News

COLLEGE STATION – The new year is the traditional time for change, and here’s one consumers can look forward to.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2002, Texas Electric Choice will give many residential and commercial consumers the option of choosing their own retail electric provider (REP), said Dr. Lynn White, Texas Cooperative Extension family economics specialist.

However, she added, not all consumers will be eligible for this new service – only those now served by investor-owned utilities and city utilities and electric cooperatives that have opted to offer this choice.

Still, for eligible consumers, this new program could be of financial benefit. “The goal of Texas Electric Choice is to eventually lower the price of electricity use,” White said. But what exactly does Electric Choice mean? “Consider the current electric company’s lines as the delivery system for electric power,” White said. “The company will continue to maintain these lines and provide electricity to consumers, but in addition … it will also rent the lines to other power companies competing for business.” The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) will continue to regulate the delivery of electricity to ensure its safety and reliability and will have limited regulation over REPs.

In order to make the most informed choice about choosing an REP, White advised visiting the PUC Web site, http://powertochoose.com/ There, consumers will find links to useful sites, including an Electricity Facts Label for comparing information for each REP’s prices, contract terms, generation sources and emissions.

“Every participating REP must provide this information,” she said. “If a monthly service or customer care fee is added, it must be included in the average per-kilowatt-hour rate listed, as are all promotions, discounts, or incentives offered by the REP. For example, a REP offering customers one month of free electricity must include this incentive in its price per kilowatt-hour to reflect the free month.”

To start, she said, “Go to the PUC Web site and locate your current provider’s data sheet for its ‘price to beat’ – the rate it will be charging starting Jan. 1.” Rates for all affiliated REPs – except Entergy – “will be 6 percent below current rates for small business and residential customers,” White said. “For competing REPs using existing lines, rates most likely will be even lower.

“Due to a recent lowering of rates in the Entergy service area, those customers will not get the 6 percent decrease.”

During a contract period, the contracted rate can be adjusted for gas price changes, but not more than twice a year, she said. “Compare current price with other features, such as emission levels or contract terms.”

To determine possible savings, consumers should look at their last year’s bills. How much was average use? How much was used during peak months? The PUC Web site www.puc.state.tx.us/ocp/electric/rates/ has information to use when comparing individual average usage with the average residential and/or commercial rates throughout the state.

Some contracts will include fixed prices for service, which means consumers will pay the same price each month. “Fixed prices can be to the consumer’s benefit if market costs go up; however, if market costs lower, the set fee will continue,” White said. “If the electric company chooses to exercise its right to adjust consumers’ rates twice a year to adjust for fuel costs, individual rates may go up and/or down, depending on the fuel market the company’s generation plants use.”

Some consumers may be interested in joining a “club” to increase their buying power, White said. “For the first time, consumers will be able to join these clubs to buy power in ‘bulk,’ getting lower prices or other benefits for members of the group. Electricity-buying groups can be newly-formed groups or existing groups, such as a school district or church. As these clubs form, they will be listed on the PUC Web site.”

All of these clubs must be registered with the PUC, White said. “If clubs want money up front, they must meet certain financial standards to ensure customer funds are protected.”

Most of these clubs form with the idea of saving money, she added. Consumers more interested in other aspects of energy use, such as emissions, should look for clubs with that focus.

And, White advised, consumers need to check out these clubs before joining too. “An aggregator reduces costs to the REP by spreading the cost of soliciting proposals and negotiating and administering the contract for multiple consumers. Check out the club’s experience in energy contract negotiating and management.

“Aggregators must be independent of the REP, with consumers as their main clients. They may charge members a fee; if so, the fee must be disclosed up front.”

In this economy, consumers have choices, White said. “The challenge is to make an informed decision based on individual needs.  Making competition work can result in electric rates being lower than under a state regulated system and should speed the development of new products and services.”

White had other answers for consumers’ questions:

• I don’t want to be hassled by sales calls. Your current electric utility will not give your telephone number to other companies, but it is required to include your name, address and usage information on a list of eligible customers that will be made available to REPs. The company can tell you how to prevent your information from being shared, but while this may reduce solicitations, it will not completely prevent them. Nor will it prevent you from shopping for a REP. Before the opening of the retail electric market on Jan. 1, electric customers will have the opportunity to join a “do not call” list. Check the PUC web site for this announcement. A $3 fee will be charged each customer who places his or her name on the list.

