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City threatens to cut off Chamber funds
The City of Clarendon last week threatened to pull $20,000 in funding from the Chamber of Commerce unless the organization changes the way it does business within 90 days.
The Board of Aldermen had expressed concerns to Chamber Executive Director Judy Burlin in the past about how the Chamber accounts for money it receives from the city’s Motel Bed Tax, and those issues came to a head last Tuesday at the board’s regular meeting.
“We have been trying to tell [Judy] for months that she has to improve the record keeping,” Mayor Larry Hicks told the Enterprise. “Tax money has to be tracked penny for penny, and she has not kept track of it.”
The city gives the Chamber $5,000 per quarter from the Motel Bed Tax fund, and state laws dictate what types of expenditures the money can be used for.
City officials say the Chamber does not report specifically how the money is spent and also say that the Chamber has not kept the tax money in a strictly separate account but has been transferring some of that money to its general fund.
“We don’t feel like we’re getting the bang for our buck, but we don’t know for sure because we don’t know for certain where the money is going,” Hicks said.
New Chamber President Charlie Smith addressed last Tuesday’s city meeting and told the aldermen that the Chamber’s records were “a mess.” He also said Burlin was taking a leave of absence and that she had asked him to take over her duties.
Burlin told the Enterprise Monday that she was taking a leave until May 1 and said she knew the city wanted more financial information from the Chamber.
“I’ve been working with [City Secretary] Machiel Covey for about a month to get a more detailed report,” Burlin said. She also said the Chamber has a lot of young people on its board and that she expects the Chamber to have a good year.
Hicks said the city was pleased that Smith was taking over and that the board felt he would do a good job.
“It’s not that we don’t want a Chamber of Commerce. We do, but we want it to be operated correctly,” the mayor said.
Smith for his part says he thinks he can turn the Chamber around and keep its funding from the city.
“I think I can do enough in 90 days to warrant keeping it funded,” Smith told the Enterprise, noting that he hopes to grow the Chamber’s membership and do a better job of making the organization work for its members.
“We’ve got 63 members now, and I hope to have 100 members soon,” he said. “I want to show people they will benefit from being a member. We will make it worth your while to join. My primary goal is to get people here, because Clarendon is a great community and has a lot to offer.”
Smith says he will try to keep regular office hours downtown from 1 to 5 p.m. He welcomes ideas to improve the Chamber and asks people to leave a message if he’s not in the office.
In other city business, aldermen reviewed guidelines for other expenditures the city makes from the Motel Bed Tax; appointed Mayor Hicks as the city’s representative to the Chamber Tourism Committee; called an election for May 14 to elect a mayor and two aldermen; and began looking at designs for an official city logo.
Election sign-up is underway
Filing is underway and continues through March 14 for six local governments holding elections this spring.
The cities of Clarendon, Hedley, and Howardwick will all hold elections for local offices as well as the Clarendon and Hedley school districts and the Donley County Hospital District.
Clarendon will elect a mayor and two aldermen. Those positions are currently held by Mayor Larry Hicks and Aldermen Janice Knorpp and Ann Huey.
Howardwick also has the terms of its mayor and two aldermen up this year. They are currently occupied by Mayor Del Essary and Aldermen Gene Rogers and Norm Hagood.
Three positions on the Hedley Board of Aldermen are up this year.
Clarendon ISD has two trustees’ positions up this year, and those seats are currently held by Weldon Sears and Lance Thornberry.
Three positions on the Hedley ISD board are up. The terms of James Lee Potts, Tonja Ruthardt, and Karen Watt are expiring.
The Donley County Hospital Board has three directors’ terms up this year, and those positions are now held by Wayne Tubbs (Place 1), Bubba Newhouse (Place 2), and Melinda McAnear (Place 3).
Positions on city boards of aldermen and the hospital board are two-year terms, and school board terms are for three years. All positions are elected at-large, but hospital board candidates must sign up for a specific place.
The deadline to file for local offices is March 14, 2011. Election day will be Saturday, May 14, 2011.
Clarendon sales tax revenue growing for second month
The City of Clarendon posted a strong gain on its sales tax revenue last week when Texas Comptroller Susan Combs announced the state’s February distribution.
Clarendon received $40,093.48, which is up 22.48 percent from $32,733.43 last February. That brings the city’s year-to-date tally to $64,489.20, an increase of 20.88 percent.
Howardwick also was up this month with a distribution of $1,024.69, up 60.93 percent from the same time last year and bringing that city to $2,308.57 for the year so far, which is up 52.81 percent.
Hedley fell 29.13 percent to $638.33. That city’s year-to-date tally stands at $1,220.57, which is down 2.18 percent from $1,247.87 at this time in 2010.
Comptroller Combs announced the state’s sales tax revenue in January was $1.83 billion, an increase of 10.4 percent compared to January 2010.
“Sales tax revenues have now improved for the last ten months, reflecting increased activity in almost all major economic sectors,” Combs said.
“The strongest growth was from sectors fueled by business spending, such as oil and gas activity. Tax collections from retail trade were also up.”
January state sales tax collections and February’s local sales tax allocations represent sales made in December, and also include earlier sales by businesses that report sales tax to the Comptroller on a quarterly or annual basis.
The Comptroller sent $440.3 million in sales tax to Texas cities, up 5.4 percent compared to February 2010 payments.
For details of February sales tax payments to individual cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts, locate the Monthly Sales Tax Allocation Comparison Summary
Reports on the Comptroller’s Web site at www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/allocsum/compsum.html.
