El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 61, Ed. 1 Saturday, October 22, 1983 Page: 3 of 24
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El Campo Leader-News, El Campo, TX. Sat., Oct. 22. 19K3 Pago $ A
City Council Members Paint Rosy Picture
By CHRIS BARBEE
The City of El Campo was reported to be healthy
and in good hands Wednesday at the third annual
State of the City Luncheon sponsored by the El Campo
Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture.
The meeting was moderated by Ed Weinheimer and
provided the attending citizens the opportunity to ask
members of City Council, the city manager and the ci-
ty attorney questions. It also afforded an opportunity
to introduce city department heads.
A few questions, which alluded to such issues as
parks, streets and community center, all received
similar answers from councilihen. In summation, if
the city had the money, all things would be possible.
According to a report given by Mayor Cecil Davis,
some progress is being made on streets, bed most of
the emphasis on streets and parks is on maintenance.
Davis, and City Manager Robert Lundy, told the au-
dience of approximately 75 people, that some relief
lies on the horizon in the form of an increase in the
room occupancy tax The Texas Legislature, in Hepse
Bill 1836, allows the tax to be raised to 7 percent, a
move the mayor said he hopes council will approve.
El Campo presently collects 2 percent, which is given
to the chamber and the museum.
Used largely for tourism purposes, it was reported
that 3 percent of this tax may go toward the operation
of a community or civic center, and 1 percent by law
could go to the Art League.
“The nice thing about the hotel-motel tax is that it is
the people who come in from outside who pay it. It’s
like new money,” Ruth Frnka said.
Lundy said the city sales tax receipt for September
was almost $100 above the payment last September.
“It says to me that the economy in El Campo is on the
upturn,” he said.
Following the introductory remarks by the mayor
and city manager, questions were asked of various
councilmen, the manager and attorney. Some of those
questions and answers follow.
Q: What support will City Council give the Rotary
Club to build a new community center?
A: “I believe this is a city function, and the city
should provide the leadership and arrangement of
financing in some manner. I feel the city should do the
planning, and possibly with input from the Rotary
Club or other people who have an interest in it,”
Walter Ely answered. He also said he would favor
dedicating the 9 percent of the hotel-motel tax to the
center if the council approves a 7 percent tax.
Q: Does the city have any judgments against pro-
perty owners who owe the city for paving now? If not,
is the city going to proceed?
A: Collins said there are no judgments at the time,
and there will probably be none filed.
“In the past it has been the policy of council not to
execute on judgments, in other words, so we don't
throw some little old widow lady out in the street. ” He
said the city generally waits for a change of owner-
ship at which time a tax lien put on the property is
discovered. Before the property can be sold, the pav-
ing must be paid and the lien released.
Q: What do you think of the State of the City forum,
and should it continue?
A: “I think it’s a good thing. I moderated it a year
and a half ago and there were some very good ques-
tions asked. There was some action taken as a result
of it. The only way a councilperson can know what’s
going on is if people tell him. Yes, I think we should
continue it every year or so,” new councilman Bubba
Parker said.
The mayor added later that council meets the se-
cond and fourth Monday of each month, at which time
citizens with questions or concerns will be given the
floor.
Q: When is the city seriously going to get together
with the school and the county to divide the function of
tax administration, that is mailing statements, collec-
tion, etc.7
A: "There is nothing in the wind at the present
time,” Lundy said. “I had hoped our legislators when
they set up the county appraisal districts had said at
that time that tax appraisals would be made by that
board, the tax statements would be sent out by that
unit and that tax collections would be made by that
unit. But that was not the case..
“So far as we’re concerned we would be open to
some discussion at any time. We really only have one
person ... in our city hall that deals with taxes . .. with
the rolls and with the billing.
Q: Does the city have any plans to upgrade the park
facilities, and why doesn’t the city have a Parks and
Recreation Department supervisor?
A: “Currently, in the budget, we just don’t have the
funds to have a parks department superintendent. In
Friendship Park all we can do is repair the equip-
ment,” Philip Miller said.
“Until we can accumulate the funds that are
necessary, we are going to have to go at a snail’s pace
because we have more imporiani inings, and I know
that sounds bad. buf there are more important things
that we need to do, such as water and sewer, streets
and bridges .”
Q: Concerning drainage and the flooding in the
south ride of town, the question was, “Are we being
treated like second class citizens?"
