Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 154, No. 31, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 Page: 1 of 16
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Cherokeean
500
HERALD
Vol. 154, No. 31 - 16 pgs.
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Rusk, TX 75785
BALL FEVER
We've got the stats on Cherokee
County football. Read Leland
Acker, Randall Birdsong and Don
Wallace this week.
pgs. 10-12
photo by
WolfWhitaker
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper
■Uí-íísíí
Bear-y happy people
at Crisis Center
The Anderson and
Cherokee County
Crisis Center recently
received a state grant
for $102,000. Theorga-
nization help s battered
women and children in
the two counties.
seepg. 14
INSIDE
Don't get (flu) bugged
The Cherokee County
Health Department will
administer flu vaccines at
the health department in
Rusk from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday through Thursday
and at the Jacksonville
Health Department from
7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every
Tuesday.
Flu shot clinics will be
held from 10:30 a.m. to 11
a.m. Sept. 25 at the Elderly
N utrition Program in Rusk;
8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 29
at the Meals on Wheels site
in Jacksonville: 11 a.m. to 1
p.m. Oct. 15 at the court-
house in Rusk: 8 a.m. to
10 a.m. Sept. 30 at the Alto
school.
Sufficient supplies of flu
vaccine should be available
during the coming influ-
enza season. The Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) predicts
that everyone wanting to get
a flu shot to avoidinfluenza,
regardless of age or health
status, should be able to get
vaccinated.
see photo pg. 3
Local economy improves
The State Comptroller
recently released sales
tax rebates to cities and
counties, and it appears
that the local economy is
improving.
see page 3
Indictments returned
The Cherokee County
grand jury met recently
and returned 12 true bill
indictments, including a
murder charge.
see page 7
INDEX
Letters 3
Obituaries 4
Area churches 4
Rusk Eagles 10
Alto Yellowjackets 11
Jacksonville Indians.. 12
Classifieds 13-14
Rusk High theater 15
Alto's new teachers... 16
Weather Outlook
THURSDAY
Partly cloudy
High:
Low:
84
63
.DIES ROTIO
KWroSfcfMiind IfTLU AM
County sets $13.2 million budget
By Gloria Jennings
Cherokeean Herald writer
Cherokee County Commis-
sioners adopted a 60 cent per
$100 property valuation tax
rate at a meeting Monday
morning in the county court
room. The rate is 4,5 cents
higher than the 55.50rate used
last year. The tax rate for the
year 2001-02 was 53 cents.
The new rate includes 41.25
cents for the general fund: 1
cent for indigent health care:
0.73 cent for intere st and sink-
ing fund: 3.52 cents for contrac-
tual obhgations and 13.5 cents
for county lateral road fund.
Cherokee County Tax Rate
2002-03
2003-04
general fund
34.6$
41.25$
indigent health
1.0
1.0
interest and sinking
.6
0.73
contractual obligations
3.8
3.52
lateral road fund
15.5
13.50
TOTAL
55.5$
60.0$
graphic: Cherokeean/Herald
Two cents was taken from
the lateral road fund lowering
that amount from 15,50 cents
to the 13.50 cents. Commis-
sioners did this to reduce the
tax rate hike. Contractual
obhgations rate was lowered
from 3.80 cents to 3.52 cents
in the new budget. The general
fund rate was increased from
34.6 cents to 41.25,cents. Inter-
est and sinking fund rate was
Please see TAX RATE, pg. 6
New budget is
$714,963 more than
last year
Cherokee County Commis-
sioners adopted a $13,282,376
county budget at a meeting
Friday morning in the county
courtroom. The new budget
shows an increase of $714.963
over last year's budget of
$12,567,443.
The budget will be financed
with a 60 cent per $100 valu-
ation tax rate, which com-
missioners adopted Monday
morning.
The tax rate includes 41.25;
cents in the general fund: 1
cent in the indigent health
fund: 0.73 cents in the inter-
est and sinking fund: 8.52 cents
in contractual obhgations fund:
and l3,50 cents in lateral road
fund.
Sheriff department pay
increases that voters approved
in a referendum election last
fall are included in the budget.
The raises began Jan. 1, 2003,
and will continue in this
budget. Also, included in the
new budget will be a salary
increase for the License and
See COMMISSIONERS, pg. 6
Rusk Homecoming 2003
As escort Johnathan Polk looks on,
Angie Griffin is crowned the 2003 Home-
coming Queen. Tara Daniel, last year's
queen, places the crown on her head.
Rusk High School senior duchesses
include from left Katie Parsons and Jen-
nifer Dover.
-photos by Lynn Littlejohn
INSIDE
RHS pep rally photos 9
Leland Acker's football story 10
2 cases o West
Nile suspected
2 men in Cherokee
County are being
checked
Two suspected cases of
human West Nile Virus have
now been reported, according
to Ken Hannah, Cherokee
County disease surveillance
coordinator.
Hannah said that both cases
involved middle age men, one
in the Jacksonville area and
another in the vicinity of Wells,
are now being investigated.