• What happens if my REP stops its service in Texas? The REP will send you a letter advising you of your options, which will include selecting a new REP at any time or returning to your current electric utility without any action on your part. You will not experience any service interruption. Contact your REP for more details.

• What if I want to stay with my current electric utility? On Jan. 1, if you decide not to choose a new REP, you will be transferred to a REP that is affiliated with your current utility.

• If I try a new REP and want go back to my current electric utility, can I? You may be required to sign a service contract with an REP that allows it to charge a penalty fee if you leave before the end of the contract. Read your terms of service document carefully.

• Can I leave my current electric utility completely? You cannot totally remove yourself from all association with your local electric utility. Your current electric utility will continue to be the delivery service for power to your home or business.

The bottom line: If your electricity is provided by a deregulated REP, you can choose from participating companies for the rate, environmental impact and contract terms that best fit your purposes.

For more information about Texas Electric Choice, contact PUC toll-free at (866)797-4839.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) recently outlined what he thought were some of the key accomplishments in Washington this year.

“This has been a fairly productive year in Washington,” Thornberry said. “Some of the things I’ve been pushing for several years were passed in the House this year – things like tax relief, a comprehensive energy plan, and a new farm bill.

Thornberry noted that in response to the war on terrorism Congress passed legislation that will secure our Nation while giving proper support to our military.

Dealing with other national priorities, Congress has worked to:

• Provide Across the Board Tax Relief – The President has signed legislation that provides a permanent reduction of individual income tax rates. This relief repeals the marriage and death taxes, doubles the child tax credit to $1,000, and increases IRA contribution limits to $5,000.

• Provide a Balanced Energy Plan – The House passed the SAFE Act, which decreases our dependence on foreign oil, promotes conservation, and provides clean, affordable, and available energy to Americans.

• Provide a New Farm Bill – The House passed the Farm Security Act, a measure designed to strengthen the safety net for American agriculture producers while continuing to give them flexibility to plant what they want to plant.

• Strengthen Education – The House and Senate passed the No Child Left Behind Act, which would improve accountability, expand choices for parents, give state and local school districts more flexibility by reducing federal strings, and protect school prayer.

• Secure the Economy – The House passed an economic security bill aimed keeping the recession as brief and shallow as possible.

Internet users in and near Clarendon now have the opportunity to enjoy high-speed connections thanks to an Amarillo company now doing business here.

AMA Wireless began hooking up customers here last week to a broadband service that boasts download speeds up to 50 times faster than ordinary phone lines. Local agents are already signing up customers for the service.

Wireless Internet operates from a microwave signal beamed continuously by towers, then directly into the home or office. A small “patch” antenna – about the size of an adult hand – is mounted outside the home or office. The signal is then carried to a subscriber’s computer via coaxial cable, a wireless modem, and a CAT 5 computer cable. The system does not require a phone line, meaning customers can save money by eliminating their second phone line or can free up their existing line.

With the wireless service, files download faster, Web pages pull up faster, and productivity is increased.

AMA’s service costs as little as $44.95 per month for residential customers and $59.90 per month for businesses. Installation fees vary from nothing for residential customers who will sign up for three years to $150. Customers will also need a network card installed in their computer, and those can be purchased separately or from AMA.

“This new service will be a great benefit to local people engaged in e-commerce and businesses that communicate via e-mail as well as casual surfers,” said local AMA agent and newspaper publisher Roger Estlack. “It will also be an asset to our community in general to have this service available when trying to attract new residents and businesses.”

The Clarendon Enterprise was the first local business hooked up to the service followed by Knorpp Insurance Agency and The Donley County State Bank.

Fed up with slow Internet connections, the Enterprise contacted AMA Online several months ago to see if that company would come to Donley County.

“This is something we’ve been working on since early June,” said Estlack. “We spent a lot of time on the phone with AMA and gathered names of prospective customers for them. E. Wayne Barbee at Clarendon Insurance also helped us gather some names together. Now all that work has paid off.

“Like many people, we were very frustrated by busy signals, poor connections, and no connections when trying to get online. Now, we feel like we’re actually living in the modern world for a change.”

Estlack said the new wireless service is the most important development in local communications capability since Expanded Local Calling (ELC) eliminated long distance charges to Amarillo and Pampa five years ago.

