News

Lower property valuations prompted the Clarendon Board of Aldermen to propose an increase in the city’s property tax rate during their regular meeting last Tuesday

If approved, the new rate would be one cent higher than last year at $0.49555 per $100 valuation and would generate approximately $3,800 in new revenue for the city.

Mayor Tex Selvidge told the board that keeping last year’s rate would mean the city would lose money because property values in the city had fallen by more than $250,000. The Donley Appraisal District said the drop was largely due to changes in valuations for property owned by American Electric Power and Cebridge Communciations.

Alderman Michael Tibbets expressed concern about raising the taxes too much, and Alderman Janice Knorpp said the city could not afford to go backwards when already facing a budget crunch.

Mayor Selvidge said he thought it was better for a local government to increase its tax rate a little bit every year rather than get in a situation where they had to go up a lot all at once. He told Tibbets that he may not like raising taxes, but future boards would thank him for doing it.

“I remember when I became mayor the first time [in the late 1970s], and we had to double the tax rate from 25 cents to 50 cents,” Selvidge said. “I felt like Gary Cooper in High Noon.”

The board unanimously approved proposing the higher rate. A public hearing will be held September 13 before finalizing the rate.

In other city business, aldermen approved Ordinance 357 increasing garbage rates. Effective October 1, 2005, residential garbage rates will increase $1 per account, commercial rates will increase $1 per Dumpster, and Greenbelt Water Authority’s rate will be $2,500 per month.

The board also approved Ordinance 358, which increases the deposit for water service from $50 to $125. That new rate also takes effect October 1, and Alderman Tommy Hill opposed the increase.

Aldermen also awarded the bid for the city’s workers’ compensation, general liability, and other property insurance coverages to the Texas Municipal League Risk Pool.

Bob McCombs was on the agenda to discuss a complaint regarding dust from the street paving project, but he said his complaint had already been taken care of, and he thanked Alderman Mark White and City Superintendent Jim Roberts.

The aldermen approved Ordinance 359 as presented by City Attorney James Shelton, establishing a Municipal Court Building Security Fund as provided by state law. A fee of three dollars will be assessed on any defendant convicted of a misdemeanor in municipal court.

The aldermen approved Sharon Knox and Gail Shelton as members of the executive council of the Burton Library’s advisory board. Freddie Jo Moreman will replace Jim Douglas as a lay representative.

The board considered and rejected an increase in the telephone access line rate.

Aldermen discussed taking the power of hiring, firing, and setting salaries away from the city administrator and returning that power permanently to the board.

Alderman Tibbets said he wanted to insure those powers remain with the board in the future, and Alderman Hill agreed, saying he thought five heads were better than one.

Alderman Bobbie Kidd disagreed, saying he wouldn’t take the job if those powers weren’t included, and he sided with Aldermen White and Knorpp in defeating two motions by Tibbets to reserve all or part of those powers to the board.

Fifty years ago, the late Gary Barnhill invited all of Donley County to enjoy “an evening of pleasure” for the formal opening of the Sandell Drive-In, and now John Morrow has reissued that same invitation as the theatre celebrates its golden anniversary this weekend.

It was Labor Day weekend in 1955 when Barnhill opened the Sandell, which he had named for his daughters, Sandra and Adele. The Donley County Leader reported that Barnhill had installed “the latest drive-in theatre equipment in order to offer the best in movie entertainment.”

The drive-in actually opened a week earlier, but the Sandell’s grand opening was held on September 11, 1955, with Shane, starring Alan Ladd and Jean Arthur, “in color,” as its feature presentation.

“I wish I had something appropriate to pay tribute to Gary,” Morrow said. “He did a whale of a job building the theatre. I’ve looked at a lot of other old drive-ins, and the only one that can compare to ours is in Midway, and I later learned that it was built patterned on the Sandell. There are 85 tons of steel in its structure.”

The Sandell Drive-In Theatre was operated by Barnhill for 29 years, generating many fond memories before it was closed in 1984.

It then sat unused for 18 years, until Morrow reopened it in 2002 after a chance conversation in a Dallas restaurant named Sandella’s and a string of events and conversations made it clear to him that he should be the one to open the theatre.

