NEWS
Commissioner challenges district attorney on what is going on in her office
By BARBARA GREEN
County budget hearings often get heated, but Monday the debate got heated as questioning became a bit personal as one commissioner challenged the district attorney what is being done in her office.
This was the second budget workshop for Montague County Commissioners as they begin hearing from elected officials and department heads on their 2018-19 budget requests. Discussions included an expensive proposal to begin digitizing county clerk and district clerk records, pay increases in the DA and county clerk’s offices and retaining an attorney to update county subdivision rules.
District Attorney Casey Polhemus opened by telling the court there were no “big” changes in her budget, but she would like to supplement the staff salaries with funds that were budgeted for the assistant DA two position, which was not filled last October when Ron Poole retired.
She proposed reassessing that funding to supplement the staff for the additional workload taking $10,000 of that $17,000 allotted for the ADA2 into AD Clay Riddle, then $3,650 to the DA investigator and then $2,000 each to the two administrative staff members. She also discussed how the forfeiture funds were being used.
Commissioner Roy Darden asked Polhemus how many cases she had tried since taking office. She said two last year and two this year. Darden then proceeded to challenge the DA telling her people are “looking at your office and what to know when you are going to try cases,” and why you are giving things away.
The DA appeared surprised at the questioning and exclaimed she is “not giving anything away,” and had been working very hard.
Read the full story in the mid-week News.
Members of the Bowie City Council will face a brief agenda when they meet at 6 p.m. on Oct. 13 in the council chambers.
Following routine reports and consent agenda items, the council will consider a resolution authorizing submission of the city’s 2027/2028 Texas Community Development Block Grant application to the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Then council members will consider approving Bob Blackburn for appointment as a reserve police officer with the Bowie Police Department.
Following an executive session, the council will discuss and potentially take action regarding the annual employment evaluations and duties of both the City Secretary and the Municipal Court Judge.
After nearly three months of no rain, Mother Nature brought the showers this past week.
Downtown Bowie rain reports varied from 7 to 8 inches, while the Saint Jo area reported a 10-inch total. The city water plant in Bowie reported 5.55 inches on Sept. 30 with 1.6 Oct. 1-3.
Nocona saw a total of 6.31 inches of rain across Sept. 26 to Oct. 3.
On Oct. 6, Lake Amon G. Carter saw a level of 917.39 mean sea level rising to 81.31% full. Just one week earlier the lake was 73.6% full, while one year ago it was 94.01%. The lake is full at 920msl.
Lake Nocona was 73.7% full at 823.02 on Oct 6. One week earlier it was 70.41% full and one year ago it was 92.41%. The lake is full at 827.5 msl.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
One Montague County City has joined the battle against any data centers being built in this county and there is a petition drive underway to urge the commissioner’s court to keep data centers out of Montague County.
At a Sept. 28 called meeting of the Saint Jo City Council, officials unanimously approved a resolution stating its opposition to the “siting, permitting, construction or operation of data centers and similar hyperscale computing facilities within the city limits or the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.”
City Secretary Debbie Dennis said several citizens approached Councilor Jack Dunn about their data center concerns and he helped prepare a resolution. The council gave unanimous support.
Read the full story in your Thursday Bowie News.
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