NEWS
Developer questions City of Saint Jo support for new business
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
The City of Saint Jo may not have put its best foot forward before a potential business prospect at its recent city council session where it met with a developer representing Dollar General.
There were a lot of frustrations vented and a few accusations thrown, but possibly by the end of the 90-minute meeting there may be more clear communication.
Michael Medford of Vaquero Ventures asked to meet with the council on Jan. 10 noting he had been working on a possible location in Saint Jo for the past several years. Medford was pretty straightforward with the council telling them there are not a lot of land or building opportunities that would work for Dollar General in Saint Jo, but they have looked at a few. However, he said there has not been good support or a clear channel of communication with city officials.
“These companies are huge and they don’t care about me or Saint Jo, so when we are not giving them updates or information they would just as soon say just forget about it, quit wasting time and move on to another city. It happens all the time when we can’t get something done,” said Medford.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Photo: Michael Medford, Vaquero Ventures a developer for Dollar General Stores, spoke to the Saint Jo City Council at its Jan. 10 meeting.
NEWS
Amon Carter Lake Board to meet
Members of the Amon Carter Lake Water Supply Corporation will meet at 6 p.m. on May 26 in the office at 607A Lindsey for a monthly meeting.
Items on the agenda include a consent agenda and minutes and financials. Possible discussion/action may be considered on the following topics: Treasurer’s report, review of finance and current loans; president’s report as to the written agreements with contractual employees; consider current water rates and a possible increase; and review of expenses and areas that need amendment.
An executive session may be entered to discuss personnel issues.
NEWS
Saint Jo City Council hires fire marshal
The City of Saint Jo has a new fire marshal as the city council made the appointment during its May 13 meeting.
Gary Hines, a retired professional firefighter and certified fire investigator, will take the position. City Secretary Debbie Dennis said the post is required by ordinance but has not been filled for a long period.
The council set dates for a budget workshop for 2 p.m. on June 14 and 2 p.m. on June 28 for the ordinance workshop, as the council works to update its rules.
Aldermen gave their support to a proposition by Councilman Jack Dunn who is asking the Legislature to allow Texas’ smallest cities, those with 2,500 or few in population, to receive an additional share of sales and use tax. He would like to see the funds used in these communities to repair and replace aging infrastructure without new taxes or reliance on state grants.
In letter to State Rep. David Spiller, whom Dunn will meet with on June 1, the alderman explains much of the state’s 6.25% share generated locally flows into general funds and is spent on other priorities. He would like Spiller to author this legislation. Dunn gave the letter to the council along with a powerpoint on the plan.
“A single water treatment plant upgrade or sewer rehab carries massive, fixed costs that do not shrink with population size. These communities, often with only a few hundred or a couple thousands residents, simply cannot spread those costs across enough ratepayers or a broad tax based,” the letter states.
Dunn suggests a “graduated sales tax retention policy:” 1% additional share for cities with 2,500 or fewer residents; .75% for those 2,500 and 5,000; and .50% for cities between 5,001 and 10,000. It would be dedicated to infrastructure. Dunn says the overall statewide fiscal impact would be negligible, but could help sustain small, rural cities.
NEWS
City of Nocona buys water storage tank, review dam repair
The Nocona City Council approved a bid for a new 203,000 gallon capacity tank for potable water at the water plant and learned a slide repair to the lake dam is going to be pretty costly.
At its May 12 session the council received three bids on the tank and went with one from Tank Depot of Cleburne for $193,923. It is for a a 217,600 gallon tank usable for 203,000 gallons. The price could change slightly since it was based on estimate freight costs.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
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