Roger Estlack

Voters in the City of Clarendon and the Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District will go to the polls this May to select representatives for the city council and school board while four other local governments will cancel their elections.

City voters will have five positions to decide. Mayor Jacob Fangman filed for re-election and faces no opposition. Aldermen Ashlee Estlack and Eulaine McIntosh are seeking re-election to two full terms on the board and are challenged by Richard Dzamko, Jeremy Jeffers, and Brittney Wolfe. Also, three people are running for two unexpired terms on the City Council – Ralph Graves, Chelsi Shadle, and Thomas Thompson. Aldermen Terri Floyd and Mandy Smith did not sign up for re-election.

Four people are seeking three seats on the Clarendon CISD Board of Trustees. Incumbents Robin Ellis and Donny Howard will be joined on the ballot by Jeff Robertson and Ginnie Siefkas. Trustee Chuck Robertson did not seek re-election.

All four other local governments had just enough candidates sign up to run as there were positions available. Those entities will cancel their elections.

In Hedley, all three incumbent city aldermen have filed for re-election – Larry Ely, Tonya Gibson, and Jennifer Floyd.

Howardwick also has a full slate of candidates. Mayor Pro-tem Johnny Floyd has signed up to run for the vacant mayor’s position, while Alderman Jada Murray filed to run again, and Matt Moore also filed for the other available alderman’s position.

Incumbents Michael Metcalf and Bruce Howard have signed up for the two positions on the Hedley CISD Board.

The Donley County Hospital District Board of Directors had two of three incumbents signing up again: Rose Lemley – Place One and Cindy Shelton – Place Three. Place Two Director Jeff Robertson is running for school board, and Corey Gaither has filed to take his hospital board seat.

Elections will be held Saturday, May 3, 2025.

The Clarendon City Council approved several action items last Thursday, February 12, to move downtown revitalization along in the 200 block of S. Kearney.

The project will install new sidewalks and streelighting like was done last year in the 100 block.
With the grant funds approved and a bid accepted, the council took care of several housekeeping items to meet the requirements of the grant.

Aldermen voted to approve amending the city’s interlocal agreement with the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission (PRPC) for administrative services related to the grant, to approve a resolution designating local signatories for the grant, to adopt a resolution related to civil rights as required by the grant, and also to approve a second interlocal agreement with PRPC. All of those motions were approved with four aldermen in favor and Alderman Mandy Smith abstaining on each. A proclamation designating April as Fair Housing Month in the city, also required by the grant, was approved unanimously.

In other business, Denise Foster presented the city’s audit for fiscal year 2024, which had no discoveries and was approved unanimously.

The council discussed an upcoming Request For Proposals for solid waste services and possible changes to the RFP. No action was taken.

Aldermen also discussed street improvements for 2025 and approved paving and curbing Fourth Street between Koogle to Allen streets, leading to the football stadium with an estimated cost of $150,000.

The council approved renewing the city’s agreement with the City of Pampa for Animal Control services. Clarendon utilizes Pampa for some euthanasia services and also for some pet adoption services.

No action was taken on amending the ordinance governing Gaming Devices.

In public comment, Ralph Graves addressed the council on several matters.

The City of Clarendon posted its second highest ever February sales tax allocation when Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar distributed funds last week.

Clarendon’s allocation of $57,485.82 was 11.03 percent above the same period last year. That amount brings the city’s calendar year-to-date total to $97,021.30, an increase of 7.52 percent compared to this point in 2024.

The City of Hedley’s allocation of $2,960.62 this month was an increase of 68.60 percent from last February, and that city is now up 50.20 percent for the year-to-date at $3,835.05.

Howardwick was also up for the month with an allocation of $2,536.68, an increase of 37.09 percent. The lakeside city’s year-to-date figure there is now up 39.43 percent at $4,349.21.

Donley County Assistance District 1, levied in the City of Howardwick, took in $1,699.19 for the month and is now at $2,832.09 for the calendar year.

Memphis’ sales tax allocation was $44,969.04 for the month, up 8.38 percent; and Turkey was up 14.45 percent at $10,615.48. Claude was up 69.95 percent at $28,056.73.

Statewide, Comptroller Heger distributed $1.5 billion in local sales tax allocations for February, 9.4 percent more than in February 2024.

February allocations are based on sales that were made in December by businesses that report tax monthly; October, November and December sales by quarterly filers; and 2024 sales by businesses that report tax annually.

Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX-13) and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) last week reintroduced the Wildfire Victim Tax Relief and Recovery Act. This legislation would exempt any income individuals received for fire relief from their overall tax burden, ensuring individuals and agricultural producers can focus on recovering from the wildfires that ravaged the Texas Panhandle last year.

Senator Ted Cruz sponsored a companion bill in the US Senate.

“The historic wildfires that tore through the Texas Panhandle last year have left a lasting mark on all the ranchers, families, and communities involved,” Jackson said. “I’m honored to reintroduce this critical legislation and am committed to making sure those hit hardest by this catastrophic disaster can use the assistance they’ve received to rebuild their farms, ranches, and livelihoods, not pay the federal government.”
“Last year, historic wildfires destroyed the Panhandle, taking the homes and livelihoods of thousands of Texans,” Cruz said. “This bill will deliver much needed tax relief to support these communities in their ongoing recovery efforts. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill without delay.”

Kent Bacus, Executive Director, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said last year’s wildfires highlighted the need for action.

“The Wildfire Victim Tax Relief and Recovery Act, introduced in the House and Senate, would allow taxpayers to exclude from gross income any disaster relief payments received from federally declared wildfires in Texas, Bacus said. NCBA thanks Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Ronny Jackson for leading this measure and calls for swift congressional passage.”