News

The Hedley City Council met in regular session February 8 as officials continued steps to move the city’s fiscal year in line most other local governments.

Hedley has historically run a budget year from July through June, but the city recently moved to the more common October 1 through September 30 calendar. As part of that, the council gave consideration last week to a new budget to cover fiscal year 2024.

Karen Watt spoke in open forum about concerns she had with the proposed budget and said there was not enough information to support the budget.

The council later unanimously approved the proposed budget.

Ordinance 160 was also discussed and approved. The new measure allows the city to remove a water meter after the account is 60 days past due.

The council also voted to attempt to renegotiate existing loans the city has.

Aldermen considered adopting a policy of no longer taking cash in the office. A motion to approve the “no cash” policy failed to get a second, but at a called meeting on Monday, the council did approve the policy.

Payments at Hedley City Hall can now be only made by draft, money order, or check. City officials will be looking into taking debit and credit cards.

Also at Monday’s called meeting, the council approved calling an election this May for the mayor and two aldermen’s positions.

Donley County and the City of Clarendon this past week continued their back-and-forth on a contract with the sheriff’s department for law enforcement services in the city.

The city council met in regular session Thursday, February 8, with Mayor Jacob Fangman and the aldermen saying they want to support the sheriff’s office but they have to provide other services to the citizens as well. Mayor Pro-Tem Larry Jeffers also wanted to make clear the city’s support for law enforcement.

“I think some misstatements have been going around that we’re defunding the police and I’d like to see that put to rest,” Jeffers said. “We’re doing the best we can with the money we have.”

As the discussion continued, County Judge John Howard again raised the actual cost of employing and equipping two deputies at more than $220,000 per year and the county’s desire for a $180,000 contract with the city. Alderman Eulaine McIntosh pushed back on that discussion.

“You can keep saying what you’re saying, and we’ll keep saying what we’re saying,” McIntosh said. “We’re wasting time.”

City officials asked for a commitment from the county about their annual contribution to the Burton Memorial Library. The city holds that the library used to be funded 50-50 by the city and county, but that practice ended several years ago with city funding growing past what the county contributed.

The city gave the county two proposals. A five-year agreement starting at $155,000 in the next fiscal year and going up 1.5 percent each year with no additional contribution by the county to the library. Or a five-year agreement starting at $165,000 and increasing 2.0 percent per year but with the county increasing its library contribution from the current $35,000 to $47,000 in the next budget.

On Monday, the Donley County Commissioners’ Court took up the city’s proposal and pushed back on “conflating” the library funding with the sheriff’s office funding. Sheriff Butch Blackburn asked that the library not be part of the discussion about his contract with the city.

During the county meeting, Mayor Fangman and City Administrator Brian Barboza brought up city budget issues with the mayor saying he felt like the city could get to where the county wanted them to be but that it would take time to figure out what other services the city might not be able to offer its citizens.

County officials vote to leave in place the current contract at $140,000 for the remainder of the current fiscal year and approved a proposal of $170,000 starting in October and continuing for five years with a 2.0 percent increase each year. The proposal must be accepted by the city in 60 days and is non-negotiable.

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is warning citizens that criminals are sending emails impersonating the agency’s Open Records Division, claiming citizens have committed a code violation. Do not click any links in these communications.

To cause you to react and click on the link, these fraudulent emails use the subject line: Code Violation Notice ref::#3364541.PDF. If you click the link, destructive malware is installed onto your computer or electronic device. The malware then steals your sensitive data.

If you or anyone you know receives an email or any other communication like this, again, do not click on any link. Instead, report it to the Comptroller’s office.

The City of Howardwick accepted a bid for road construction during a called meeting January 23 to improve a stretch of Rick Husband Boulevard.

The $219,499.50 bid of G&G Operators of Dalhart was accepted as the lowest bid. The highest bid was $428,980 from West Texas Utility Contractors.

City Secretary Sandy Childress said the scope of the work covers drainage improvements from the draw between Dawn Drive and Porter Drive and extending about 800 linear feet northwest on Rick Husband, tearing up that section of road and replacing it with hot mix asphalt.

Childress the original plan for the grant project when it was first conceived in 2020 was to improve Rick Husband much further, going all the way past City Hall to Swanson Street. Increasing costs over time whittled the project down, she said.

