NEWS
Record breaking early voting for Montague County surpassing 50%
As the final day of early voting came to an end Friday Montague County voters had a record-breaking turnout topping 51% of registered voters through Thursday.
Nov. 5 is expected to be one of the biggest elections in years, so many may be avoiding election day crowds. Voters should be prepared for longer lines on the busy election day.
Elections Administrator Ginger Wall said as of Friday morning everything has run pretty smoothly with 8,072 voters casting early ballots through Thursday. There are 15,654 registered voters in the county.
Early voting ended on Friday and Wall said she was expecting it could hit 80% total turnout. When asked if she had any reminders for voters on election day, Wall said do not wear political shirts, hats or other items that support a candidate or issue.
“Anything like that is considered electioneering and it is illegal by law within 100 feet of the polling location. The clerks asked one man to go turn his T-shirt inside out and he refused and got mad. This is just a friendly reminder we are just following the rules,” said Wall.
Election day voting will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations: Montague County Annex Community Room, 11339 State Hwy. 59N, Montague; Bowie Senior Citizen Center, 501 Pelham St; Bowie Public Library, 301 Walnut St.; Nocona H.J. Justin Building, 102 Clay St.: Tales ‘N’ Trails Museum, 1522 E. U.S. Hwy. 82; Saint Jo Civic Center, 101 E Boggess St.; Forestburg Community Center, 16617 FM 455; Sunset City Hall, 119 FM 1749; Ringgold Fire Hall, 17832 N. U.S. Hwy. 81 and Valley View Baptist Church, 6159 FM 103, Spanish Fort.
To see a sample ballot visit the county website at co.montague.tx.us, click the elections tab. Remember Montague County has county-wide voting where voters can cast their ballots at any of the precinct locations.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Members of the Bowie City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on April 8 in the council for its only meeting for the month.
The city manager’s report opens the meeting as he discusses the bid openings for the sewer line replacement project phase two and the North Smythe Street sidewalk reconstruction.
There is only one old item of business, the second reading of the ordinance amending water rates. The average residential customer using 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of water per month will see an increase of $5 to $7.50 based on usage. This is the first water rate increase since 2018.
There are multiple items of new business. The 2023-24 outside audit will be presented by the staff of Mathis, West and Huffines. Four replat requests will be offered through the planning and zoning recommendations.
Base bid amounts for the sewer line replacement project phase two and the Smythe Street sidewalk project also will be reviewed. For the sewer project the base bid is $1,558,103.30. For the sidewalk it is $327,860.66. The sewer work is funded through a loan to the city from the Texas Development Board and the sidewalk through a Downtown Community Development grant program with the city having a matching portion.
The final item before public comments are two ordinance amending the mobile food vendors rules and permits.
After a successful multi-part workshop series last year, the Bowie Business Boost returns with a two-part workshop to take your business to the next level of effectiveness and profitability.
Attend this “AI Made Simple Workshop: Conquer the Tech Chaos and Win Fast” planned for April 24 and May 8. These will be breakfast programs from 7:30 to 10 a.m. The program will be from 8 to 9:30 a.m. with questions and answers to follow. Breakfast will be served 7:30 to 8 a.m.
The programs will be at the Bowie Community Center-west hall. Registration is $20 which includes both sessions. Registration is transferable. Register at accelerationbydesign.com/event-details/bowiebusinessboost25.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewonline.com
About 20 people attended the first of what Mayor Kelly Williamson expects to be regular town hall sessions where citizens can be informed or ask questions on issues in the City of Saint Jo.
Williamson and Police Chief Harvey Johnson conducted the meeting. The mayor was elected last year and is retired from the United States Army. He and his wife, Cathy, moved to Saint Jo about three years ago looking to set down some roots after the military. Their son is serving in the 101st Airborne Division.
The mayor said the top pressing issues he sees for the city are streets, then water and sewer systems. However, he exclaimed it all takes money to do that work, and even if state or federal grants those are often funded 80-20, which still leaves a big hunk for the city to fund.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
Top photo – Saint Jo Police Chief Harvey Johnson, Fire Chief Scott Thomas and Mayor Kelly Williamson discussed needs in the city at Saturday’s town hall. (News photo by Barbara Green)
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