NEWS
City, school election filing begins
Election filing began July 21 for the Nov. 4 city and school board elections.
Candidates wishing to run have until Aug. 18 to submit application for the ballot. Early voting begins on Oct 20.
The three incorporated cities in Montague County will each have mayoral elections, along with council races.
In the City of Bowie, the mayor’s position has been filled by Gaylynn Burris since her election in 2021. In council place one, Brent Shaw, place two, Donna Ashley and place three, Stephanie Post will be on the ballot.
In the City of Nocona, the mayor’s race is up for election. Robert Fenoglio has served as mayor since May 2007 and prior to that was a councilor for 10 years. Council positions are filled by Robert Fuller and Don Davis.
The Saint Jo City Council will have the mayor’s race for a one year unexpired term on the ballot after Mayor Kelly Williamson submitted his resignation on July 7. City Secretary Debbie Dennis said the letter cited personal reasons. Williamson was elected mayor last November and had strides in raising the community’s profile and putting information out into the community.
The council will meet on July 27 and officially receive the resignation. Aldermen spots filled by Martha Vite, Terry Stewart and Michael Dennis (unexpired term) will be on the ballot.
Bowie Independent School District will have
places three, Jeff Jackson and four Kent Dosch open for candidates.
Nocona ISD has two places on the ballot: Erica Patton, place three and Greg Fuller, place four.
And in Saint Jo ISD, the places filled by Mike Martin and Rodney Swirczynski will be open on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Forestburg, Gold-Burg and Prairie Valley ISDs do not have elections this year conducting races in alternating years.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
The 2026 certified property values for Montague County were released to the 16 taxing entities for which it sets values and for Montague County the total numbers were up 3.591%.
With the arrival of these numbers, the taxing entities can begin serious work on creating their budgets and proposed tax rates. Last year the Montague County Tax Appraisal District had to create two sets of values pending the November homestead election so they were happy things were back to just one set.
Certified values are based on property sales made as of Jan. 1, 2026. Chief Appraiser Kim Haralson said the values held up well during the protest hearings, and while minerals went down some there were a lot of new properties added.
New taxable property totaled $87,505,775 for 1,208 properties. Haralson said people appear to be setting up manufactured homes on some of the two-acre tract subdivision and other subdivisions are seeing people start to build houses.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
It is going to be a tough budget season for the Bowie City Council as it works through a draft budget proposal that tries to figure out how to pay for major projects and maintain present operations for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
As per the city charter, City Manager Bert Cunningham presented the budget proposal to the council on July 14, emphasizing without the final certified property values, as well as the final health insurance rates, it truly is a draft. The city staff also await the final bid numbers for the Rock and Pillar drainage project hovering around $2 million with plans to fund it through the budget.
A budget workshop was scheduled for 6 p.m. on July 27 with a public hearing to follow on Aug. 11.
Cunningham said the certified figures may become available by the end of the week, but that is uncertain. Two months ago the city’s preliminary values were up $70,530,035 from the 2025 final values, however, usually the certified values fluctuate slightly from the preliminary numbers, which totaled $497,939,568.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
-
NEWS3 years agoSuspect indicted, jailed in Tia Hutson murder
-
NEWS4 years ago2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona
-
NEWS3 years agoSO investigating possible murder/suicide
-
NEWS4 years agoWreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16
-
NEWS3 years agoMurder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest
-
Show us something good9 years agoCountry music star children perform in Bowie
-
NEWS3 years ago
Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death
-
100th Birthday4 years agoLooking back at the 1958 Centennial edition of The Bowie News