NEWS
Mayor’s shuffle: Burris named to fill unexpired term
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Gaylynn Burris, defeated in last November’s mayoral election by 81 votes, took the oath of office Monday night to fill out the unexpired term of Mayor Bill Miller who resigned on April 30.
Burris was selected by the Bowie City Council after she was the lone person to apply during the week-long period to fill the post. The council scheduled a called meeting for Monday night to interview candidates and select a new mayor.
The city council has been in upheaval since Miller resigned on April 30 less than six months into office. His resignation was accepted at the May 11 meeting and the council set up the process to fill the post.
As per the city charter, the council had to fill the vacancy within 30 days or schedule a special election. If an appointment was not made an election was automatic.
Mayor Pro Tem Jason Love told the council at the May 11 meeting he felt “more suited” to serve as a councilman and was not interested in taking the mayor’s term.
Late Friday as the called meeting was being posted, Councilor Thomas Kent submitted his resignation in protest of Burris being considered. He stated in his resignation that Burris had been voted out so she should not be eligible for reappointment to the same office.
Kent, elected to his precinct position in November 2018, said his resignation created a “double vacancy” within the council and therefore a special election was necessary.
The city charter does state when there is more than one vacancy at any one time a special election shall be called within 30 days. However, city officials obtained multiple legal opinions about this question to assure appropriate action was taken.
Che Rotramble, city attorney, said when an officer submits a resignation, immediate or future, the vacancy occurs on the date the resignation is accepted by the council or on the eighth day after the date of its receipt by the appropriate authority, whichever occurs earlier. The Texas Election Code, Sec. 201.023 states the same.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
The Bowie City Council accepted a $1.38 million bid for phase two of the sewer line replacement program and received an engineer’s update on Nelson Street drainage.
Council members met Monday night and opened the evening with the presentation of proclamations for Emergency Medical Services Week and National Travel and Tourism Week. Members of the Bowie EMS service accepted the first proclamation and Cindy Roller of Bowie Community Development accepted the second.
City Manager Bert Cunningham reported the city received one bid for phase two of the sewer line project that will replace the Glenn Hills lift station and sludge pumps at the wastewater plant. While the bid came in above the original estimate, Mike Tibbetts of Hayter Engineering, said there are several things that can be removed to lower the costs.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Pictured – replacing a manhole in phase one. (Courtesy photo)
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
In its six-month financial report for fiscal 2024-25 Bowie City Council members saw budget revenues were not coming in as high as projected, despite the budget using conservative figures.
During the Monday meeting, Finance Director Pamela Woods reviewed the numbers at the half-way point of the year. She said all the department heads are doing well keeping their expenses within budget just below the 50% level or 49.26% overall. Despite that, expenses are above revenues in the utility fund by almost $100,000.
In the utility fund revenues are 46.11% of budget in water; 53.19% in sewer and 43.74% in electric. The total utility fund revenue is at 46.42% of the budget or $5,572,694.
(Pictured above) Carol Moore also addressed the council on disrepair at the Pelham Park walking track urging it to make repairs and maintain it.
Read the full council story in the weekend Bowie News.
Two people were transported to the hospital with possible injuries from a three-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in a highway department work zone on State Highway 59.
The accident occurred on Hwy 59 near Allison Road at 4:09 p.m. on May 14. There were three vehicles containing a total of six people.
Vehicle one driven by Carlin Jaster, Bowie with his passenger Zana Lara, Bowie, were traveling south on Hwy. 59. Two other vehicles driven by Kjersti Compton, Sunset and Edward Meadows, Grapevine were also southbound but stopped in a construction zone.
Jaster failed to control his speed and a chain-reaction crash occurred as he struck Compton who then hit Meadows.
Jaster and Lara were transported to Nocona General Hospital with non-incapacitating injuries. The others were uninjured. Tuesday was the first day for road construction along State Highway 59. Digital signs were posted for delays.
(Pictured above) Bowie Rural Fire Department and Bowie EMS responded to this three-vehicle chain reaction crash on State Highway 59 near Allison Road on Tuesday afternoon. There were a total of six people in the three vehicles, and two were transported to Nocona General with possible injuries. (Courtesy photo)
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