NEWS
Bowie City Council reviews grocery list of work projects
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Monday night’s Bowie City Council meeting was a cornucopia of project updates from the hazard mitigation plan and the water line going to Old Bowie Lake, to credit card fees and smart meter problems.
Conducting business via teleconference council members were spread out around the room, along with a few city staffers.
After more than five months of work and waiting for state and federal approval the city’s hazard mitigation plan was back for council action. This plan will be used for planning mitigation actions in the event of a disaster, for example flooding from heavy rains.
Many federal and state programs require a mitigation plan be active within a county or city to be eligible for funding. A copy of the extensive plan is available on the county website at: county.montague.tx.us.
Credit card fees
City officials tabled action on an ordinance authorizing a credit card processing fee for those paying utility bills with debit or credit cards. The fees ranged from three to five percent.
Councilor Thomas Kent suggested the use of another firm to handle credit cards where a flat fee of $3 to $3.95 would be assessed. He pointed to a local business friend who uses a separate processing company and who has found it to be successful with his customers.
Kent said for an average city utility bill the proposed fee could be anywhere from $7.50 to $12.50, which is high.
Finances
A potential sewer rate increase was put on hold until the city is able to be clear of the COVID-19 shutdown. Cunningham said they could look at it in a few months when they see where things are going. Several council members agreed it was the wrong time.
Read the full story on Monday’s meeting the mid-week Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
The City of Nocona has been nominated as a rural Opportunity Zone by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Mayor Christopher Nunneley said they will begin “pitching” this federal tax angle to potential businesses.”
At a Tuesday afternoon press conference Nunneley, Donna Culpepper, executive director for the Nocona Economic Development Corporation and Michelle Page of the Nocona Chamber of Commerce announced the nomination and offered a brief overview of the federal tax incentives that can become available.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
Remember Sept. 11 2001, 25 years later
While history will remember Sept. 11, 2001 among the darkest days in America’s history, it also is a day marked not only by tremendous heroism and bravery by first responders, but also every day Americans from all walks of life who showed the world our country would not be intimidated by terrorism.
There were 2,996 people killed during the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 including 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York city police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers. Tens of thousands more suffered in the aftermath due to exposure to chemicals and industrial debris.
The Bowie News editor asked some local lawmen, firefighters, a pilot and two retired FBI agents their memories of this tragic day and how their jobs were impacted by the events. We thank them for sharing their reflections.
Read the full feature in your Thursday Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Looking toward the future, the Bowie City Council Tuesday night voted to add an assistant city manager position promoting Public Works Director Stony Lowrance to the job.
The agenda listed an executive session to discuss evaluation of the city manager. Councilors went to closed session at 6:30 p.m. and 15 minutes later asked City Manager Bert Cunningham and Lowrance to come in. After 15 minutes they left the session and a few minutes later the full council came back to open session.
Councilor Brent Shaw, in making the motion for the assistant city manager, pointed to expanded duties the manager has undertaken. Councilor Boyd Hulstine made the second as the vote received unanimous approval.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
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