Connect with us

NEWS

County approves budget, tax rate; bans Tik Tok

Published

on

By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
The 2023 tax rate and 2023-24 budget for Montague County were both adopted on Monday.
Commissioners gave unanimous approval to the financial items with Commissioner Roy Darden absent due to illness.
The general fund budget which includes the majority of county offices is budgeted at $11,457,991, while the four road and bridge precincts total $4,695,052 and the rest of the budget encompasses restricted funds.
There were no major purchases in the budget other than two new vehicles for the transport officers in the sheriff’s department. The elections administrator will move her part-time worker to full-time and the jail added a second transportation officer.
In overall expenses there is a pay raise of $5,000 per employee (not the 5% stated in Saturday’s story) and a 5.5% health insurance rate hike. The other increases were inflationary primarily for operations and supplies.
The 2023 tax rate is .5017 cents per $100 in property value, compared to .50360 cents in 2022.
Tik Tok banned
Montague County made adjustments to its employee handbook and policies to ban Tik Tok and related social media use on county-owned devices, as well as personal devices used by county employees. The prohibition makes the county in compliance with Senate Bill 1893.

Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.

Continue Reading

NEWS

Motorcyclist injures in July 4th wreck

Published

on

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

Continue Reading

NEWS

Crash closes East Wise 2 hours, two injured

Published

on

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.

This large sign installation truck turned over after striking an SUV on East Wise Street Thursday morning. (Photo by Barbara Green)
Continue Reading

NEWS

Bowie city budget offered to council

Published

on

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)

Continue Reading
Ad
Ad
Ad
Ad
Ad

Trending