Roger Estlack

It’s now that time of year where our local governments, with some trepidation, look to the taxpayers and voters and say quietly, “Are you paying attention? Is everything okay? Does anybody care what we’re doing?”

Yes, it’s filing time for local offices. The sign-up period is open for people who may be interested in the dealings of our college, hospital district, schools, and cities. And if you think you’ve got a better idea of how any of these entities should be run or if you just want to do your civic duty and give back to your community, this is your chance.

Local governments often dread filing time. They hope no one will sign up or that only the incumbents will sign up because they can save the cost of an election and go on their merry way. In this view, the expense of representative government is a terrible burden, but the cost of apathy is probably greater. What government officials really don’t like is the unknown of what an election could bring – change or, even more frightening, scrutiny from the public.

It’s not that our governments are doing something wrong, but they just get comfortable with their current board members and with the status quo. No one really wants to be confronted with too many “why do you do it this way” questions when it is so much easier to keep trudging along. And after all, the folks on these boards are all good, decent people who have volunteered to serve and are trying to make the best decisions they can often with little or no guidance or participation from the people they represent.

So back to those initial questions: Are we paying attention?  Is everything okay? Does anyone care? Take a look around and ask yourself if you’re satisfied with things as they are.

The Donley County Hospital District seems like a pretty well run organization right now. It’s lean without being mean. There are, of course, still folks who ask age-old “why do we have a hospital district when we don’t have a hospital” question, and the answer is worth repeating. The district pays for our county’s indigent health care – in other words it takes care of the very, very poor – and it operates our county’s ambulance service. The biggest challenge facing the district is the rising demand for the ambulance service and the wear and tear that places on its vehicles. How can that be dealt with?

A lesser issue, but one that would probably go a long ways to solving the constant “purpose” question, is why does the district still operate the EMS under the name “Associated Ambulance Authority?” Many years ago, the service was “associated” with the city and the county along with and under the “authority” of the district. But that hasn’t been the case for a long time. Why not drop that name and emblazon “Donley County Hospital District” on all our ambulances and advertise exactly where our tax dollars are going?

Clarendon College has suffered setbacks lately at the hands of the Republican leadership of this state. Funding higher education is a low priority for the Legislature, and now enrollment has taken a hit due to state decisions. But while Austin causes CC’s problems, it is left to our local Board of Regents to deal with them. Deferring maintenance has been one way of addressing shortfalls, but now that’s catching up to us. The pavement on our beautiful college campus is crumbling and will soon look like a typical Clarendon street if action isn’t taken, and there are other issues related to buildings that are more than 40 years old. How is this going to be addressed?

And most importantly what can be done to grow enrollment in Clarendon? The Pampa Center is now outpacing the home campus. We need more housing here, and we need technical programs based here to draw commuters to Clarendon. We can’t have a program (wind energy, for example) on three campuses and then be surprised when it only succeeds in the biggest population center. CC is our biggest economic asset and our best chance of attracting young people to our community, and local people have supported the college since 1898 and with tax dollars since 1927.Yes, we want thriving campuses in Gray and Childress counties, but the board also needs to stay focused on growth at home.

The City of Clarendon has some good things going on, but we’re also still dealing with the same old questions that have haunted us for generations. The city has recently promised to crack down on “the dog problem.” To put this in perspective, in 1901, just after the city incorporated, it levied the one-dollar dog tax to deal with the same issue. Basically you had to pay a dollar and get a city tag for your dog, and now to do that you have to show proof of rabies vaccination. It’s still the law, but only a handful of people (usually less than 10) actually pay it. One hundred and eleven years, and we’re still dealing with the same issue. Not exactly progress is it?

And then there are the streets… the number one complaint of our citizens for literally decades. Can we really say the streets are better than they were a year ago or two years ago or three or four or five? You get the picture. This month the city makes its final payment on seven years of tax notes that financed a one-million dollar paving project on the west side of town. The project was not perfect, and city maintenance on those streets has been… well, typical. Nevertheless, seven years ago, city officials planned to pay off the indebtedness and then finance another project. Now there is no talk of another paving project. There appears to be no real plan whatsoever. In fact, proposals to seal coat some already paved streets have been canceled the last two or three years. The longer we wait, the harder it is going to be to deal with this, and our streets continue to be an embarrassment to this town.

And while we’re on the topic of streets, how about we put up some accurate street signs? You can drive through three blocks of downtown Clarendon and never know you’re on Kearney Street, and the story is similar all over town.

The Clarendon Public School is also subject to the whims of the state. In addition to steep funding cuts this fiscal year, the school is also faced with a new testing program, which promises to take up a lot of time, receive a bunch of attention, and do nothing to educate our children. But let’s focus on decisions made here at home. The school deserves credit for taking care of its facilities and making improvements that have added decades to the lives of aging buildings. Some folks feel the new technology building was excessive, but technology has been a strong focus for CISD. A few years ago, the school put a MacBook computer in the hands of junior high and high school kids. How has that worked out? Do teachers or parents like it? Are kids learning more?  Are they scoring higher? CHS has been ranked only “Academically Acceptable” by the state each of the last five years. It was last “Recognized” in 2006.

And then there is the budget. The school made some tough choices for this fiscal year, but there is still room for improvement. For example, was it really necessary to charge $200 per month for Pre Kindergarten? Parents were told that the school had to charge tuition because “Pre-K isn’t mandatory” and this outstanding program was going to cut otherwise. Well, brace yourselves for this…. Athletics aren’t mandatory either, but we didn’t charge kids to be in sports or eliminate a coach’s job. Instead, we didn’t fill the music teacher’s position, dumped her duties on the band instructor, and threatened to fire the Pre-K teacher unless parents came to the rescue. Make no mistake, our community and this newspaper support our student athletes. Always have, always will. They are an immense source of pride for our community. But the school exists for one purpose… to educate our children. More cuts are coming this next fiscal year. Where will our priorities be then?

And so… those are just a few issues to think about. If there are more, we invite you to write them down and send them to us for publication. We would be happy to share them. Maybe some of you think you could do better on these boards, maybe you’re fine with it the way it is. Public service is certainly no easy task. Local board members open themselves up to both praise and criticism – both from the citizens and from this newspaper. They endure long meetings, they wrestle with tough choices, and they try to do their best. Those folks who are up for election this year are encouraged to run again, but you are also encouraged to think about why it is you’re running and tell the folks what you hope to see accomplished in your next term. You owe it to the taxpayers and to yourself to know why you want to serve.

If you think you’ve got what it takes to join the incumbents, then be advised that sign-ups continue through March 5. If you’re interested in serving, contact one these governments, find out the requirements, and, most importantly, educate yourself on the issues. Don’t go in with an ax to grind, but rather go in with an open mind and a willingness to serve.