The façade got a fresh coat of pink paint, and a new ticket booth was installed. Morrow also installed new projection equipment, remodeled the concession stand, and re-opened the drive-in on Labor Day weekend that year.

“This is our third anniversary too,” Morrow said, “and I hope the people have enjoyed it as much as I have. I see the kids come out. Their faces just light up, and that makes me smile.”

As Barnhill did in 1955, Morrow also invites visitors to the snack bar. Golden anniversary specials this weekend include 50-cent hot dogs, 50-cent soft drinks, and 50-cent popcorn.

Morrow said Barnhill gave him lots of advice as he worked to bring the drive-in back. “Don’t put French fries in the concession stand; the grease is too much trouble. Stick with chips,” the old manager told him. And also, “Don’t charge by the carload.”

Since the re-opening in 2002, the Sandell has welcomed new and former customers with a nostalgic atmosphere that harkens back to the simpler times when Elvis was the hottest thing in music and everybody liked Ike. Except now a transmitter allows move-goers to listen to the show on their car radio instead of hanging the speaker through a window.

“It’s been pretty fun just to do it two nights a week,” Morrow said. “I can’t imagine what it was like for Gary to do it every night.”

Morrow hopes everyone will come out to the drive-in this weekend and join the anniversary celebration, and he’s got just the right movie to set the mood.

Acclaimed as the most successful Western of the 1950s and nominated for six Academy Awards, Shane will return to the Sandell’s big screen this Friday and Saturday in a double feature with Warner Brothers’ modern motion picture, The Dukes of Hazzard, starring Johnny Knoxville and Jessica Simpson.

Gates open at 8 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, Shane rolls at 9 p.m. Tickets for the show are $5 for adults and $4 for children under 12 and seniors over 65.

The Donley County Hospital Board rescinded the proposed tax rate set at its July meeting and proposed a new rate last Tuesday.

Board President Alan Fletcher said the board had adopted the rate of $0.1946 based on information, which turned out to be only estimations. The new proposed rate of $0.189448 is based on actual data and is the maximum allowable without triggering a potential rollback petition.

The hospital district has been operating with a tax rate of $0.18022 for the last seven years. The higher rate would raise the tax on a $75,000 home by $6.92.

In other hospital district business, the board voted to no longer provide phone service for the dentist’s office in the Community Service Building. The board also approved a new one-year lease with the State Department of Health Services for space in that same building.

The board accepted bids on tax delinquent property at Howardwick as presented by the Donley Appraisal District.

Administrator In-Training Vicky Robertson reported that MCNH had 53 residents in its care. She said the state completed a desk review of the facility and approved it to be Medicare certified, pending the appropriate signatures.

Robertson also reported that she has completed three courses and had 500 hours of training waived in her quest to become a certified nursing home administrator. She expects to graduate in November and take her boards in January.

Ambulance director Anita Aaron reported the Associated Ambulance Authority had 66 calls for July. She also presented a revised set of policies and job descriptions, which she said hadn’t been updated in five years.

A Clarendon man landed himself in jail after he reportedly sold narcotics in a sting operation set up by the Donley County Sheriff’s Department last week.

Patrick Childs, age 20, was charged Friday with Delivery of Crack Cocaine, a second-degree felony.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said the sting was set up after an investigation of another case. The suspect delivered the drugs to a residence at 309 W. Third, where the sheriff and Chief Deputy Randy Bond waited inside out of sight.

Childs was arrested after he sat down to cut off $50 worth of crack from a larger rock worth an estimated $300.

Donley County Judge Jack Hall arraigned Childs on Sunday and set bond at $20,000. He remained in custody Monday morning.

Blackburn said, as a result of the arrest, some merchandise stolen in Donley County has been recovered.

The July unemployment rate of 5.0 percent represented a one-tenth of a percentage point decrease from the June rate of 5.1 percent and fell significantly from July 2004 when the unemployment rate was 6.1 percent.

“Texas continues to create jobs as our economy expands,” said Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Chair Diane Rath. “With more than 10.6 million working, it’s encouraging to note that more Texans are employed than ever before.”

Donley County’s unemployment rate fell from 4.4 percent in June to 4.3 percent in July. That’s down from 5.2 percent one year ago.

A total of 1,890 people were employed in Donley County last month out of a labor force of 1,974.

