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Bowie City Council pushing to reopen economy earlier

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By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
The Bowie City Council wants to get the local economy moving again and would like to jump right into phase two of the governor’s plan due to the low number of active COVID-19 cases.
Councilors debated the issue during its Monday night meeting. Mayor Bill Miller said we have to “open up our country,” and invited State Sen. Pat Fallon to comment via the video conference link.
Fallon said one death is too many, but at this point the predictions for much higher deaths and hospital needs have not come to pass in Texas so he believes it is time to start reopening.
“We have 21,000 hospital beds reserved for COVID-19 patients, 1,550 are occupied. We have capacity. Anyone who needed a bed or a ventilator had one. We are okay on personal protection equipment for medical personnel, but we are running low on gowns. Texas is one of the the least hit as the 40th high state with confirmed cases and 41st in deaths. We hunkered down, but it is time to get out of the foxhole and keep moving,” said Fallon.
He was enthusiastic about the governor’s plan, but said he would have liked to have seen it go a bit further adding they have a lot of questions to clarify. Governor Greg Abbott outlined his plan in a Monday press conference with phase one allowing all retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters and malls to reopen May 1 at 25 percent capacity.
This plan also outlined protocols for certain counties with five or fewer lab confirmed cases of the virus. Those counties may on an individualized basis, increase occupancy limits up to 50 percent for those retail categories listed in phase one. Montague County falls into this category and could jump immediately into phase two.

Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.

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County subdivision regulations getting updates

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Updating Montague County’s subdivision regulations will be a major topic of discussion at the 9 a.m. commissioner’s court meeting on April 22.
As 2023 wound down the court named a committee to work with legal counsel to see what updates or clarifications were needed to the rules. The agenda list scheduling a public hearing on adoption of the revised rules, along with taking an impact assessment on the draft of the regulations.
An executive session is posted for discussion on the appointment of a development officer in conjunction with subdivision rules. This could be a new position or a present employee, there was no information available on Friday.
The court will consider appointing a local health authority for the county. Dr. Chance Dingler has been serving in that capacity.
The Montague County Historical Commission will ask to place a historical marker at the site of the old agriculture extension farm site outside of Montague.
In other topics they will consider a finance contract with Government Capital to finance the remaining balance of a 2022 Mac Truck for precinct four; allow precinct one to enter the Tyler Stark property on Lake Valley Road to address drainage issues on a proposed driveway entrance and tinhorn installation; precinct two going out for sealed bids to sell excess dirt; precinct three trading a loader; replat for two lots in Silver Lakes Ranch, phase seven in precinct two and a final plat for various lots in the Robb Addition.

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School bond early voting to open

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Early voting for the Bowie and Forestburg Independent School District bond elections begins April 22 at one central location at the Bowie Senior Citizens Center.
Early voting will be April 22-26, and April 29-30, all from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is only one location for early voting for both elections.
On the May 4 election day the polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at these locations: Bowie Senior Citizen Center, Forestburg ISD library and Sunset City Hall.
Voters can cast ballots at any of these locations due to countywide voting.
Bowie ISD is asking voters to reconsider a $65.8 million bond issue, that was defeated in November 1,079 to 855, a shortfall of 224 voters.
There will be two town hall meetings this week where the superintendent will discuss the bond proposal on April 24 from noon to 1 p.m at the administration office, 404 E. Williams, and 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the junior high school.

Read more on the upcoming elections and the proposed bonds in the weekend Bowie News.

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Traffic stop may have been part of human trafficking

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More than a dozen men, believed to be illegal aliens who were being trafficked, fled from a traffic stop at the edge of the Montague and Clay County line early Wednesday morning.
As of Friday seven of the men who ran away from the van had been captured. The search for the men began at 1:05 a.m. April 17 when a Clay County Deputy made a traffic stop in the Bellevue area at U.S. 287 north of Tyson Road. The sheriff’s office announced approximately 11 to 14 suspected illegal aliens immediately fled out of the vehicle on foot into the surrounding countryside when the stop was made.

After a day long search seven were apprehended and the investigation indicates the men may have been taken for human trafficking. They had no ID, no money, no personal items and a couple had no shows.

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.

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