NEWS
County offers .503631 cent tax rate for 2022

By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Montague County Commissioners put the final touches on their 2022-23 budget approving a proposed tax rate that is more than six cents lower than last year and adding a new $1,200 cost of living increase for county employees, turning away from its every other year salary considerations.
The budget debate got slightly contentious at times, but for the most part, the questions and answers lead to compromises or a no vote. The workshop opened with Commissioner Bob Langford returning to his effort to take $100,000 from the American Rescue Plan state and local fiscal recovery funds and split it up among the four road and bridge precincts.
There were questions about how it is paid out and what it can be used for. County Auditor Jennifer Essary said a line item would be created in the precinct budget where bills could be submitted, it does not have to be submitted prior to use. Essary said it only has to be a county expense.
County Judge Kevin Benton said it can’t be used for salaries and is basically directed toward infrastructure. The judge explained he and Grant Coordinator Charley Lanier have been working on a list of possible projects, which he will soon bring to the court.
Tax Assessor-Collector Kathy Phillips presented the certification of appraised values that were $2,453,023,075 in net certified valued, $13,898,040 in rolling stock for a total of $2,466,921,115.
She also gave the court the “no new revenue rate” at .467765 cents per $100 in property value and the “voter approval tax rate” of .503631 cents.
The court accepted a proposed rate of .503631 cents per $100 in value. The voter approval rate means the court can adopt up to that rate before facing any voter election to change the rate. The no new revenue rate would provide the same tax revenue as the prior year. The 2021 tax rate is .56410 cents.
Read the full story on the budget preparations and the proposed tax rate in the mid-week edition.
NEWS
Food truck permit rule draws conflict

Bowie City Councilors heard complaints about the recently approved food truck ordinance during last week’s meeting and were updated on damage from recent flash flooding.
Mayor Gaylynn Burris also presented a proclamation for Emergency Medical Services Week, as members of the local EMS team were presented with the proclamation.
In his city manager’s report, Bert Cunningham said there were numerous problems with excessive rainfall during the last few weeks, with the most significant at Rock and Pillar where the rusted washed out culverts have been deteriorating for several years. Portions of Rock have collapsed near that intersection closing part of the street.
Another less traveled street had a sinkhole which the city crews have repaired, and two crews have been out trying to fill potholes and make street repairs as they can.
Cunningham told the council they have to figure out a way to pay for the new culverts on Rock and Pillar, and he has been meeting with a pair of engineering companies to get some preliminary estimates that are close to $1,000,000. He also has been talking with the city’s financial advisor to discuss options for financing repairs.
Read the full story in the May 22 Bowie News.
Photo – Mayor Gaylynn Burris presented a proclamation from the City of Bowie for National EMS Recognition Week. Several members of the Bowie EMS team were present: Daniel Fogle, Enrique Roman, Fire Chief Doug Page, Chad Gerlach, Marco Sandoval and Luke Waltersheid. (Courtesy photo)
NEWS
Single-vehicle crash kills Seymour woman

A 30-year-old female from Seymour was killed in a one-vehicle crash south of Bowie on U.S. 81 on May 17.
The accident occurred at 9:20 a.m. as local emergency personnel were called to the scene. Staff of the Department of Public Safety report the deceased driver is Faye Penner who was driving a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado.
A preliminary investigation revealed the vehicle was traveling south on the U.S. 81 service road attempting to merge onto the main highway. The report states Fenner was driving at an unsafe speed and traveled off the roadway to the right. The driver took faulty evasive action and overcorrected to the left.
The pickup traveled back across U.S. 81, went into the bar ditch and collided into a concrete bridge pillar.
Two vehicles were involved in a separate major accident that happened on May 16 on State Highway 59 involving a semi-truck and a pickup at 4:56 p.m.
The DPS report states Bradley Henscheid II, 26, Muenster, was driving a 2016 Freightliner towing a trailer south on State Highway 59 near Haney Road.
The second vehicle was a pickup driving by Gage Ice, 17, Saint Jo, who was traveling behind the large truck.
Henscheid was attempting to make a right turn. Ice was reportedly distracted and when he looked up saw the semi-truck’s brake lights.
The pickup driver took faulty evasive action and veered onto the right improved shoulder to avoid hitting the back of the semi’s trailer. Ice’s pickup then struck the Freightliner as it turned right.
Neither of the drivers were injured.
NEWS
Water board meeting breaks down into screaming match

By BARBARA GREEN editor@bowienewsonline.com
Tuesday night ’ s meeting of the Lake Amon Carter Water Supply Corporation disintegrated into yelling and name-calling leading to no resolution on providing water to a developer asking for service.
With two items on the agenda the meeting lasted only one hour and ended abruptly as Chairman John Halbrook stood up while a board member was arguing with audience members exclaiming, “We’re done here folks.”
In a late April meeting, subdivision developer Daniel Deweber and two of his residents came to the board asking why they were being denied water when the nearly 30 lots are located within the corporation’s service area. Questions also arose about the board allegedly violating open records and open meeting’s laws by not allowing people to attend some of their meetings or posting meetings.
Board members have told Deweber he needs to file a new non-standard application based on their information from the Public Utilities Commission and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Deweber counters the PUC has indicated he is a qualified applicant and does not have to file again. There also is a dispute whether he has to apply under The new tariff that was adopted in May 2024 or the previous one in place when he originally applied. Deweber said he has been told by thePUC staff not to reapply as he as the original
tariff applies.
Read the full story in the May 15 Bowie News.
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