This Week

AUSTIN – Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander says families saved an estimated $37 million during Texas’ second annual Sales Tax Holiday, held August 4-6.

The savings include $29.2 million in state sales tax and $7.8 million in local sales taxes.

“My prediction that the second Sales Tax Holiday would be bigger and better than the first was right on the money,” Rylander said. “This year, shoppers saved $4.4 million more than they saved during the 1999 Tax Holiday.

“This year, shoppers were familiar with the Sales Tax Holiday, they knew what items were tax-exempt, and they planned ahead to take full advantage of this much-deserved tax break,” Comptroller Rylander said.

The Comptroller estimates shoppers purchased about $467 million in tax-free clothes and shoes during the three-day shopping spree.

During the Holiday, no state or local sales taxes are charged on most clothing and footwear priced at less than $100. The event is timed to give families a financial break during the back-to-school shopping period.

During the first two Sales Tax Holidays, taxpayers saved an estimated $69.6 million in state and local sales taxes.

“The Sales Tax Holiday is a tremendous hit with hard-working moms and dads, but I want to make it even better,” Rylander said.

The Comptroller has instructed her staff to study the impact of extending the Sales Tax Holiday for more than three days and adding more items to the tax-exempt list.

“I want to make the Sales Tax Holiday as beneficial to Texas families as possible,” she said. “The tax burden on working families is too high, and the Holiday provides Texans with some much-needed relief.”

Clarendon Merchants say shopping at home can pay off big, and they’re putting up $200 in merchant bucks this Thursday during Late Night Shopping.

Three lucky people will get the chance to spin Santa’s Wheel for a chance at the jackpot.

You must be present to win, and details will be available at participating merchants.

Santa Claus is also scheduled to be downtown this Thursday night.

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen put a proposed city management contract on hold last week.

The city had been considering hiring the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission (PRPC) to provide administrative services to Clarendon. But after a closed session with city employees last Tuesday, the board voted not to make a commitment to PRPC at this time.

Instead the board will wait to see what happens with an application for a planning grant from the state.

Alderman Billy Jack Land said he was disappointed by the decision not to contract with the PRPC to provide a city administrator.

“I feel like until we get a person in charge, we’re not going to get what we want,” Land said. “It’s just like having a superintendent at the school or a president at the college. The right person can pay for themselves.”

Mayor Tex Selvidge and Alderman Smiley Johnson had drafted goals for PRPC to accomplish and presented them to the board last week. But Alderman Mac Stavenhagen said he wanted to hear from City Secretary Janice Barbee and City Superintendent Jim Roberts.

“We got input from Jim and Janice, and they were unfavorable to [the PRPC contract],” Land said.

Land said the grant from the Texas Community Development program could accomplish some of the same goals the city had in mind for a city administrator.

“We’ll just wait and see,” he said.

The grant, which the city applied for in August, would provide $40,000 for city planning and codification of city ordinances.

According to Barbee, planning under the grant would coordinate future waterworks and street projects and would help create a map of city water and sewer lines.

The grant would also pay for codification of ordinances – a process whereby ordinances are combed through to see if they are meeting the current needs of the city and make sure than none of the laws are contradictory.

“The ordinances are already indexed,” Barbee said, “but we need some upgrading.”

The City of Clarendon was incorporated in 1901 with the first city election taking place on September 24 of that year.  The first ordinance was passed on January 7, 1902, and it accepted and adopted the map of the township.

Nearly a century later, some ordinances are no longer valid, some have been amended, and some may be in conflict. Barbee said a codifying process would help clean all that up.

A decision on the grant is expected in January. If approved, the city would put up a match of $6,000.

In other city business, the aldermen agreed to notify the Texas Department of Transportation of the city’s interest in bidding on the old highway barn. Ionex Telecommunications, Inc., requested that the board review their service product. The board requested more information on this service.

The airport improvements were discussed, and a report of activities at the library was given.