“ELC helped make getting on the Internet in Clarendon affordable. Now AMA Wireless has made it fast, reliable, and modern while still being affordable for most people.”

Internet users can sign up for the new service at The Clarendon Enterprise, Knorpp Insurance Agency, or The Donley County State Bank.

Cheryl Johnson, Clarendon Enterprise

Matt Schaefer, regional director for Senator Phil Gramm, met with the Donley County Sheriff’s Department last Thursday to honor them for their effort in reducing drunk driving in the community.

Schaefer presented a certificate from Gramm in appreciation of their work.

“The holidays should be a time for families, not tragedies,” Gramm said. “Drunk driving takes the lives not only of those doing the drinking, but also those of thousands of innocent people each year, and the societal costs are staggering.

“Thanks to the hard work of these law enforcement officers who are working every day to keep our streets safe, we’re stopping those who break the law; but more importantly, we’re getting the message out: Don’t drink and drive,” Gramm said.

In the last year, Texas raised the bar on drunken driving, reducing the blood alcohol content at which someone is legally drunk to .08.  The federal government awarded funds to the state to help enforce the law.

“I am proud of the men and women who are working hard to enforce these new laws because they’re making the streets safer for all of us,” Gramm said.  “I urge all Texans to join me in thanking these officers who do so much for so many.”

Community Bank has announced the election of Mark C. White as President of the Clarendon branch effective January 1, 2002.

White has over 24 years of banking experience with the last 11 years serving as President of First Bank and Trust in Memphis.  Mark was raised in Quail and is a graduate of Quail High School.  He attended Clarendon College and graduated from West Texas State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture Business and Economics.

White and his wife, Judy, will reside in Clarendon.  They are the parents of three children: Justin who trains horses in Phoenix, Arizona; Rebecca, who is a student in the Medical Microbiolgy Doctorate Program at Texas A&M University; and Sandra, a Junior Animal Science major at Texas A&M University. 

White invites everyone to stop in and visit with him at Community Bank in Clarendon.

AUSTIN – Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander last week sent local governments their final sales tax rebates for 2001. The Comptroller sent $217.8 million to cities and counties, up 5 percent compared to December 2000.

Texas cities received $200.6 million in sales tax revenue, up 4.7 percent compared to December 2000.

Locally, Clarendon’s rebate for December was $15,310.83, down just more than half of one percentage point over the same time last year. Clarendon’s rebates were up 4.5 percent for the entire year.

Howardwick’s December rebate of $862.28 was up from $722.83 in December 2000, and Hedley’s rebate grew from $197.24 last year at this time to $258.98.

Both Howardwick and Hedley saw significant increases in their rebates for the year.

The Comptroller also delivered $74.5 million to Texas’ six metropolitan transit authorities and two city transit systems, and $7.8 million was paid to 66 special purpose districts.

December sales tax rebates represent sales taxes collected in October and reported to the Comptroller in November. The state’s share of sales tax collected during this period was $1.3 billion, up 1.6 percent compared to a year ago.

December’s sales tax rebates bring the total sales tax allocated to local taxing entities in 2001 to $4 billion, an increase of 4 percent compared to $3.8 billion in sales tax allocations in 2000.

In 2001, Texas cities received $2.6 billion in sales tax rebates, a 5.2 percent increase compared to 2000. Counties received $221.8 million, a 4.4 percent increase over 2000.

Sales tax rebates to six metropolitan transit authorities and two city transit departments totaled $993.6 million, up 0.5 percent compared to 2000. Special purpose districts received $97.9 million in sales tax revenue in 2001, an increase of 8 percent compared to last year.

The Comptroller’s next sales tax allocation is scheduled for Friday, January 11, 2002.

A Pampa woman was found guilty last week of criminal drug charges stemming from a 2000 arrest at Greenbelt Lake.

Candace Sue Barker was sentenced to 16 years in the Texas State Penitentiary on Tuesday, December 11, by District Judge David McCoy following a bench trial in the Commissioners’ Courtroom of the Donley County Courthouse Annex. Barker was found guilty of possession of a methamphetamine at the lake on July 5, 2000.

The defendant was represented at trial by Mike Warner of Amarillo, and the State of Texas was represented by District Attorney Stuart Messer.