The city is, however, negotiating with the contractor and the agencies providing the Community Development Block Grant funding the project in hopes of issuing a change order on the contract that would allow more paving to be done.

Childress said doing a two-course chip seal instead of hot mix would lengthen the amount of new paving that could be done on this project.

Childress said the city has some COVID-relief funds still on hand that might be used to purchase some equipment that would allow the city to do some of the work to rip up the existing road itself, which also allow more of the CDBG grant money to go further with paving.

“The contractor has no problem with it, but we have to get everyone else to agree,” she said.

Childress is also encouraged that the city will have a good chance at winning a second grant once this one is completed. The next grant could provide as much as $500,000 for future paving.

“They tell me once you get the first grant, it’s easier to get a second one,” she said.

The city expects the paving project as it currently is planned to begin in March and be completed within 60 days. If the city is allowed to make its desired change order, that timeline may change, Childress said.

The Donley County Republican Club will host a Candidate Forum Tuesday, February 13 at the Bairfield Activity Center at 7:00 p.m.

Local candidates for this spring’s primary elections will present their platforms. The forum will be open to the public regardless of party affiliation, and refreshments will be served.

Donations are being accepted by the Donley County Republican Club for the purpose of providing these annual forums and for purchasing food for both Republican and Democratic election workers during the primaries.

Those wishing to make a donation for that purpose can do so by mailing a check to PO Box 789, Clarendon, TX 79226 or by taking a donation to the Donley County Republican Club directly to the Donley County State Bank.

The candidate count is now up to 14, but several positions are still unfilled on local boards as the deadline to sign up approaches next week.

Three boards have enough candidates for all open positions while four other boards are still waiting for people to file for office as of Tuesday.

The cities of Clarendon, Hedley, and Howardwick; the Clarendon and Hedley school districts; the Clarendon College District; and the Donley County Hospital District all have a total of 21 positions available this year.

The City of Howardwick has three people running for three positions available on the city council. Aldermen Mary Grady and Terry Barnes are seeking re-election, and Johnny Hubbard is also running.

All of the Donley County Hospital District Board’s expiring members have filed for re-election. Those are Mark C. White – Place 6, Jan Farris – Place 4, Nikki Adams – Place 5, and Lori Howard – Place 7.

Clarendon CISD has Taylor Shelton and Kenneth McIntosh running for the positions currently held by Wayne Hardin and Wes Hatley. The incumbents have not yet filed for re-election.
Carole Ward has filed for re-election to her seat on the Hedley CISD board, but Dana Bell’s seat has not been filed for.

In the City of Clarendon, Aldermen Tommy Hill and John Lockhart will be on the ballot for two of three positions on the city council up for election this year. Aldermen has not filed.

Mayor Trisha Chambless is seeking a full term in office in Hedley, and two other positions are available on the city council. Those seats are currently held by Aldermen Aaron Hanes and Clayton Beagle.

Janice Knorpp has filed for re-election to the Clarendon College Board of Regents. Three other seats have not been filed for and are currently held by Tommy Waldrop, Lon Adams, and Brittney Word.

All local boards are elected at-large, but hospital board candidates must file for a specific place on the board. Candidate applications are available from the administrative offices of each entity.
Filing continues through Friday, February 16. Elections are scheduled to be held May 4, 2024.

The Donley County Republican Club will host a Candidate Forum February 13 at the Bairfield Activity Center at 7:00 p.m.

Local candidates for this spring’s primary elections will present their platforms. The forum will be open to the public regardless of party affiliation, and refreshments will be served.

Donations are being accepted by the Donley County Republican Club for the purpose of providing these annual forums and for purchasing food for both Republican and Democratic election workers during the primaries.

Those wishing to make a donation for that purpose can do so by mailing a check to PO Box 789, Clarendon, TX 79226 or by taking a donation to the Donley County Republican Club directly to the Donley County State Bank.

A group of Clarendon High School students are advancing after competing for the first time in the UIL film competition.

The CHS students decided to put their filming and acting skills to good use during the fall semester by being the school’s first group of students to compete in UIL film.

Mrs. Zongker’s ninth period class scripted and produced three films for submission to University Interscholastic League film competition for judging that began mid-January with 1A-3A competing in the same division.