A: Davis said if water in or around a house makes a
second class citizen, then there were a lot of second
class citizens this week He said the south side, par
ticularly the southwest side, is in the flood plain “It s
a bad situation, but God made it that way. When you
have water coming down it just doesn’t have any
place to go.... You just can’t take 11-12 inches of water
off of flat land There’s just so much you can do w ith
it.”
Q: Will the city ever do anything about the inconsis-
tent number system?
A: Councilman Travis Raun said a new system is
being studied. “I don’t know how this will be ac-
complished. It’s not going to be easy to explain to peo-
ple that their numbers are being changed, but it is
very necessary. It is a problem for emergency ser-
vices, for mail deliveries and for visitors to our city . ”
Q: How are city committee members picked, why
can’t there be a variety of membership and why can’t
their be a limitation on time of service?
A: David Zalman said the problem is that not many
people want to serve on the committees. He said if a
time limitation was set, the city would run out of com-
mittee members due to lack of interest. He said peo
pie interested in serving on the committees should let
city hall know so they can be considered in the future
Short Stories
Northside Elementary has done
it again! A special letter on White
House stationery has made them
an official physical fitness
champion in Texas for 1983. The
letter, signed by George Allen,
chairman of the President’s
Council on Physical Fitness and
Sports, states: “Your school
qualified a higher percentage of
students for the Presidential
Physical Fitness Award than any
other school of similar enrollment
in your state. This ac-
complishment is a tribute to the
high quality of your school’s
physical fitness program.” And
we add our hearty
congratulations to the youngsters
and staff and Northside.
Mr. and Mrs. Lucian Kainer
returned Monday morning from a
trip to Acapulco. Mexico, which
they won during the Country
Calico Dance benefit for Crime
Stoppers in September. The
couple spent four days and three
nights there and had a wonderful
time, they say.
A new Cub Scout pack will be
organized Tuesday night at 6 p.m.
in the Louise School cafetorium.
The new pack will be sponsored
by the Louise Lions Club. All boys,
ages eight, nine or 10 years old are
invited to have a parent bring
them to the meeting.
The El Campo High School and
Junior High School choral
departments will join together for
their fall choral concert on
Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in
the ECHS auditorium. The con-
cert will feature four choirs:
seventh grade girls choir, seventh
and eighth grade boys choir,
eighth grade girls choir and the
ECHS mixed choir. The public is
encouraged to attend.
Precinct 3 County Com-
missioner Arvid Schoeneberg said
he would like to hear from people
whose homes had water in them
Monday. “The better information
I have, the better planning I can
do. It may be a problem I can’t
help, but I’d like to look into it,”
he said. The Precinct 3 barn
number is 648-2302.
And County Clerk Delfln Marek
said absentee balloting is un-
derway for the Constitutional
Amendment election set for Nov.
8. Balloting can be done at his
office in the courthouse, or at El
Campo City Hall. The Leader-
News will feature an explanation
of the proposed amendments
Wednesday as a public service.
Wharton County Com-
missioners Court passed a
resolution Friday endorsing the
week of Nov. 13-19 as ‘‘Texas
Community College Week” in
Wharton County. “We feel
Wharton County Junior College
has served our community ad-
mirably.” Judge Ed Wuthrich
said. Also, Nov. 16 was designated
as Wharton County Wellness Day.
WCJC will offer special programs
on that day.
CAD Hires New
Appraisal Firm
The Wharton County Central
Appraisal District Board of
Directors decided Thursday to
change appraisal engineering
firms and awarded a two-year
contract to Capital Appraisals of
Austin.
Other contenders were T Y
Pickett and Company of Dallas,
the CAD’s previous appraisers,
and Pritchard and Abbott
Although Pickett was the low
bidder at $52,000. the board voted
on Capital because they were not
satisfied with Pickett’s per
formance in the past, said Dan
Gertson. board chairman
Gertson sa id the board had been
inconvenienced because Pickett
had not supplied necessary in-
formation on time
“We chose the best bid for the
service." said Don Taylor.
Wharton city manager
Capital's Wd was 6M.Q60 and
Pritchard and Abbott bid 161.500
In other business Thursday, the
board agreed to purchase liability
insurance for one year from
Brady Insurance Agency of
Wharton
The insurance which is similar
to what Wharton (aunty has.
would cover the CAD employees,
board of directors and Appraisal
Review Board.