According to the DA’s office, the investigation and successful prosecution of Barker’s case resulted from the joint efforts of the Donley County Sheriff’s Department, Greenbelt Lake Patrol officers, and the local Texas Department of Public Safety. Testimony was also given by an officer from the Panhandle Regional Drug Task Force.

“The key to this case was the cooperation between the different law enforcement agencies and their willingness to work with our office to prosecute this drug offense,” said Messer. “Hopefully, this will let others know drug possession is taken seriously in Donley County.”

According to published reports, Barker was taken into custody last summer after the local sheriff’s department received a call of a woman brandishing a gun on Sandy Beach. Officers found the woman with a flashlight and a lock-blade knife, walking the beach. A subsequent search of her vehicle found the controlled substance.

Following her arrest, officers said the woman, who was 34 at the time, had a lengthy criminal history.

Barker will be eligible for parole after 25 percent of her sentence is served, Messer said Monday.

The only bid to renovate the Burton Memorial Library was found to be about $10,000 under budget when the Clarendon Board of Aldermen met last Tuesday.

Board members and Mayor Tex Selvidge almost didn’t open the bid, discussing whether it might not be in the city’s best interest to have more than one bidder. The board also expressed disappointment that no local contractors had turned in bids.

The project was expected to cost nearly $50,000, but the bid from Steen Construction of Amarillo was for $38,425.

Plans call for the renovation of storage space, dead space, and an unused bathroom to create an enlarged meeting area in the rear of the library.

The project will be paid for by money donated to the city-county library by the estate of Mary Stocking McConnell.

Steen Construction is also busy in Clarendon with the construction of Community Fellowship Church’s new building.

In other city business, aldermen appointed City Secretary Linda Smith to serve as the city’s public funds investment officer and records management officer.

The board approved placing a Christmas advertisement in The Clarendon Enterprise.

The collection contract with the Donley Appraisal District was considered and discussed at length. Alderman Mac Stavenhagen moved, seconded by Alderman Mark White, to approve the contract. Aldermen Stavenhagen, White, Bob Watson, and Billy Jack Land voted in favor. Alderman Michael Tibbets voted against. Motion carried.

City Superintendent Jim Roberts spoke about building permits, paving, and emergency management.

Librarian Carolyn Blackerby addressed the board regarding selling surplus furniture and ways to collect seriously delinquent book fines. Total delinquent fines are nearly $3,000, she said, and some people are several years overdue.

Board consultant Colby Waters led a discussion on a proposed street improvement project for the city. Mayor Selvidge appointed Aldermen White, Tibbets, and Watson to a Street Committee to help guide the project. The scope of the project and options to pay for improvements were also discussed.

A workshop for the board will be held January 7, 2002, at noon to discuss changes to the city’s personnel manual.

Within hours of turning in a grant application last week, the Donley County Sheriff’s Department was notified it was approved for $10,000 through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to purchase new equipment.

County commissioners authorized the application last Monday. Chief Deputy Randy Bond presented the application to the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission at 10 a.m. last Thursday, and the PRPC notified Sheriff Butch Blackburn his department was a winner at 4:30 Thursday afternoon.

Blackburn said he was surprised by how quick the response came. His office should receive the money within 45 to 60 days. He credited Malcolm Hartman with the PRPC for helping to write the department’s application and Bond for a successful presentation.

The sheriff said he intends to purchase new light bars for four patrol cars and five new Colt M4 assault rifles.

The department’s current assault rifles consist of a Korean War era Army surplus M2 rifle and two M1 rifles that are even older, Blackburn said.

Donley County will provide a $1,282 match for the grant.

AUSTIN – Lieutenant Gov. Bill Ratliff last week announced changes in the Senate committee appointments following the swearing in of Sen. Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls).

Ratliff named Estes to the Senate standing committees on Intergovernmental Relations, Veterans Affairs and Military Installations, Nominations, and Natural Resources, including the Subcommittee on Agriculture.

Ratliff also added Estes to the Senate Agriculture Policy Board and announced he has also named Sen. Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville) to serve on the board.

In other moves, the lieutenant governor appointed Sen. Todd Staples (R-Palestine) to fill the late Sen. Tom Haywood’s seat on the Senate Finance Committee after his resignation from the Senate Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.

Estes was sworn into office to fill Haywood’s seat in the Senate Chamber of the State Capitol last Monday by Gov. Rick Perry.