Each film had a seven-minute time limit and had to be fully produced by students with the sponsor only acting in a supervisor role. Of the three films submitted – two were submitted as documentaries and one was a narrative.

The title of the documentaries were “Snack Pak 4 Kids” and “Gem of the Texas Panhandle.” The narrative was submitted with a title of “___Did It!”

The two documentary films advanced to the state semi-final round and are awaiting the State Finalist announcement on February 12.
The UIL State Film Festival is scheduled to be on the University of Texas campus on February 28.

The following students had roles in the film competitions with two teacher interviews: Rowdy Bebout, Kyler Bell, Kashlyn Conkin, Zane Cruse, Benjamin Estlack, Avery Halsey, Ronan Howard, Toby Leeper, Jacob Murillo, Zakary Roberts, Cutter Seay, Kate Shaw, Wes Shaw, Koltyn Shields, Presley Smith, Kase Zongker, Cutter Ashbook, Mrs. Bessent, and Mrs. Benson.

The students who have advanced to the state semi-final round were Estlack, Halsey, Howard, Leeper, Murillo, and Seay.

Voters in the Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District will most likely see a bond election this spring, but school officials have not yet determined how much money to ask for.

During a called meeting of the CCISD Board of Trustees last Tuesday, figures ranged from under $8 million to $12 million as discussion focused on needed facility improvements, security enhancements, potential new construction, expanded transportation capabilities, and other issues.

Greg Decker of Gallahger Construction presented the results of a facilities assessment performed last semester along with cost estimates for the district. Decker and other speakers repeatedly said the district has been doing a good job maintaining its buildings, which are mostly 60 or more years old.

Decker’s presentation highlighted several deficiencies related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) through out the school’s facilities, issues with sidewalks, security issues, and roof leaks in some areas. Lighting and plumbing issues in the Bronco Gym were brought up, and the aging conditions of the agriculture building and the field house in Bronco Stadium.

Decker then moved into the estimated costs to address the facilities assessment as well as the costs for some things the district has considered, including $2.3 to 2.5 million for a new vocational ag building, $3.3 to 3.5 million for to replace the field house, $600,000 to address ADA issues and other facility deficiencies, $100,000 in accessible parking and striping, $500,000 for a new press box, and $500,000 for new visitor stands at Bronco Stadium, which would not include any sidewalks to those stands.

The district also wants to address security concerns, which were not discussed in detail at the meeting. Officials did mention the possibility of a wall along the south side of the breezeway connecting the high school and junior high buildings and some as yet undetermined work to address visitors coming into the main door of the high school so they have to check in a the office.
That amounts to about $8 million in improvements not including the security work.

School officials also mentioned the possibility of buying additional buses for the district, and there was discussion about having extra bond money approved that could be used for other purchases going in the near future.

Decker’s firm performed the facility assessment, estimated the costs for the districts, and will put together a marketing plan that will lobby voters for the passage of the bond.

John Blackburn of Live Oak Public Finance discussed the district’s bond capacity and the additional tax rate that would be needed to finance the bonds. Blackburn said that the with the school districts’ ad valorem tax rate being compressed by the State Legislature and the new $100,000 homestead tax exemptions, there will likely be a record number of school bond elections this May.

Clarendon CISD’s tax rate, according to Blackburn, has been compressed to about 83 cents per $100 valuation, which is down from $1.17 just a few years ago. That leaves less for the school to work with to address facilities but also means property owners are paying less tax. Combined with the new homestead exemption, officials believe the time is right to ask voters for a bond.

Blackburn presented options showing CCISD could finance a $9.6 million bond with 25 cents more tax, an $11.5 million bond for 30 cents, or a $13.5 million bond for 35 cents.

With the new homestead exemption, citizens with homes valued at $100,000 or less pay no school tax.

A 25-cent tax hike would increase taxes on a $150,000 by $125 per year. A 35-cent tax hike would raise taxes on that same home by $175 per year.

The CCISD Board of Trustees will meet again on Monday, February 12, to call for the bond election and will have to set an amount they want to ask the voters for at that time.

Also in last week’s meeting, the board approved a motion to selection Corgan Architects for the proposed bond projects and authorized Superintendent Jarod Bellar to select a Construction Manager Agent after running the required advertisement for the Request For Qualifications.