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Bowie Council fills board spots; addresses delinquent tax collection

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By BARBARA GREEN
Bowie City Councilors filled spots on two of its boards and increased the penalty to defray the costs of collecting delinquent taxes at its Tuesday night meeting.
Tony Fidelie Jr.of Perdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins and Mott LLP, a Wichita Falls law firm that collects delinquent taxes for the city discussed amending its contract in two areas.
• Setting an earlier date for the early turnover of business personal property moving from July 1 to April 1. Fidelie explained this is property used by a business to generate income such as inventory, furniture, fixtures, etc.
When taxes go delinquent on Feb 1 under Texas law those taxes can be turned over to an outside law firm for collection on July 1 if they remain unpaid. The tax code was recently changed to allow the earlier date, which Fidelie said allows the firm to get a “jump start” on those accounts and “hopefully get them collected before businesses go out of business or inventory is otherwise liquidated.
• Raise the amount used to defray costs from 15 to 20 percent. When taxes are turned over on July 1 a 15 percent penalty is attached.
If someone owes the entity $1,000, the 15 percent ($150) is added to the bill. The firm collects the full amount giving the entity $1,000 and keeping the $150 to pay its bills.
Fidelie said the law is set up so the taxing entity does not have to pay for collection services or the taxpayers who pay on time.
In 2001 the legislature changed the rate to 20 percent. Fidelie said they are working with their other customers in Montague County to make this change in 2017 to accommodate increased expenses most businesses experience.
Read the full story in the weekend News.

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Amon Carter Lake Board to meet

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Members of the Amon Carter Lake Water Supply Corporation will meet at 6 p.m. on May 26 in the office at 607A Lindsey for a monthly meeting.
Items on the agenda include a consent agenda and minutes and financials. Possible discussion/action may be considered on the following topics: Treasurer’s report, review of finance and current loans; president’s report as to the written agreements with contractual employees; consider current water rates and a possible increase; and review of expenses and areas that need amendment.
An executive session may be entered to discuss personnel issues.

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Saint Jo City Council hires fire marshal

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The City of Saint Jo has a new fire marshal as the city council made the appointment during its May 13 meeting.
Gary Hines, a retired professional firefighter and certified fire investigator, will take the position. City Secretary Debbie Dennis said the post is required by ordinance but has not been filled for a long period.
The council set dates for a budget workshop for 2 p.m. on June 14 and 2 p.m. on June 28 for the ordinance workshop, as the council works to update its rules.

Aldermen gave their support to a proposition by Councilman Jack Dunn who is asking the Legislature to allow Texas’ smallest cities, those with 2,500 or few in population, to receive an additional share of sales and use tax. He would like to see the funds used in these communities to repair and replace aging infrastructure without new taxes or reliance on state grants.
In letter to State Rep. David Spiller, whom Dunn will meet with on June 1, the alderman explains much of the state’s 6.25% share generated locally flows into general funds and is spent on other priorities. He would like Spiller to author this legislation. Dunn gave the letter to the council along with a powerpoint on the plan.
“A single water treatment plant upgrade or sewer rehab carries massive, fixed costs that do not shrink with population size. These communities, often with only a few hundred or a couple thousands residents, simply cannot spread those costs across enough ratepayers or a broad tax based,” the letter states.
Dunn suggests a “graduated sales tax retention policy:” 1% additional share for cities with 2,500 or fewer residents; .75% for those 2,500 and 5,000; and .50% for cities between 5,001 and 10,000. It would be dedicated to infrastructure. Dunn says the overall statewide fiscal impact would be negligible, but could help sustain small, rural cities.

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City of Nocona buys water storage tank, review dam repair

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The Nocona City Council approved a bid for a new 203,000 gallon capacity tank for potable water at the water plant and learned a slide repair to the lake dam is going to be pretty costly.
At its May 12 session the council received three bids on the tank and went with one from Tank Depot of Cleburne for $193,923. It is for a a 217,600 gallon tank usable for 203,000 gallons. The price could change slightly since it was based on estimate freight costs.

Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.

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