are just perfect.”

With the blessing of Greenbelt Water Authority, the club has laid out an 18-basket course on the west side of Kincaid Park, but raising funds to buy the baskets – which can cost between $375 and $425 – has been a major hurdle.

That was until Monday night when the Clarendon Economic Development Corp. Board approved up to $7,000 for the purchase of the baskets if the club will meet some simple goals – get a formal letter of approval from the water authority and form a board or committee to help promote and organize tournaments.

“I wanted to form a committee anyway, so that just moved that goal along,” Balogh said Tuesday. “I’ve already been contacting people.”

According to the Disc Golf Association, the game is similar to regular golf; however, instead of using golf clubs and balls aiming for a hole, Disc Golf players use golf discs and aim for a Disc Pole Hole, a pole extending up from the ground with chains and a basket where the disc lands. The object of the game is to complete each hole in the fewest number of throws, starting from a tee area and finishing at the Disc Pole Hole. The game differs from ball golf in that it can use a wide variety of terrain. Often times, land not suitable for other park activities or development is perfect terrain for a disc golf course.

Balogh said the 18-basket disc golf course will cover about the same area as a nine-hole ball golf course.

Flying disc sports received a boost this week when they were officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Balogh says as the sport grows, the local course will be an even bigger attraction.

“It’s a sport that once you experience it, you will enjoy it,” he said. “It’s a very positive outdoor experience.”

The club hopes to have the Kincaid course ready sometime this fall.

For more information or to help sponsor the course or tournaments, contact Melvin Balogh at melvinbalogh@gmail.com or 337-244-4913. Also, check out the Green Belt Disc Golf page on Facebook.

Local governments this month are diligently working on their budgets and tax rates for the next fiscal year, and public notices of those proposed rates and budget hearings will soon be appearing in your local newspaper.

Many calculations go into this financial crunch time, but one of the most important figures for any entity at this time is its property appraisal value.

Paula Lowrie, Chief Appraiser of the Donley Appraisal District, says market values for property across the county have generally risen, but there are other forces that may drive taxable values down even when market values go up.

The Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District, for instance has a market value of nearly $424 million on properties within its boundaries in Donley County. However, agriculture exemptions and homestead exemptions lower the actual taxable value of that property to $127,131,281 for this coming year. That’s down from $147,805,132.

The projected $20.67 million loss in value comes, Lowrie said, from the expected passage by Texas voters of an increase in the homestead exemption from $15,000 to $25,000. That election won’t take place until November 3, but Lowrie said the result is almost certain.

“Whenever we have an exemption or a tax freeze on the ballot, it’s probably going to pass,” she said.

If and when Texas voters approve that increase in exemption for school taxes, Hedley ISD will also lose about $387,061 in taxable value in Donley County.

Once an entity has its taxable value, it can generally figure its tax levy by dividing the number by $100 and multiplying the result by a tax rate ($1.17 in the case of Clarendon ISD, for example). However, those numbers get complicated for Clarendon and Hedley schools, the cities of Clarendon and Hedley, Donley County, and the Clarendon College District where people over the age of 65 and those who are disabled have their taxes frozen at differing levels.

Lowrie reports taxable values for government entities other than the school districts have risen some.

Donley County levies two rates – an ad valorem rate and a special rate. Taxable value for the ad valorem rate is now $228,171,790, which is up about $5.5 million. Values for the County Special Rate are also up about $5.5 million. Again, the appraisal district then has to calculate how much of that property is subject to tax freezes based on age or disability.

Taxable value for the Panhandle Ground Water District is up $3.3 million at $216,318,575. The City of Hedley’s taxable value is up $159,539 at $6,532,249; and the City of Clarendon’s taxable value has risen more than $1.2 million to $60,317,956.

Clarendon College’s taxable values in Donley County are up $3.2 million at $200,823,073; and the Donley County Hospital District’s taxable values are up $3.3 million at $216,318,575.

The City of Howardwick is in a unique position this year. Taxable values are up $290,796 at $14,340,284. However, that city has historically been capped at a 25¢ ad valorem rate as a Type B General Municipality. The presence of one manufacturing company – Rolling Plains Ag Compost – allowed the city last fall to switch its status to a Type A and lift the tax rate cap.

Lowrie said Howardwick now can set a rate as high as 26.88 cents without triggering a rollback election.