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City explores electrical options
By BARBARA GREEN
bnews@sbcglobal.net
The number one complaint in the City of Bowie is its high electric rates.
Mayor Larry Slack addressed that topic in last week’s town hall meeting, explaining some ways the city staff is exploring to help reduce and make the system more efficient.
He opened with a comparison between area cities that operate electric utilities and, as expected, Bowie was in the higher range. Of eight cities surveyed in their overall utility and tax bills per month, Bowie was at number five with a total of $207.63.
Whitesboro was the lowest at $177.40 and Farmersville the highest at $223.78. Granbury was sixth highest with Sanger seventh.
In electric cost alone Bowie was at the highest point at $102.52, but fell to number four in taxes and water/sewer costs. Bowie has one of the lower taxes rates in the area at .4945 cents per $100 in property value for 2015.
Nocona’s rate is .54 cents, Decatur .703; Iowa Park, .76; Archer City, .75 and Graham, .60.
Slack said Bowie purchases around 73,500,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year and bills residential and commercial customers 68,500,000 kWh.
Electrical revenue is the largest contributor to the city budget at $9,354,325. Water revenue is $1,864,000 and wastewater at $994,360; however, both have debt service and usually barely break even or fall into the red.
Charges for services brings in $2,652,553. It includes things like ambulance fees, garbage collection fees, contract service, code enforcement pool and similar items.
Ad valorem tax revenue is $1,244,706 and sales tax at $1,459,299.
Bowie’s current contract for power is with Bryan Texas Utilities. The 30-year term contract began in 2008 with a five-year option to terminate.
Read the full story in the Sept. 23 edition of The Bowie News.
The boil order for the 400 block of Decatur Street due to a line break and repair mid-week has been lifted.
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Coming this weekend is “Ruin at the Renaissance Banquet” the annual Murder Mystery Dinner Theater fundraiser brought to you by the MOCO Creative Arts Alliance (formally Bowie Alliance for Education and the Arts) is coming this weekend for two shows.
Join an evening for laughs, dramatic insults, and flare as we enjoy a feast for the senses with a catered meal, challenges, and fun. Who will be the ultimate champion?
The performances are 6:30 p.m. on May 29 and May 30 and noon on May 30. The $25 ticket cost includes the meal and show.
All funds raised will be part of the youth scholarship program. Tickets can be purchased at mococreativearts.com/.
There is a new flower showing up at garden centers that is pure magic, in fact its official name is Superbells Magic Double Grapefruit. If you aren’t familiar with the name, it is a calibrachoa, a petunia relative. Double gives reference to flowers that in this case look like miniature roses.
Magic is your key descriptor telling you that the flower changes colors. The flowers start off a pleasant lemon yellow and then age to a rose pink.
Of course, to get to rose pink you have various shades along the way. Another magical aspect to me, the guru of captivating combinations is that it seems no matter the color you choose it will go with Superbells Magic Double Grapefruit calibrachoa.
Read the full Garden Guy feature in the Thursday Bowie News.
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