NEWS
Bowie City Council reviews grocery list of work projects
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
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.
Members of the Bowie City Council will consider naming one of five applicants to fill the vacancy in precinct one-north ward when they met at 6 p.m. on Dec. 11.
The opening came last month when Laura Sproles resigned her seat due to a move into another precinct. There is one year remaining on the two-year term for the precinct one council position.
As of Friday those who have submitted their application were Tawni J. Jones, David Love, TJay McEwen, Phillip Warren and Valerie Thomerson.
Jones lists herself as an entrepreneur on the application and she has lived in the precinct 6.5 years. Love lists his occupation in sales with 22 years in the precinct. TJay McEwen is a bank manager at Wellington State Bank and has lived in the precinct eight years.
Warren is a lease operator and has lived in the precinct just over 14 years. Thomerson is retired and lived in her precinct three years. If the council makes a selection the new councilor will be sworn-in that night.
Two Bowie Public Library board members also will be appointed: Karen Milchanowski and Lua Brown, both reappointments and Jessica Burris, new member.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Government moves at a snail’s pace, but the City of Bowie has finally received its directive to proceed with a $9.7 million sewer line replacement project.
Bowie City Manager Bert Cunningham was ecstatic to receive the letter Tuesday from the Texas Water Development Board. The engineer and contractor joined in the joy and scheduled a pre-construction conference for Dec. 8.
The city has been waiting several months to receive the final go-ahead from the TWDB, which is providing a low-interest loan to Bowie for the project. BCAC Underground, Haltom City, won the bid back in August at $832,802.75, which was about $160,000 less than the estimate.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
The Texas Broadband Development Office, operated by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, is soliciting input from the public on the new Texas Digital Opportunity Plan.
The plan outlines how these entities will connect the Lone Star State for a brighter future by making it easier for all Texans to access and use the internet. From today through Jan. 5, 2024, Texans can give their opinions on the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan by visiting broadbandfortexas.com/tdop.
Almost 2.8 million households and 7 million people in our state lack access to broadband, or high-speed internet, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
The Digital Opportunity Plan will provide these Texans with the technology and knowledge they need to fully participate in an increasingly digital world.
Read the full story in the weekend edition.
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