NEWS
Harsh budget realities debated
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CORRECTION – In the full print edition of this story in the weekend Bowie News, there is an error in the PCRF factor being considered by the city council.
The story said the possible increase was .111 cents, but this is incorrect. It should have read, .0111 cents. We apologize for this error and any confusion it may have caused.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
In its first planning workshop of the year, the Bowie City Council reviewed an extensive infrastructure needs plan, electric costs and 10 years of historical budget data during its two-hour session Monday night.
There were some harsh realities debated as the council tackles long-term problems centered primarily around infrastructure.
Public Works Director Stony Lowrance provided a six-page infrastructure plan for water, sewer and streets. He began work on this plan in August using details from the previous drainage report and cost estimates he obtained from engineers.
Lowrance explained the basic costs of chip and seal, which is the process the city staff can do, compared to asphalt. He pointed to priority streets in the next five years that include drainage, crossings, line replacement and reconstructing streets where work is done.
He also provided costs if some streets were contracted out for asphalt.
“We are way behind now due to weather, but in a good year we can do about two miles a year. The cost of material and fuel also impact costs. With the people I have and the equipment, we are doing the best we can. There are a lot of issues with infrastructure and all cities no matter the size have the same problems, we just waited a bit too late to address them, so it kind of backed up on us,” said Lowrance.
Read the full story in your weekend Bowie News. Read below the infrastructure plan for streets, water and sewer and the airport that was presented Tuesday night. Pictured above members of the Bowie City Council and city staff examine documents at Monday’s workshop. (Photo by Barbara Green)
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Bowie Independent School District Superintendent Blake Enlow received a one-year extension on this three-year contract following the annual summative evaluation during the June 13 board meeting.
Trustees usually conduct this review in the summer and do a board goals’ review in January. Enlow met with the board in closed session for about 90 minutes, afterwhich, trustees discussed the topic without him for about 30 minutes.
There was no action on a salary addendum and it will consider that during the budget process for all administrators and staff.
Much of the agenda focused on year-end reports for transportation, food service, custodial, maintenance and technology. The board also got their first look at State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness grades in math, reading and reading-language arts in grades three-eighth, fifth and eighth grade science and eighth grade social studies.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
The Texas Department of Transportation in late May conducted its virtual public hearings and began accepting public comments on the Rural Transportation Improvement Plan.
TxDOT officials will now review each revised rural TIP proposal and integrate them into the statewide TIP, followed by Rural TIP approval, the first step in the statewide plan.
For Montague County 14 projects were featured in the 2025-29 RTIP spanning road improvements, county road bridge replacements and construction of a new safety rest area on U.S. Highway 81/287, eight miles south of Bowie in fiscal year 2026. The Wichita Falls district of TxDOT includes Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cooke, Montague, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger and Young Counties.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
June 20 is the first official day of summer, although most of Texas has already been sweltering.
Summer begins with the solstice on at 4:51 p.m. on June 20, marking the astronomical first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the June solstice (aka summer solstice) occurs when the Sun reaches its highest and northernmost points in the sky.
While a heat dome has settled across the country, most of the dangerous heat is in the southwest and the north central part of the U.S. Texas’ forecast shows temperatures in the mid- to high 90s throughout the week.
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