NEWS
Commissioners to consider paying down extra in retirement
Montague County Commissioner’s Court will meet at 9 a.m. on Sept. 23.
The agenda opens with the court proclaiming October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Commissioners will consider if they want to pay down additional funds to the county retirement system. During recent years the court has used a portion of contingency funds at the end of a budget year to help pay down on its liability for the retirement system.
Last year the county paid $650,000 which moved it to 100.6% of its obligation. Commissioners agreed they were working toward a cushion in the 105% range.
The court hopes things will go better in the second go-round for bids on the wastewater treatment plant.
Last month no bids were received, so the engineers suggested going out for bids on the primary unit, with the county handling some of the other work with concrete and plumbing. Montague is already on a timeline after receiving its draft permit from the Texas Commissioner on Environmental Quality.
Joint election agreements with seven area entities also having elections on Nov. 5 will be offered.
Several annual items will be presented: Texas Association of Counties Risk Management Pool Worker’s Compensation Renewal; CountyChoice Silver 2025 retiree medical program renewal and accept the 2024 annual report to Medicare for creditable part D prescription coverage.
The court will consider withdrawing from the current generator grant and re-applying under a different disaster mitigation grant opportunity.
The precinct two commissioner will seek authority to clear a portion of Smyrna Road at its intersection with Gary David’s property.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
A 35-year-old Crockett, TX man was arrested after aggravated assault using his “monster truck” in the early morning hours of Sunday to drive over people and vehicles.
Rednecks with Paychecks, located outside of Saint Jo on Farm-to-Market Road 3206, welcomes thousands of people who race, take part in contests, camp out and have a big party. There are two events a year.
Staff from the Montague County Sheriff’s office was called to the scene at 12:40 a.m. Sept. 22 for an aggravated assault in progress.
Chief Deputy Jack Lawson said the RWP security team had the suspect, Jonathan Reid, detained at the gate when they arrived.
“He apparently got into a verbal argument with multiple people at the park. Driving a very large monster truck he had struck several vehicles. He reportedly told people if it doesn’t have an eight-foot flag he can hit it, so he did,” said the chief deputy.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Montague County Commissioners accepted the sole bid for a fabricated sewage treatment system ready for installation during their Monday meeting.
Last month the county had to change up its bid process when no bids came in, changing to bid just the treatment unit and its related apparatus. The county will do the dirt work and bid out the concrete work if it exceeds the $50,000 bid limit.
The one bid came from Southwest Fluid Products Inc., in Mineral Wells providing one fabricated system reading for installation for a complete mix sludge process. It also includes the lift station.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Just about a month shy of celebrating its one-year anniversary, Faith Community Emergency Room in Bowie will be closing as of 7 a.m. on Oct. 6.
Frank L. Beaman, chief executive officer of Faith Community Health System, confirmed the closure to The Bowie News through a statement on Monday. Several employees of the ER had already contacted the Bowie News about the closure.
In the statement Beaman said the evaluations of productivity, utilization and economics of the facility and comparing the actual data against projections revealed, “The facility is not meeting the projections required to maintain operations.”
It continues the goal was to provide Level IV trauma emergency care, and that endeavor was successful with positive feedback. However, the utilization and referrals to Faith Community Health System’s main campus did not materialize.
“Operating what effectively is a free-standing ER is simply not sustainable without a greater level of financial support from the community,” stated Beaman.
The ER’s grand opening took place on Oct. 23, 2023 after more than two years of work remodeling and repairing the old hospital. In mid-August 2021 Faith Community Health System officials announced its intentions to open the ER as an arm of its Jacksboro facility.
Bowie City Manager Bert Cunningham called this closure “heartbreaking news.”
“Bowie needs medical care close to home, not out of town. Hopefully, there will be other opportunities since the building has been updated and brought up to standards by the building owners,” said the manager.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Top photo – Speaker at last year’s Bowie ER grand opening. (Bowie News file photo)
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