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Upper Trinity’s proposed rules for acreage draw anger

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By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Plans to increase the tract size requirement for water wells from two to five acres across the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District drew the most fire Thursday afternoon during a Montague County public hearing in Bowie.
About 20 people attended the hearing on proposed permanent rules as the district board and staff wrapped up a series of meetings explaining the proposals. To read a full description of all the rules visit the district website at: uppertrinitygcd.com.
A hearing also is planned in conjunction with the board’s regular November meeting at 4 p.m. on Nov. 19 at the district office, 1859 West State Highway 199, Springtown.
General Manager Doug Shaw made a brief presentation on the changes before taking questions. District legal counsel Brian Sledge and Board President Tracy Mesler, Nocona, also attended. The district hopes to get the rules approved before Jan. 1, 2019 to avoid any possible conflicts with bills that may come out of the new legislative session.
Leading the changes is an expanded acreage minimum for a well moving up to five acres from the present two acres. Commercial users and public water systems also will go from a registration to a permit system.
The UTGCD was formed in 2007 and serves Montague, Wise, Hood and Parker Counties. The district’s temporary rules were established in 2009 as the district began gathering data to help establish the permanent rules, plus began registering wells and monitoring production and use.
Shaw said they have about 150 wells that are measured quarterly and several that provide daily reports.
“We started collecting data to create well-thought out rules backed by the science,” said Shaw.

Read the full story in the weekend News.

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Senate District 30 runoff early voting to open

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Texans continue to go to the elections polls as voters decide who will face off in the November general election to fill the 30th Senatorial District seat.
Both the Democratic and Republican Parties will have party primary runoffs on May 28 as they try to select a candidate to fill the seat of Senator Drew Springer (R-Muenster) who chose not to see a second-four-year term after winning a special election in 2020. He ran unopposed in 2022.
There were multiple candidates in both party primaries back in March and no one was able to garner the necessary majority. The top two vote-getters will face off to determine a winner for the November ballot.
Early voting for the runoff runs May 20-24 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Montague County Courthouse Annex Community Room. This is the only location for early voting.
On election day voting polls will be located in the courthouse annex, Bowie Senior Citizens Center, Nocona City Hall and Saint Jo Civic Center. They will be open 7 a.m.. to 7 p.m.
Those who voted in the March primary can only cast ballots in that party primary, voters cannot switch parties. Those who did not vote in the primary can vote in either party primary.

Read more on this story in the mid-week Bowie News.

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County to bid SO radio console

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By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Montague County Commissioners will make plans to take bids for a radio console at the sheriff’s office after a portion of the unit went down.
That was just one of the many topics in Monday’s court session. An executive session to discuss pending litigation was tabled after County Judge Kevin Benton reported a conference call with the other party’s attorney and County Attorney Clay Riddle showed they were not ready for discussion and he asked it be tabled, which was approved.
On the radio console, the court has been talking about the unit since Sheriff’ Marshall Thomas reported the console has reached the end of its life expectancy of eight years and was having lots of problems. The county had applied for a grant to help pay for it, but it won’t be announced until June.
The radio system has two parts said Thomas and one unit has completely stopped working, however, they are still able to use the radio for now and handle 911 service. Judge Benton said in looking at the estimated costs it was expected to be just under the $50,000 bid limit hovering around $42,000; however, they also have found the unit needs five radios through which it can transmit from the two computers which will push up the price.

Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.

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Building projects lead Bowie City Council agenda

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Infrastructure projects once more dominate the agenda of the Bowie City Council when it meets at 6 p.m. on May 13.
A pair of proclamations open the meeting, one for Emergency Medical Services Week and National Travel and Tourism Week.
City Manager Bert Cunningham will present information on the substation transformer project, the phase two sewer line replacement contract, status of the infrastructure fund and plans for the budget.
A pair of public works requests will ask for $24,000 out of the infrastructure fund to buy nine fire hydrants and $29,825 from the meter tap account to buy replacement meters. Public Works Director Stony Lowrance is expected to make that presentation.

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.

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