"Last week we received
confirmation of a positive case
of equine encephalitis due to
WNV and recently a dead blue
jay has testedpositivefor WNV,
1 want to say, that these cases
are just suspected cases and
not confirmed cases," Hannah
said.
Please see WEST NILE, pg. 6
Electricity rates
will go up Jan. 1
Residential
customers will pay
59% more
By Robert Gonzalez
Cherokeean Herald writer
It's almost official. TXU7
SESOQ just filed a proposed
rate increase with the Texas
Public Utilities Commission
which will raise the rates that
most customers in Cherokee
County must pay.
The local provider held an
informational meeting in mid
July to explain why electric-
ity rates may go up January
2004. Because the contract
price they now have expires at
the end of December, a new rate
must be negotiated with power
generators. If approved by the
Texas Public Utility Commis-
sion, we know how much that
increase will likely be.
TXU/SESCO has filed a
revised Price to Beat rate
increase of 59 percent and a
fuel cost pass through increase
ranging from a low of 17 per-
cent to a high of 45.2 percent,
depending on the rate class.
A pubhc notice filed in this
issue of the Cherokeean Herald
gives the example of a residen -
tial customer using 1,000 kilo-
watt hours per month. The
hypothetical user will see his
electric bill rise by approxi-
mately $19.91. Meanwhile
a small business using 2,500
kilowatt hours per month
w ill experience an increase of
$51.94 per month.
Why are prices going up
Please see TXU/SESCO, pg. 6
Mayor says announcement of 20-acre gift was premature
32-unit apartment
complex called a
pilot project
By Marie Whitehead
editor
Rusk's City Council was to
have discussed and possibly
acted on a plan to give 20 acres
of its land to Rusk Independent
School District at its Tuesday,
Sept. 23 meeting. The land,
which is commonh called the
Cannon Property on U.S. 84
west, would be used to build
an apartment complex owned
and managed by a non-profit
corporation to provide quality
housing for RISD employees.
The announcement of the
city's plan was submitted to
the RISD board of education
at its meeting Monday, Sept.
15 by assistant city manager
Martha Neely.
In an effort to clarify the city's
position. Mayor CharlesHorton
and RISD superintendent Dr.
Jim Largent agreed to meet
with the Cherokeean Herald
Thursday morning.
Inessence, accordingto Mayor
Horton, his city employee had
"jumped the gun'' in making a
premature announcement. He
said that he recalled a meet-
ing with Dr. Largent, Kevin
(City Manager Bowden), Mrs.
Neely and possibly one or two
more. He said that this was an
information gathering session,
not an official meeting, nor a
meeting for making any com-
mitments.
Superintendent Largent
explained. "When we moved
here, housing was scarce, it
still is. I have been to so many
meetings the past three years,
during which the issue of a
housing shortage has been
discussed. We talk about it and
talk about it and I am tired of
talking. I want to do something
about the problem of "quality
housing" for our school faculty
and personnel,"'
"Actually I have been trying
to come up with a plan for a
year or more. What is being
proposed is a pilot project in
Texas. No other school district
has attempted to go into the
housing business;' said Dr.
Largent.
As he further explained, "This
is a 32-unit project estimated
at $2.5 million and will operate
as a 501c3 non-profit organiza-
tion. The planner is Architec-
tural Concepts, Inc. of Hurst,
near Dallas.
" This comp any is experienced
in the construction of school
facilities. They will guide the
planning to the calling for a bid
and selecting a contractor. On
completionit will be turnedover
to a board for operation,'' said
the School superintendent.
At the Sept. 15 meeting, the
gchool board approved a Rusk
Educational Housing Corpora-
tion boar d to be composed of Dr.
Largent, board member Bryan
Selden andPaulMcCullough of
Architectural Concepts, Inc.
"We had 56 persons indicate
they would be interested in
living ::i quality housing."
-Rusk ISD Superintendent Dr. Jim Largent
The school official said
that his contact with the city
stemmed from an inquiry
—seeking a site with the needed
acreage for such a complex. This
location wa s presented because
ofi is proximity to schools, loca-
tion inside the the city limits,
city utihties and services.
"We surveyed our people.
Rusk State Hospital and
TDCJ, seeking responses to
a housing questionnaire, We
had 56 persons indicate they
would be interested in hving in
quality housing, if available,''
stated Dr. Largent. "One survey
found 20 of our per sonnelliving
in one apartment complex in
Jacksonville,'' he said.
The type of corporate struc-
ture planned provides the
equivalent of tax abatement.
"This is no different than offer-
ing private enterprise special
adjustments on taxesfor a year
or several years," said Mayor
Horton.
It wa s not believed by the two
men that this facility will be
subject to city, school or county
ad valorem taxes.
A Cherokee County Appraisal
District office employee said
non-profit corporations are
usually handled on a case by
casebasis. Al I lie Sept. 15 meet-
ing, Mr. McCullough saidrental
charges wouldrange from $400
to $750 per month. Floor plans
Please see 20 ACRES, pg. 6
C IV K
EP-
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 154, No. 31, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 24, 2003, newspaper, September 24, 2003; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152590/m1/1/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.