Ruth Maurine Lindley
Ruth Maurine Lindley, 94, died Thursday, February 10, 2011, in Amarillo.
Services were held Sunday, February 13, 2011, in the Community Fellowship Church in Clarendon with Rev. Larry Capranica, Pastor, and Chuck Robertson officiating. Interment was held at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon. Services were under the arrangement of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Mrs. Lindley was born May 30, 1916, in Hall County, Texas to Gordy Dalton and Nina Willa Dale Cross. She had been a lifetime resident of Donley and Hall Counties. She married Dennis Ray Lindley on October 13, 1935, in Hollis, Oklahoma. She thoroughly enjoyed sewing, crocheting, quilting, and cooking. She was a member of the Chamberlain, Hudgins, and Golden Needles Quilting Clubs. She also had taught Sunday school at the First Baptist Church in Clarendon prior to being a Charter Member of the Community Fellowship Church in Clarendon.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Dennis Ray in 1986; a son in law, Marion Bollinger; a sister, Phyllis Richey; and a grandson, Dennis Bollinger.
Survivors include two sons, Harold Lindley and wife Wilma of Clarendon and Tommy Lindley and wife Cynthia of Claude; a daughter, Roberta Bollinger of Clarendon; four grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren; and two great great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials be to Odyssey Hospice.
Virginia “Nell” McClish
Virginia “Nell” McClish, 74, of Chandler, Arizona, formerly of Amarillo and Pampa, died Tuesday, February 8, 2011.
Services were held Saturday, February 12, at the Boxwell Brothers Ivy Chapel. Burial was held at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Pampa, Texas. Arrangements were by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors.
She was born Virginia Waynell Weaver to Horace and Thelma Weaver on July 3, 1936, at Gilliland, Texas. She grew up on the High Plains of Texas in several small picturesque towns always with her parents, her sister, Louise and lots of friends and cousins. They provided her with a happy childhood and a strong faith with which she lived throughout her life. She married Oran Carter in 1953, and their loving and memory-filled twenty-one-year marriage produced five children. Oran preceded her in death in 1975 in Pampa.
She met Maurice McClish at the First Christian Church in Amarillo, and they married in 1984. Maurice and Nell were blessed in combining their faith, their families, and friends. They shared their love of life and love of adventure- he taught her how to water ski and go bird hunting, and she taught him her love of planting and growing flowers, and love of nature.
They celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary in July of 2010.
Nell is survived by her husband, Maurice McClish of Lake Greenbelt; her sister, Louise Halcom of Amarillo; her five children, Laquita Gruver and husband Kurt of Belton, Texas, Marita Ross and husband Brad of Chandler, AZ, Gay Nell Acord of Pecos, NM , Ora Switzer and husband Bryan of Dallas and John Carter-White also of Dallas; her step-children, Kevin McClish of Amarillo and Cheri, Beverly and Buffy; her ten grandchildren, Mandy Nation, Christy Templeton, Lara and Sara Ross, Art and Oran Acord, Ryan, Hannah and Holly Switzer and Marci McClish; her three great grandchildren, Hailey and Julie Templeton and Brighlee Reynoso.
Olivas Juan Jose Olivas
Olivas Juan Jose Olivas, 43, died Saturday, February 12, 2011, in Clarendon.
Rosary was said Tuesday, February 15, in St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Clarendon. Mass was celebrated Wednesday, February 16, in St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Clarendon with Father Raj Samala and Deacon Pedro Juarez as the celebrants. Interment was held at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Clarendon.
Services were under the arrangements of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon. Juan was born May 30, 1967, in Cuauhtemoc Chihuahua, Mexico to Arnoldo Gonzalez and Guadalupe Olivas. He married Stella Jaramillo on November 21, 1996, in Clarendon. He attended Karate School.
He was a good father, wonderful husband and son in law. He was a member of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Clarendon. Survivors include his wife, Stella Olivas of Howardwick; his mother, Lupe Olivas of Mexico; two daughters, Rhonda Olivas and Rosa Olivas of Howardwick; a son, Juan Angel Olivas of Howardwick; two brothers, Martin Gonzalez and Arnoldo Gonzalez; two sisters, Nana Gonzalez and Olivia Gonzalez; and a favorite niece, Robin Jaramillo.
The family suggests memorials to St. Mary’s Catholic Church or St. Mary’s Cemetery Fund.
Dave Alan Butts
Dave Alan Butts, 55, died Sunday, February 6, 2011, in Amarillo.
Graveside serves were held Friday, February 11, in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon with Rev. Dave Stout, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Howardwick, officiating. Interment was held at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon. Services were under the arrangement of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Mr. Butts was born April 29, 1955, in Amarillo to Oscar Albert Butts, Jr., and Theda “Penny” Featherston Butts. He had been a resident of Howardwick since 1993. He had worked in construction and as a farmer and rancher as well as working for the Department of Defense. He was a member of the Clarendon Church of Christ.
He was preceded in death by his parents in 2009.
Survivors include a daughter, Alissa Atkinson and husband Grant of Amarillo; a sister, Patricia Beach and husband Ronnie of Olathe, Kansas; three grandchildren, Audrey Hatcher, Ethan and Emma Atkinson all of Amarillo; and two nieces, Sarah Kershner of Nagshead, North Carolina and Jessie Beach of Sherman Oak, CA.
The family suggests memorials to BSA Hospice in Amarillo.
CJH teams compete at Pantex Science Bowl
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