NEWS
City absorbing $700,000 to $800,000 in PCR shortfall
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
There was a 4-2 vote this week by the Bowie City Council not to increase the Power Cost Recovery Factor, which is part of the electric customer’s bill.
The item was listed as Power Cost Recovery increase and the council went into closed executive session citing competitive utility issues. After almost an hour the council returned to open session with Councilor TJay McEwen making a motion to accept the recommendation as presented by the city manager.
McEwen and Stephanie Post were the only yes votes with the motion failing. The meeting then adjourned.
There was about a dozen people in the audience who waited out the session many who afterward said on social media they felt their presence staved off a power rate increase. The majority of the city council also did not want to be the ones to raise electric rates which always creates citizen unrest.
With little information about what was proposed, City Manager Bert Cunningham said after the meeting he wanted to help educate the public on the PCRF and why he proposed an increase of .0111 that would have been just under $9 a month for an average residential customer. The city has been absorbing between $718,000 to $$806,000 during the past two fiscal years.
From information also provided to the city council at the meeting, he explained the PCRF is the variable portion of wholesale power costs and changes as needed based on factors in the wholesale market, including, but not limited to, increases or decreases in the cost of natural gas, the fuel that generates most of the electricity in Texas.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
A major crash on East Wise in front of the Second Monday parking on July 11 shut down traffic for several hours in the morning and sent two people to the Bowie emergency room.
The accident occurred at 9:53 a.m. Thursday at 1616 E. Wise involving a large sign installation truck and an SUV.
Briana Rollison, Bowie, was driving a 2001 Ford Expedition east in the 1600 block of E. Wise and the large truck from Turner Signs System of Richland Hills was traveling west on East Wise driven by Joshua Thompson.
The preliminary accident report states Thompson lost control of the vehicle crossing the double yellow line striking the SUV in front of the Parker Properties and Farm Services Building. The SUV was knocked into the ditch and later made it back on the roadway.
The truck rolled on the passenger side and slid about 50-100 feet west of the incident location. Skid marks from the truck were observed to start approximately 300-350 feet east of the crash location.
See the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Bowie City Councilors this week got their first look at the 2024-25 proposed budget seeing a balanced plan with a total operational budget of $23,296,885 in expenses, which is a little more than $1.4 million above the previous year’s budget.
Mayor Gaylynn Burris said Monday night the budget looks “eerily familiar” to last year, despite adding a few equipment purchases. City Manager Bert Cunningham said he had already slashed more than $300,000 from the department requests in order to get a balanced budget.
The utility fund is balanced with expenses of $12,595,995 and revenues projected at $12,601,000. In the general fund revenues are projected at $10,705,568 with expenses at $10,700,890. Total budget expenses are $23,296,885 and overall revenue projected at $23,306,568. Cunningham said it leaves a small margin to set forth a balanced budget.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Top photo: New chip and seal was laid on Elba and Lamb this week repairing well-worn roads near the Nelson/Mill drainage project. (Photo by Barbara Green)
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Few additional details have been released in connection with the Tuesday theft arrest of 97th District Attorney Casey Hall, and in a statement to the media the DA called the allegations “unfounded.”
The Montague County Grand Jury issued an indictment for Hall following the presentation of evidence in the case Monday by Assistant Attorney General Matthew Shawhan. The indictment is the result of an investigation initiated by county officials.
The indictment is for theft of property $2,500-$30,000 in value. Sheriff Marshall Thomas served the arrest warrant Tuesday afternoon. Justice of the Peace Two Jack Pigg arraigned Hall at the jail after her arrest at 2:33 p.m. She was released on $5,000 bond, which was set by retired District Judge Jack McGaughey on Monday.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
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