Tommy Hill spoke to the board requesting the city pave Hawley Street from Fifth Street to Browning Blvd. Paving is currently on hold until warmer weather arrives next spring, and the city is following a plan for the paving. No action was taken on this request.

“Christmas Cash” loans are available again this year at The Donley County State Bank, The Herring National Bank of Clarendon, and Community Bank. 

As last year, local banks are making 0% loans, up to $3,000, available for “Christmas Cash.”

Interested parties must make application for a loan with any of the participating banks.  Once your Christmas Cash loan has been approved, you will be issued specially printed Christmas Cash Dollars, which may be spent like US currency toward new purchases of products and services (excluding Lottery tickets, gasoline, and tobacco products) at all of the participating businesses.  Businesses display posters indicating they are participants of the promotion. 

There will be no exchange of U.S. currency to make change.  For example, if you purchase items valued at $72.95 and you give the merchant $80.00 in Christmas Cash, the merchant can give you $7.05 in-store credit.  You may also pay $70.00 in Christmas Cash and the remaining $2.95 in U. S. currency. 

Christmas Cash Dollars are available in three denominations: $10, $20, and $50.  There are two signature lines, the same as there are on traveler’s checks. 

Your signature is placed on the signature line before you leave the bank, and then you must sign on the endorsement line when you spend your Cash. 

Christmas Cash must be spent at the participating merchants by December 31, 2000.  Unspent Christmas Cash may be applied toward your 0% loan at the bank through January 5, 2001. 

This cash may not be used as a regular monthly loan payment.  It can only be applied toward the principal amount due at the end of the Christmas Cash note.  Christmas Cash notes are paid back in ten equal monthly installments.  After January 5, 2001, Christmas Cash becomes worthless. 

It’s amazing the variety of products you can purchase with your Christmas Cash.  Some of the items purchased in years past include: replacement windows, vehicle repairs, groceries, furniture, entertainment equipment, cook-tops, dry cleaning for summer bedrolls, catered goodies, Christmas dinner, car stereos, special gift items, centerpieces, clothing, and much more. 

The Donley County State Bank, The Herring National Bank, and Community Bank will buy Christmas Cash from participating merchants at a rate of 95¢ for every $1.00.  Participating businesses are “interested in keeping your business here in Clarendon.”

This year’s participating merchants are: Amigo’s Mexican Restauranté, Bar H Dude Ranch, Chamberlain Motor Company, Country Bloomers Flowers and Gifts, Duckwall’s, Eads Furniture and Appliances, Floyd’s Motor Company and Body Shop, Guys and Dolls, Henson’s, J&W Lumber, Kidd’s Texaco and Clarendon Auto Supply, McKinney’s Motor Company, Poor Boy’s Antiques, Saye’s, White’s Feed and Seed, B&R Thriftway, The Clarendon Enterprise, Clarendon Outpost, Country Kitchen, Every Nook & Cranny, Floyd’s Automotive Supply, Greenbelt Cleaners, Harlan’s Flowers and Gifts, The Hitchin’ Post, Janie’s Beauty Shop, Mike’s Pharmacy, Naturally Texas T’s, “Sam Hill” Barbecue, and Thompson Upholstery.

Folks at City Hall have taken on the monumental task of trying correct street addresses throughout Clarendon and are asking for your help.

Citizens are urged to check the street addresses on their December water bills to see if the numbers match up to their house or building. The bills will be mailed next week.

City Secretary Janice Barbee says she has seen much confusion in her time at the city.

“I hear stories such as, ‘I have lived here all my life and am not sure what my house number is,’” she said. “Another example is the south side of the block has an odd, small number, and the house next door has a much larger number that may need to be smaller because the next house may be smaller than the largest number or an even number or no number at all.”

Got that? It gets worse. Matters are even more confused because in some cases the city, the phone company, and the gas company all have different numbers for the same house. When someone wants their water turned on, city officials say they sometimes have to figure out who lived there last before they can find the house.