The board voted for a $10
million policy, because it
provided 10 times the coverage of
a $1 million policy, at only twice
the cost. The premiums will be
$1.936 80 with a maximum
deductible of $2,500 or $500 per
employee
The insurance covers any
decisions made be CAD em-
ployees or public officials, except
those that involve fraud or
corruption, Gertson said The
board felt the insurance was
necessary. Gertson said, out of
fairness to the businessmen and
employees whose assets would be
jeopardized b> anv type of
lawsuit
George Brady, insurance
representative, said the insurance
would also protect employees or
beard members who kHft or ware
Hus is the first year the CAD
haa had such covarage The policy
become! Wfactive immediately
Brady said Thursday
WCJC Satellite Campus Progressing
By KAY KENNEDY RICE
The temporary classroom
building at the Richmond satellite
campus may be officially open
Oct 31, Grace Finto, campus
coordinator, told the Wharton
County Junior College Board of
Trustees Wednesday night.
“If everything goes according
to plan,” Finto said, “we hope to
move in Friday, Oct. 28, and open
the following Monday.” A ribbon
cutting is scheduled with the
Richmond Chamber of Commerce
at 9 30 a.m., Tuesday, Nov 15
Hurricane Alicia and a
bankrupt subcontractor have
delayed completion of building.
The college hopes to construct a
permanent building when a
decision is made on a main-
tenance tax for the area to sup-
port the costs of construction.
Finto said there afe still some
minor problems with the building
that must be resolved. But the
building is very attractive, she
added, and many people have
been amazed at its spaciousness.
Current enrollment at the
satellite campus is 253 daytime
students and 217 nighttime
students. This is an unduplicated
count, she said, and does not in-
clude those who also attend the
main campus and are both day
and night students
In other action Wednesday
night, Dr. Theodore Nicksick,
president of the college, assured
the board that some type of
recruitment program for both
band and Starlettes would be
available in January.
The college is currently looking
for a new band director and a
physical education teacher, who
would also oversee the Starlettes
dance team.
A one-year moratorium had
been placed on the two
organizations this year because of
lack of participation.
Dr. John Brooks, dean of
continuing education and com-
munity services, told trustees that
CETA (Comprehensive
Employment Training Act)
program had been replaced on
Oct. 1 with the new Job Training
Participation Act (JTPA).
Brooks hopes to serve between
70 and 100 students this year in
both vocational and basic skills
programs He expects ap-
proximately $120,000 in fuAdlng
from the Houston-Ga Ives ton Area
Council and between $40450,000
from the Texas Education
Agency.
One major difference between
the new program and the CETA
program. Brooks said, is JTPA
does not pay a stipend. Applicants
will have to use their own
resources for clothing, shelter and
food.
Brooks added that the fledging
cosmetology program is off to an
excellent start. The program
began accepting clients from the
community on Oct. 3. New
students will be accepted into the
three-month program on Dec. l.
The college’s senior citizen
program, which Brooks described
as “one of the most popular in the
state,” served 5,731 of the ap-
proximate 7,000 senior citizens
living in Wharton County from
Oct. 1, 1982, to Sept. 30. Services
include escorting, counseling,
physical fitness awareness,
homemaking, visitation and adult
basic education.
The college also operates
congregate meal services in
every town in the county.
Elvis Bryant, dean of oc-
cupational programs, told
trustees that enrollment has
decreased overall in the college’s
occupational programs. Three
areas have shown the greatest
drop: drafting, welding and
machine shop. These areas hsve
suffered, Bryant said, largely
because of the stow down in the oil
economy.
At the same time, the college’s
data processing courses have
flourished, Bryant added.
Nicksick reported that the
$467,623.30 had been received
recently from the Louise Hutchins
estate. Under the trust provisions,
$300,000 of that' will be placed in
endowment, while the remainder
will be used to operate and
maintain the Hutchins Research
Farm over a five-year period.
This latest addition to the
college's permanent endowment
fund will bring the total to half a
million, the bulk of which has
come from the Hutchins estate.
Nicksick said at least another
$100,000 is expected in September,
1964. The estate was initially to be
paid out over a 20-year period, but
the trust division has sped up the
process and the entire estate will
be paid out in one more year.