Other area counties also showed a slight decrease in their unemployment rates between June and July. Hall County went from 5.5 to 5.2 percent, Collingsworth dropped from 4.4 to 4.3 percent, and Gray went from 4.7 to 4.5 percent.

Seasonally Adjusted Nonagricultural Employment in Texas grew by 12,600 jobs in July with job growth in eight of nine industry sectors. Texas employers have added 100,000 jobs over the year for an annual growth rate of 1.1 percent.

 Manufacturing added jobs for the fourth time this year, posting a gain of 3,300 jobs in July. This was the largest month-over-month increase since April 1998. July job growth in the Leisure & Hospitality sector increased by 2,900 positions over June. Trade, Transportation & Utilities also showed a significant increase over June figures, adding 2,200 jobs in July.

Over the year, virtually every industry sector showed job growth. Education & Health Services had the highest annual growth rate of any sector at 2.2 percent with the addition of 25,500 jobs since July 2004. Construction gained 9,100 jobs, representing a 1.7 percent increase over the year. Employment in Natural Resources & Mining recorded a 2.0 percent annual growth rate, adding 3,000 jobs.

“The Texas business outlook continues to be robust,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Ron Lehman. “With eight of nine industry sectors adding jobs in the last year, employers are responding to increased demand for products and services.”

“I am glad to see the ranks of the unemployed continue to decline,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Ronny Congleton. “Job gains over the month and over the year are both positive signs as well.”

Initial claims for unemployment compensation in July 2005 were 69,784, down 15.2 percent from July 2004.

Higher property valuations and lower health insurance premiums are allowing Donley County officials to consider a slightly lower total county tax rate, according to the proposed 2005-2006 budget filed in the clerk’s office last Friday.

The $1.9 million budget allows for raises for county employees and for increased fuel and utility costs while proposing a combined county tax rate of $0.492746 per $100 valuation. Last year’s rate was $0.49877.

Almost all the county’s employees would receive a three percent raise. The only exceptions would be the county commissioners, who did not take a raise, and Constable Mike Wallendorff, who had requested his salary be increased to the same level as a beginning deputy. His salary would increase from $17,866.95 to $22,500.

The proposed budget includes money requested by Sheriff Butch Blackburn for a new deputy whose primary function would be traffic control.

Commissioners also included a $250 per month increase for the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department to combat rural fires.

The taxable value of ad valorem property in the county has increased more than $6.2 million.

Budget hearings will be held at 9 a.m. on September 6 and 9 in the Commissioners’ Courtroom of the Courthouse. Final approval of the budget will come at a called meeting on September 16.

In other county business, commissionres met in regular session August 8. Among the items of business considered by the court, bids were accepted for delinquent tax property at Howardwick as presented by the Donley Appraisal District.

Five hours of comp time were approved for former Extension service employee Monica Wheelus.

A resolution was approved adopting the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which will require all county, EMS, fire department, and law enforcement personnel to receive certain accreditation through the Department of Homeland Security.

The bond for County Attorney Pro Tem Kaye Messer was approved.

The county approved an agreement with Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad to close the crossing at CR LL and create a new crossing on CR 5 with lights, gates, and a 32-foot concrete surface.

The appointment of election judges was approved, and a county burn ban was ordered as requested by the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department.

The court also met in called session on August 17, 18, and 19 to consider the 2005-2006 county budget.

The Donley County Extension office will be hosting an alfalfa production seminar on August 26 at the Church of Christ Family Life Center.

Program topics will include: “Overview and Agronomics of Alfalfa Production,” “Round-up Ready Alfalfa” and general weed control, variety selection, and a field visit to discuss insects and alfalfa management.

Registration begins at 9 a.m., and the program will conclude around noon. Registration is $5 and the Alfalfa Management Handbook can be purchased for $15.

Producers attending can earn 2.5 continuing education units for their pesticide applicator license.

Reservations are needed by August 25. To make a reservation or for information, call 874-2141.

Figures released Friday by Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn show the local economy continuing to grow with Clarendon, Hedley, and Howardwick all making gains.

“With just weeks remaining in the 2005 fiscal year, sales tax revenue is running 5.9 percent higher than the same point in FY 2004,” Strayhorn said.

The state collected $1.45 billion in sales tax revenue in July, and the comptroller sent local governments $466 million.

