COUNTY LIFE
Finding qualified applicants, keeping them is hard for Bowie PD and Fire
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Trying to keep the staff rosters full of trained personnel at the Bowie Fire and Bowie Police Departments continues to be an ongoing problem, as employees leave after a brief tenure primarily to take more high paying jobs often in the Metroplex.
Both departments have been taking applications and testing for their vacancies. Police Chief Guy Green said in the last few weeks they have lost one long-time dispatcher who is leaving to take a job with the county clerk’s office, and one more patrol officer, as Cpl. Andrew Poole resigned to take a school resource officer position at Valley View.
Earlier last month, the PD lost Patrol Officer Marlon Bryant who left the job to help his father who lives in the Panhandle area, where Bryant is working for the Hemphill County sheriff’s office.
Cameron Hughes, patrol, left for another job on Dec. 14, but that vacancy was filled by Justin Walker who came to Bowie from the Van Alystyne Police Department with about two years of experience. Poole, who lives in Nocona, will remain as a BPD reserve. The department is budgeted for 17 people across the entire department.
While the fire department is fully staffed with one new person coming on to fill a pending departure, Chief Chief Doug Page said since August 2023 they have seen seven officers leave, some with short tenures and a few others with several years depart for other jobs. That number jumps to eight with one leaving this weekend and his replacement coming in.
Bowie fire is budgeted for 15 paid members.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Make plans to come out and honor Bowie High School state tennis champions Heidi and Willow Siebert on Wednesday afternoon.
Members of the Nocona City Council will meet for a regular meeting at 5 p.m. on May 12 in council chambers.
A public hearing on an ordinance annexing adjacent and contiguous territory to the city will be offered. This relates to two small tracts of land at the front and back of the Tales ‘N’ Trails Museum property. It does not involve providing any services, but clarifies the property in the museum’s tract. Any action would follow in the regular agenda.
Mayor and council reports on items of community interest follow along with public comments.
Items slated for the agenda include the following: Discuss bid to mow and weed-eat the Nocona Cemetery; discuss bids to furnish a 180,000-200,000 gallon capacity tank for potable water; three requests from the Nocona Economic Development Corporation – Type A and B boards funding a grant for signage at the American Legion at $2,300, both boards fund a grant for Tales ‘N’ Trails to enclose the east win of the barn for $18,000 and both boards to grant the Chisholm Trail Art Association $2,000 to support the Art of the Song Music Festival Art Show.
Other council topics will be consider repair of the water found at Enid Justin City Park; discuss public nuisance code violations; hear request from David Yowell to purchase water for the Nocona Hills Golf Course; discuss appraised value, setting price and conditions for sealed bids on 19.5 acres of city-owned land adjacent to the Nocona Hills Golf Course; discuss slide on upstream water side of dam and discuss changes to rental agreement for H.J. Justin Community Room.
The majority of these items will be considered for action during the regular agenda following the workshop agenda.
Present for the Bowie Community Development proclamation for National Travel and Tourism Week May 3-9 made by Mayor Gaylynn Burris were volunteers and staff: Matthew Hunt, Cindy Roller, Brittany Barnes, Sylvia Henning, Mildred McCraw, and Joe Barnhill. Community Development focus is on beautification and tourism for the City of Bowie. The group focuses on tourism through its many festival and events, welcoming people to the community. (News photo by Barbara Green)
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