Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 153, No. 23, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 31, 2002 Page: 1 of 12
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Ijerokeeaij/Herald
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper - Established Feb. 27, 1850 as the Cherokee Sentinel
Sales Tax Rebates
rokee County sales
^ rebates down 4.23
percent from July 2001
See page 3
Vol. 153, No. 23-12 Pages Wednesday, July 31, 2002
Rusk, TX 75785
25 cents
John Rosser complains to CCAD Board,
asks appraisals be set at true market value
■ Citizen hints at
possible lawsuit
Rusk citizen John Rosser
met with the Cherokee
County Appraisal District
Board Monday afternoon to
ask the board to rescind the
2002 property assessments
and set appraisals at market
value . During his presentation,
Mr. Rosser hinted that he might
sue the district if they did not
comply to his wishes.
Mr. Rosser said he owns a
three plus acre tract, five resi-
dential lots and his homestead
for a total of five properties in
the City of Rusk. Four lots, he
said, after four years without
change increased in excess
of 40 percent on each. A fifth
lot increased 97.56 percent,
He noted that the only tract
not experiencing an increase
was purchased at a sheriff's
tax sale.
Mr. Rosser has submitted
complaints to the district
review boardin 1995,1997 and
1999. Each time he received an
adjustment on his taxes. In the
late 1990s, probably in August
of 1998, he filed suit against
the appraisal district and lost.
That suit cost the county tax-
payers S 1.000 in legal fees and
$ 1,000 in work hour s of CCAD
employees. Time in court was
le§s than 45 minutes.
Mr. Rosser alludedto another
suit in the event the CCAD
board does not comply with
his wishes.
The board doesn't appraise
taxeg, Lee Flowers, chief
appraiser said.
I?. K. Darby Jr., board chair-
man, said, "The board hires
a CEO, who supervises the
employees."
The appraisal (list rid oper-
ates according to laws enacted
by the state legislature,
"You are asking us to do
something that we can't do,"
Mr. Flowers said. He suggested
that Mr. Rosser might want to
contact the legislature concern-
ing issues,
Mr. Rosser referred to dissat-
isfaction ofpersons hving in the
district's boundaries.
Mr; Flowers told him that
most of the people served are
satisfied with the appraisal
district. He read a number of
letters from citizens within the
district. There were approxi-
mately 470 persons who con-
tacted his office with concern-
ing about this year's appraisals.
Of that number more than 330
persons withdrew their con-
cern after talking with a staff
member. Of the remainder who
requested a meeting with the
review board, 27 had changes
in values and 18 received no
change and there were 20-30
persons who did not show up.
In his formal request to the
board, Mr. Rosser asked for
periodic three-year intervals
to coincide with the period of
required review. He asked for
incremental changes, which
would show less dramatic
variation in values established
by actual market trends.
Mr. Rosser suggested to the
board that they hire an inde-
pendent contractor to collect
data in order to establish rates
of appreciation, local cost fig-
ures and capitalization rates.
The information collected by
their independent contractor
wouldbe confidential and could
be used for certain purposes.
He thinks that this individual
should contact the owner of
three title companies, lend-
ers, builders and buyers and
sellers with the assurance of
confidentiality. After the num-
bers are compiled, the specific
identifications and associated
Please see CCAD page 6
Shot Down...Town
W
Mary Mitchell, LVN, gives Alexis Beck, held by father
Lucas Beck, part of her childhood imunization shots
at the Cherokee County Health Department office in
Rusk. A free week for back to school immunizations
will be July 31 -Aug. 7 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 -5 p.m.
The Jacksonville office will hold a free day on Aug. 6
from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-6:30 p.m. No appointments
are necessary.
Boot Scootiist In East Texas
State Senator Todd Staples, left and Land Commissioner David Dewhurst, right flank the podium
as Gov. Rick Perry speaks in Jacksonville Thursday.
Gov. Rick Perry responds to negative attacks
By Lauren González
Cherokeean/Herald writer
Gov. Rick Perry is taking
his trademark cowboy boots
and "boot-scootin " across East
Texas.
Just four days after Demo-
cratic gubernatorial candidate
Tony Sanchez brought his mes-
sage to Jacksonville, Gov. Perry
launchedhis campaign visions for
Texas. In a bus tour that traveled
through rural communities from
Jacksonville, Henderson, and
Nacogdoches south to Livingston
and Lufkin, the Republican gov-
ernor emphasized his campaign
theme of "Experienced Leadership
for All Texans.'"
Before a crowd of about 100
Thursday afternoon at the Sum-
Gov. Perry's boots
mers Nor man Activity Center , Gov.
Perry recéivedfrequent choruses of
"amen" as he outhnedhis blueprint
to build a stronger Texa s education
system.
His five-point plan calls for
an early education preparation
for pre-school children, dropout
prevent ion initiatives, increased
emphasis on science and tech-
nology curriculum, professional
development and peer mentoring
for educators and greater use of
technology in instruction and
assessment.
"I believe in the simple prem-
ise that every child, regardless of
financial means, where they live
or the sound of their last name,
is entitled to the best education
possible,'' Perry said. "Education
gives power to the life and hopes
of every child. Education means
empowerment: it means opportu-
nity; it means a brighter future."
Please see PERRY page 6
TDCJ sets Rusk seminar
■ Prisons want to hire
150 new employees
A Texas Department of Corrections
hiring seminar to recruit correctional
officers for Skyview and Hodge Units
will be heldin Rusk at 7 p.m. Aug. 15.
