NEWS
Infrastructure needs dominate Bowie budget workshop
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Bowie City Councilors learned Monday night there are limited ways to increase budget revenue to help fund badly needed infrastructure as they reviewed and debated the budget draft for 2023-24.
All the council members attended with the exception of Jason Love. It was an opportunity for councilors to ask questions about budget requests and needs. The workshop lasted two hours.
Overall budget expenses are offered at $21,805,000 for the utility and general fund. Finance Director Pamela Woods presented the draft last week noting this is about $600,000 above last year’s budget. The draft does not include new debt service or vehicle lease details for the new year, but uses the prior year’s amounts as the figures are finalized.
The budget includes a 3-5% salary increase that would be administered by the department heads to their staffs based on merit pay policy. Health insurance is expecting a 12% raise and property liability and worker’s compensation will go up 15%, and those figures are being finalized. The city also is awaiting the arrival of certified property values in mid-July to put a final projection for ad valorem taxes.
On the revenue side there will be a rate increase for sewer rates which was part of an overall rate plan connected to repayment of the Texas Water Development Board $9.7 million loan for replacing 10 miles of sewer line. For base residential the rate will go from $23.90 to $24.86 the per 1,000-gallon rate above base will go from $4.16 to $4.33.
New employees will include those who staff summer recreation as the parks department tries to revitalize that program with 10 part-time workers. Previously it was stopped due to a lack of staffing. The fire department has asked for three new workers and one part-time person.
In finance, it has been sharing a worker with water, but has asked to make that person full-time. The police department also reflects the two new school resource officers that were added mid-year. The legislature has now mandated security officers at various levels based on district size.
There were questions about funds for improvements, additional staffing and how they were going to pay for some major infrastructure projects.
Read the full story on the workshop in the mid-week Bowie News.
The Department of Public Safety has provided information on an auto vs. motorcycle accident that reportedly occurred on July 4.
James Lee Hilton, Nocona, was driving a 2019 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and Daniel Parra, Chico, was driving a 2018 Ford Fiesta. Both vehicles were north on State Highway 101 outside Sunset with the motorcycle behind the car.
Parra was attempting to turn left on Farm-to-Market Road 2265 when the motorcyclist attempted to unsafely pass to the left states the report. The bike struck the left side of the Fiesta. Both vehicles came to rest off the roadway on the northwest corner of SH 101 and FM 2265.
Hilton was transported to Denton Medical City with
A major crash on East Wise in front of the Second Monday parking on July 11 shut down traffic for several hours in the morning and sent two people to the Bowie emergency room.
The accident occurred at 9:53 a.m. Thursday at 1616 E. Wise involving a large sign installation truck and an SUV.
Briana Rollison, Bowie, was driving a 2001 Ford Expedition east in the 1600 block of E. Wise and the large truck from Turner Signs System of Richland Hills was traveling west on East Wise driven by Joshua Thompson.
The preliminary accident report states Thompson lost control of the vehicle crossing the double yellow line striking the SUV in front of the Parker Properties and Farm Services Building. The SUV was knocked into the ditch and later made it back on the roadway.
The truck rolled on the passenger side and slid about 50-100 feet west of the incident location. Skid marks from the truck were observed to start approximately 300-350 feet east of the crash location.
See the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Bowie City Councilors this week got their first look at the 2024-25 proposed budget seeing a balanced plan with a total operational budget of $23,296,885 in expenses, which is a little more than $1.4 million above the previous year’s budget.
Mayor Gaylynn Burris said Monday night the budget looks “eerily familiar” to last year, despite adding a few equipment purchases. City Manager Bert Cunningham said he had already slashed more than $300,000 from the department requests in order to get a balanced budget.
The utility fund is balanced with expenses of $12,595,995 and revenues projected at $12,601,000. In the general fund revenues are projected at $10,705,568 with expenses at $10,700,890. Total budget expenses are $23,296,885 and overall revenue projected at $23,306,568. Cunningham said it leaves a small margin to set forth a balanced budget.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Top photo: New chip and seal was laid on Elba and Lamb this week repairing well-worn roads near the Nelson/Mill drainage project. (Photo by Barbara Green)
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