The City of Clarendon took in $28,191.03 for its August allocation, up 11.93 percent for the same period one year ago. That pushes the city’s year-to-date total to $179,525.85, an increase to 7.58 percent.

This marked Clarendon’s fifth straight month of increased allocations. The April allocation was up 14.88 percent, May rose 15.71 percent, June saw in increase of 10.7 percent, and July was up 20 percent.

Hedley was up 10.6 percent for a total of $594.15 in August, and Howardwick was up less than one percent for a total of $1,060.48. Both cities are still trailing for the year-to-date.

August sales tax allocations statewide to local governments are up 8.1 percent compared to August 2004.

Calendar year to date, city sales tax revenues are up 7.5 percent compared to 2004. July state sales tax collections are up 14.5 percent compared to July 2004.

July state sales tax revenue and August allocations to local governments represent sales taxes collected in June by businesses that report sales taxes monthly, and sales taxes collected in April, May and June by quarterly filers.

The Comptroller’s next sales tax allocation will be made on Monday, September 12.

Clarendon Aldermen unanimously voted to increase sanitation rates during their regular meeting last Tuesday.

City officials say the trash service is losing money and is facing higher fuel costs. The city has also been out an estimated $12,000 in maintenance costs for one of its trash trucks.

Sanitation rates would increase $1 per month per each active account. If an account has more than one trash bin, the increase would be $1 per trash bin per month. The rate for hauling trash for Greenbelt Water Authority would increase $410 to a total fee of $2,500 per month.

The board also voted 3-1 to increase deposits for water service. The city currently requires a $50 deposit on a new account, and aldermen approved raising that to $125, noting that most past due accounts that get closed are over $100. Alderman Tommy Hill opposed the measure, saying he felt setting the deposit at $100 would be sufficient.

The aldermen must still vote on the sanitation charges and water deposit fees again. If approved, the new rates would go into effect October 1, 2005.

Water service tap fees were also on the board’s agenda, but aldermen decided to leave those rates unchanged.

In other city business, Judy Burlin addressed the board on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce regarding funds the chamber receives from the Motel Bed Tax.

Twenty-five percent of the money raised by that tax is directed to the chamber.

Burlin outlined upcoming chamber activities and said her board is reviewing the guidelines for spending Motel Bed Tax funds.

The chamber has set up a separate account so that tax funds are not co-mingled with other chamber funds, and Burlin said she would give a quarterly report to the city to keep aldermen up to date on how the money is being used. Alderman Michael Tibbets also encouraged the chamber to conduct surveys during events sponsored with Motel Bed Tax funds.

The board discussed closing the Burton Memorial Library on Saturdays. Librarian Jerri Shields suggested the measure as a way to cut utility expenses and noted that traffic was not very high on Saturday. The board voted in favor of the measure, which will take effect September 1.

The city’s ad valorem tax rate was discussed. No action was taken as the board is waiting to find out what the city’s insurance rates will be.

The board approved an engagement letter from Doshier, Pickens, & Francis to conduct the 2004-2005 audit.

Aldermen discussed the city’s random drug testing policy and voted to test five employees at random every quarter. The policy previously called for testing three employees per quarter.

The topic of paying the salary of city employees while they attend training for the volunteer fire department was discussed.

Aldermen Hill and Janice Knorpp opposed this policy saying that this was something that should be done on the employee’s own time and money, but Aldermen Tibbets and Bobbie Kidd were unwilling to change the policy. Alderman Mark White was absent.

Hill and Knorpp voted to stop the policy. Tibbets and Kidd voted no, and Mayor Tex Selvidge would not break the tie, saying he wanted more information.

Clarendon CISD will be holding registration for elementary, junior high, and high school students in the cafeteria from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. on August 15 and 16, 2005. 

Students will receive classroom assignments and schedules at this time.  The student’s parent must be present in order to complete the registration process. 

It is extremely important that all parents complete the federal lunch form.  For those that qualify, students may receive free or reduced priced lunches.  We need all parents to complete the form regardless of qualification.  This program helps determine funding for the district. 

New students to the district are asked to come to the school offices between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on August 17 and 18, 2005.  Please bring records from the student’s previous school, a copy of the student’s birth certificate and social security card, and a copy of the student’s immunization records.