NEWS
Bowie mayor says ambulance costs ‘just tip of the iceberg’ in budget issues
By BARBARA GREEN
Nearly 200 people filled the Bowie Community Center for a Mayor’s Town Hall meeting Monday night to review the financial status of the city.
The elimination of ambulance runs outside the city limits may have been the initial impetus for the meeting, but Mayor Larry Slack said this is just the “tip of the iceberg” of the financial problems.
“We inherited a lot of this through the years and there are some tough decisions that will be required. Electric rates have been disguised as a tax for years. It is going to take a cooperative effort within all the departments. If we continue the same spending habits we will have to borrow money to make payroll next year,” said the mayor.
The audience was filled with a variety of citizens. Numerous fire departments were represented including the City of Bowie and its volunteer department.
Bowie Rural VFD had members present as did Saint Jo VFD and officials from the Nocona General Hospital Ambulance.
The meeting opened with a review of the city’s budget operation which centers on the utility fund that sells products including electricity, water and sewer, and then the general fund which receives taxes and fees as its revenue stream.
Read the full story in the mid-week News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Trustees of the Bowie Independent School District welcomed one new member this week following the Nov. 5 election and accepted the 2023-24 outside audit with no exceptions.
Incumbent Trustee Jacky Betts returned to place one and Angie Christmas took the place two seat. After the board officers were dissolved with the new ones taking the oath, officers were elected. Betts will continue as president, Guy Green as vice president and Kent Dosch as secretary.
Paul Fleming of Edgin, Parkman, Fleming & Fleming, PC, presented the audit telling there were no issues and the process went smoothly. He noted the biggest change was the Legislature compressing the district tax rate and additional changes in the tax law. State aid formula grants increased due to the state’s funding formula compensating for lost property tax revenue due to the law change previously mentioned.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Information was the watchword for the second hospital/emergency room community meeting Tuesday night, as the steering committee was announced along with additional financial considerations.
About 50 people attended the meeting. Melody Gillespie, who was named chairperson for the committee, said the goal is to gather information to get it out into the community. This group was formed after the Bowie emergency room was closed by Faith Rural Health System in early October just shy of one year of operating in Bowie.
Kylie Ward, one of the public relations volunteers, said, “This committee is not here to force things on you and there are assumptions already we are proposing a tax. We are not, we don’t have that ability, we are just a research team here to explore all the options.”
Other members of the committee include Tiffany Chandler and Damon Benton handling finance and grant research; Jennifer Tellef, secretary; Valerie Tomerson, grant research; Ann Smith, PR and Margin Latham and Gillespie, legislative research. It was pointed out there are other members of the sub-committees who are helping with research, but they also invite anyone interested to help with the process.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Top photo – Jack County Judge Keith Umphress spoke at this week’s steering committee meeting. (Photo by Barbara Green)
The following indictments were filed with the 97th District Clerk following the November session of the Montague County Grand Jury.
There were a total of 13 indictments with one sealed awaiting the arrest of a suspect.
A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Read the full list of indictments in your mid-week Bowie News.
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