NEWS
Bowie mayor says ambulance costs ‘just tip of the iceberg’ in budget issues
By BARBARA GREEN
Nearly 200 people filled the Bowie Community Center for a Mayor’s Town Hall meeting Monday night to review the financial status of the city.
The elimination of ambulance runs outside the city limits may have been the initial impetus for the meeting, but Mayor Larry Slack said this is just the “tip of the iceberg” of the financial problems.
“We inherited a lot of this through the years and there are some tough decisions that will be required. Electric rates have been disguised as a tax for years. It is going to take a cooperative effort within all the departments. If we continue the same spending habits we will have to borrow money to make payroll next year,” said the mayor.
The audience was filled with a variety of citizens. Numerous fire departments were represented including the City of Bowie and its volunteer department.
Bowie Rural VFD had members present as did Saint Jo VFD and officials from the Nocona General Hospital Ambulance.
The meeting opened with a review of the city’s budget operation which centers on the utility fund that sells products including electricity, water and sewer, and then the general fund which receives taxes and fees as its revenue stream.
Read the full story in the mid-week News.
City of Bowie officials were on hand to inspect the emergency electrical generators that were delivered last week.
Mayor Gaylynn Burris and City Manager Bert Cunningham inspected one of three emergency electrical generators purchased as part of an ongoing Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant. They also talked with Jay Evans, head of the city electric department, and Jerry Sutton, director of the water treatment plant about the next step for installation of the generators.
This grant provides funding for one 150 kW and two 250 kW generators for use at the water treatment plant.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
City Manager Bert Cunningham and Mayor Gaylynn Burris talk with the electric and water department staff about the new generators. (Photo by Cindy Roller)
No action was taken on a legal issue after members of the Bowie City Council met in a called closed session at 4 p.m. on July 12.
City Secretary Sandy Page said the council met for almost one hour for “consultation with attorney – Midwest Waste Services LLC vs. City of Bowie.
This lawsuit goes back to August 2019 when Midwest sued the city for its action requiring those who receive city water outside the city limits to use the designated waste collector, which is Waste Connections. This was shortly after the city signed a new long-term contract with WC.
The suit was dismissed in June 2020 on two points in the suit, but City Manager Bert Cunningham said a third point remained in mediation.
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