TDCJis authorized toemploy between
100-150 new employees for the two
Rusk units.
"This is something that we have
been hoping for some time,'' said
Assistant Warden Jesse Wicks. The
hiring seminar will be held at the
Skyview Prison Unit.
In the past Rusk people have been
recruited to work at prison untis in
Anderson County, andhave worked up
to five years before being allowed to
transfer to Cherokee County. Now with
this seminar, they will be recruited and
will work on the Rusk units. An Officer
Academy will be held in Rusk.
The Skyview Unit is a half mile west
of Rusk on FM 2972 off Highway 69
North of Rusk.
This seminar will provide informa-
tion about the duties of a correctional
officers, qualifications, salary benefits
and application process.
Interested applicants will be sched-
uled for screening the week of Aug.
20.
Starting salary is $ 1,716 per month.
New employees will be promoted after
three months and will be paid $1,866.
Salary tops out at eight years with
employees chawing $2,589 in salary.
Please see TDCJ page 6
Rusk power outage makes
customers 'hissing mad'
■ Saturday night power
glitch caused by chicken
snake at substation
Rusk and Alto residents, along with
repair crews from ONCOR. were
"hissing mad" over a power outage
Saturday night.
Approximately 2,000 customers
were withoutpower beginning around
9:45 p.m. when a snake curled up on
one of the main breakers at the power
sub-station west of Rusk on U.S. Hwy.
84,;
TXU ONCOR employees scrambled
to the power station and found that
the snake triggered a spark on a 24
KV totahzing breaker, which inter-
The culprit of Saturday night's
power outage was a chicken snake,
which left 2,000 customers without
power.
rupted service from a transformer to
four feeder lines.
Despite receiving thousands ofvolts
Please see POWER page 6
Economic development Fourth annual sales tax holiday set Aug. 2-4
discussed at meeting
Rusk Main Street Eco-
nomic Development Com-
mittee hosted a meeting
July 24 to update citizens
on the committee's activities
over the past year. Approxi-
mately 30 persons gathered
for the afternoon meeting in
the Southern Cherokee Fed-
eral Credit Union to discuss
ideas and volunteer to help
coordinate Rusk's economic
development.
Members of the coram its
tee had attended a seminar
held by ONCOR Energy Co.
recently. At the seminar they
discussed how to maintain
present businesses and to
attract new industries to
Rusk.
Strengths and weaknesses
were listed, as well as priori-
tiesandgoalsto makethecity
grow economically.
The group wrote a mission
statement, "To facilitate eco-
nomic growth throughretain-
ing and expanding existing
businesses and identifying
and attracting new busi-
nesses.''
Martha Neely, Main
Street/Economic Develop-
ment Coordinator, discussed
possible grants and the two-
three that the committee is
pursuing.
The group has Solicited
help from Jacksonville and
Nacogdoches in recruiting
new industry and busi-
Please see ECONOMIC page 6
■ Sales tax break
starts Aug. 2
Count y shoppers have a new
way to save a buck or two with
the fourth annual sales taxholi-
day Aug. 2-1. Lay-away plans
can also be used to take advan-
tage of the sales tax hohday.
That should be good news
to parents preparing for the
yearly back to school shopping
frenzy.
The sales tax break starts at
12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 2 and
ends at midnight on Sunday,
Aug.. 4.
"The tax break is expected to
save Texas consumers millions
in state and local sales taxes.
This is one time hard-working
Texans can keep their money in
their pockets for their families'
Please see SALES TAX page 6
2002 Holiday from Sales Tax
Texans get a break from state and local sales taxes Aug. 2-4, the state's second back-
to-school tax holiday. Most clothing and footwear priced under $100 will be exempt.
Some of the items and their exemptions include:
Tax Free
Baby clothes
Bathing suits
Belts with attached buckles
Boots: cowboy, hiking
Caps/hats: baseball, fish-
ing, golf, knitted
Choir robes
Coats and wraps
Costumes
Diapers: adult and baby
Dresses
Gloves (generally)
Gym suits and uniforms
Hooded shirts, hooded
sweatshirts
Hosiery
Jackets
Jeans
Jerseys-baseball, football
Jogging apparel: bras,
suits and shorts
Neckwear and ties
Pajamas
Pants and tr
Rai
Ro]i
si
«cling fit
athleti
cl jackets
smts
Underwear
Work clSthesTluiiforiiis
Taxable
AfccessomejSLÍgenerally):
repssreiT
holders
ackpacks
Baseball cleats and pants
Belt buckles (without belt)
Boots: climbing, fishing,
rubber work boots, ski,
waders
Buttons and zippers
Cloth and lace, knitting
yarns, other fabrics
Dry cleaning services
FoptbajU pants
olf gkn
(es
andbad
Handkerchiefs l
Hard ha
Helmets: bike, baseball,
foolball, hockey, motor-
cycle, sports
lee skates
Jewelry
Laundering services
Leather goods: except
belts and wearing
apparel
Pads: football, hockey,
soccer, elbow, knee,
shoulder
Personal flotation devices
Rented clothing (includes
uniforms, formal
wear, costumes)
Roller blades/skates
Saftey clothing, glasses
Shoes: bicycle cleated,
bowling, golf
Wallets
Watches
C IV K
EP-
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 153, No. 23, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 31, 2002, newspaper, July 31, 2002; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152528/m1/1/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.