NEWS
Mayor lays out ambulance costs; declining revenue hitting fund reserves hard
By BARBARA GREEN
The elimination of City of Bowie Ambulance calls outside the city limits has stirred up a storm of controversy; but, city officials say it is all about the budget and the ongoing trend of falling revenue.
In the two weeks since the Bowie City Council informed the county of the change, the rumor mill has spun a variety of tales across social media and within the community.
Some see it as a way to gradually eliminate a paid fire department and go with an all-volunteer department, and use a contract ambulance service.
There is a faction that sees it as a negotiating ploy to get the county to contribute more to its subsidy.
Last summer, city officials asked the county to increase the subsidy. It went from $18,000, which it has been for many years, to $30,000.
At Monday’s Montague County Commissioner’s Court meeting, the court indicated it is interested in working with Nocona General Hospital’s ambulance service. The hospital administrator said they need to explore the issue before making any decision.
Then others feel it is a public safety issue and there should be other places in the budget that can be reduced, including any plans for a new city complex.
The Bowie News editor sat down with Mayor Larry Slack for his view of the budget issues facing the city council today and in the near future.
Read the full news story in the weekend News.
The Montague County Animal Shelter is taking shape with a main kennel almost complete and a portable building place this past week to serve as an office.
It was 10 months ago the county commissioner’s court approved the project using some Senate Bill 22 grant funds in the sheriff’s office and county funds or the project. Sheriff Marshall Thomas included one new deputy position and a pickup for animal control in the grant budget.
The overall project was estimated to run anywhere from $185,000 to $200,000.
There are three animal shelters that operate in Montague County in Bowie, Nocona and Saint Jo. Only Bowie is city operates, but all three operate with an active volunteer 501c3 group.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Pictured – HVAC was installed in the new animal shelter kennel building recently. (Courtesy photo)
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
It took members of the Bowie City Council less than 20 minutes to handle their brief agenda of business on Oct. 28.
There were infrastructure project reports, the quarterly hotel/motel tax report and resolutions connected to grant applications.
City Manager Bert Cunningham said he does not anticipate the contractor for the Nelson Street project to complete the remaining work by the Oct. 31 deadline. If that happens, the city will start assessing the $700 per day penalty allowed through the contract.
The nearly $3 million project hit the one-year mark, which also was the approximate completion time pending weather; however, MX Construction of McKinney has delayed completion of several areas and made errors that had to be corrected. The company also requested about one month ago “rain days,” which occurred early in the project.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
After nearly several months of virtually no significant rainfall and a growing drought, Montague County and North Texas finally got some decent rainfall during the weekend and on Monday.
While thunderstorms threatened Saturday heavy thunder and wind did not come until Sunday night. Monday morning there was a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch for the county, and both were cancelled late in the morning.
There was no damage reported to local officials around Montague County, with some reports of low-lying flooding and some downed limbs.
Clay County Judge Mike Campbell reported Sunday “a small, but powerful tornado,” hit an area from Farm-to-Market Road 171 to Carpenter Road near Byers.
Rainfall reports in the county range from eight inches around Nocona and 5 inches in Bowie.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
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