“We have trouble sending someone out to turn on utilities, deliver packages, or sending an ambulance,” Barbee said. “Some may feel as though the correct number is not important because you can just tell whomever ‘It is the little white house next to the two-story blue house behind all the trees.’ That is all well and good, but if you need an ambulance after dark, it might take a while to find you.”

City Clerk Linda Smith says they hope to correct as many of the problems as possible and provide maps with correct addresses to the Ambulance Authority.

Some addresses may never be right, however. Smith said that generally speaking the east side of town is numbered differently from the west side of town, and it’s been that way too long to change it.

The city asks everyone to check their water bill with the numbers on their house or building and with their street sign to see if they are correct. Everyone should place the correct numbers on their home or building, and the city will take care of notifying emergency personnel and the other utilities of any changes.

While city officials recognize that some people may be reluctant to change an address they’ve had for years, they say their just trying to get the numbers right in case of an emergency and would appreciate everyone’s help. For more information, call City Hall at 874-3438.

https://www.clarendonlive.com/2000/11/4222/

Clarendon CISD announced this week that it will open the CISD Library to the public two evenings a week. 

As one phase of its “Teaching an Old Town New Tricks” project, CISD is collaborating with the Burton Memorial Library and the Burton Memorial Friends of the Library  Family Literacy Program to provide additional resources to the public for promoting adult and family literacy as well as technology skills.

Starting Monday, November 27, the CISD High School Library will be open from 5:15 to 9:15 on Mondays and Thursdays.  Ms. Sabrina Burrow will be in charge of activities.  At this time, patrons may use the reference resources as well as available computer programs.  In the very near future the library will receive six new computers which will offer a variety of software applications, including those for learning to read or for earning the GED.  Patrons, however, will need to continue to use the Burton Memorial Library for checking out books.

Plans are also being made to offer a children’s reading hour for pre-schoolers after the first of the year.

This collaboration is being made possible through the $674,698 Technology Integration in Education Grant  that CISD received earlier this year.

Those who need further information should contact Ayesha Abdullah, who heads the adult literacy program, or Carolyn Blackerby at Burton Memorial Library (874-3685)

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander recently delivered $281.5 million in local sales tax revenue to 1,108 Texas cities and 119 counties.

November sales tax rebates were up 15 percent compared to 1999, and year-to-date rebates are up 9.8 percent.

Locally, the City of Clarendon’s rebate was up 14.74 percent to $22,839.10, and Howardwick was up 25.28 percent to $1,395.90. Hedley, however, was down 15.54 percent to $833.69.

November sales tax rebates represent sales taxes collected in September by monthly filers and in July, August, and September by quarterly filers. The taxes were reported to the comptroller in October.

For more details, visit  the Comptroller’s website.

Folks in Donley County’s Precincts 3 & 4 are without a constable following Monday’s regular session of the Commissioners’ Court.

Constable Pecos Hagler resigned his position in order to pursue another employment opportunity, according to County Judge Jack Hall.

Hagler’s letter of resignation was dated November 1, 2000. Commissioners formally accepted the letter Monday. In it, Hagler said he would no longer be able to carry out his duties.

“I appreciate the opportunity given to me to serve the citizens,” Hagler wrote.

Hall said commissioners did not make plans to fill the new vacancy.

Constable-elect Mike Wallendorff won’t take office until January. Hall said the county is waiting to hear what Wallendorff’s plans are regarding becoming licensed.

“For right now, the sheriff’s office will handle anything the people at Hedley need,” Hall said.

In other business on Monday, the court decided not to renew the county’s burn ban thanks to recent rain and snow.

On Tuesday, commissioners met in a called session. They voted to buy a refrigerated trailer from T&T Equipment in Claude for the purpose of storing county records.

All documents and furniture must be removed from the Courthouse before work can begin on the $2.9 million restoration of the 1890 building. Hall said the county is still looking at locations to store furnishings.

Also in preparation of the restoration project, the court decided to relocate the adult probation office from the courthouse to a vacant office in the west end of the Courthouse Annex.