In other business Wednesday
the board:
• accepted the low bid of $5,400
from Wharton Tractor Company
for a tractor replacement and the
low bid of $2,680 from Eagle Lake
Implement for a new lawnmower.
• delayed accepting bids on a
new urethane roof for the Hut-
chins Memorial Center so that
specifications can be rewritten.
• accepted the low bid of $5,050
from Welders Equipment Com-
pany of Victoria for new welding
equipment:
• accepted bids for 54
microcomputers and other
computer equipment, totaling
$61,370. AU were tow bids except
for one, which did not meet the
specifications. TTie computers
will be used to set up new data
processing labs and will be used
by the accounting and office
education departments as well as
to automate other college offices.
• granted tacit approval to
future revision of the bidding
requirements, which require a
minimum cost of $10,000 before a
contract can he let for bids.
Nicksick is co;isidering towering
the minimum to save mon>iy on
smaller projects
USD Settles Bill With El Campo
By OWEN H. ELLINGTON JR.
The Ixxjise Independent School
Board of Trustees voted
unanimously Monday ni°ht to
settle an unpaid f7.500 bill with
the El Campo Independent School
District
The bill, concerning the
district’s participation in the Area
Vocational School, had gone
unpaid for five years, after a
change in state accounting
methods that apparently went
undetected by both districts
John Strnadel said he wasn't
sure why the change in ac-
counting had gone undetected, but
said the the fact that the ECISD
had not billed the school district
did not shed any light on the
problem.
The problem was first noticed
last month by Dr Joe Thedford.
ECISD business manager, who
brought it to Stntadel's attention
Strnadel recommended that the
board pay the bill.
Although the money will come
out of this year's budget. Louise
has already collected the money
from the state, but was unaware
of it because it was received in a
iump sum in state foundation
fund* In the past, the Mate writ
the money directly to El Campo.
which administers the program
Louise presently has 13 students
enrolled in the program
In the same motion, the board
approved a ISg3 1964 budget
amendment of ttOJNO to pay for
the loot five year* and also in
i igprg Is the new accounting
rhonps into this years budget
The hoard afoo potoad an
amendment to pay for the
district’s first principal payment
on the $40,000 energy
management system purchased
by the district this summer
The amendments increased the
total expenditures in General
Operating fund (excluding ac
tivity and food service) from
$1,137,156 to $1,175,956.)
In other action the board
decided to advertise for bids on a
1974 Vega, a B 80 computer
(donated to the school by
Brother’s Well Service last year
but never used by the district),
and a 1969 school bus
A 14-member text nook com-
mittee recommended by Strnadel
was also approved by the board.
The committee will be responsible
for selecting textbooks for the
1964-1965 school year.
Strnadel said that although
some teachers are not on the
board they will have an Input into
the selection of the books pur-
chased by the school district
Strnadel also handed out the
updates to the Texas Association
of School Boards (TASB) policy
manuels to be studied
The board also approved a 67
cents per mile reimbursement
rate for extracurricular travel
expenses The figure is arrived at
by computing the per mile cost of
driving and maintaining the
district’s buses, and is used to
compute the cost of tran-
sportation to extracurricular
activities That figure is later
deducted from transportation
expenses paid by the state.
Jacinto Cardenas, a school
custodian, was given a contract
renewal for a one year period
In special reports, the board
was informed that the school
district was now required by
federal law to audit 3 percent of
the students who applied for free
lunches, and given a copy of
University Interscholastic
League Constitution and Rules
book for their own information
Council To Consider Tax Increase
The El Campo Chamber of Commerce and
Agriculture will make a request before city coun
cil Monday night for a 2 percent increase in the
city hotel-motel lodging tax
Bob Wilkins, finance chairman for the
chamber, will make the request, which will bring
the total tax to 4 percent This additional revenue
will be used to help bolster the chamber's
depleted finances
The council will also swear in its newest
member. Melvin “Bubba” Parker III. who was
elected last week to complete the term of Alan
Sheffield, who resigned his position
In other action, the council will consider a re
quest from Don Coffman, manager of Knlcx. b>
renew the company'* franchise lor s 99-year
period
A new representative to the Wharton County
(‘antral Appraisal District Hoard of Directors
will also be named Monday night The new
representative will serve in 1964-85 Currently,
councilman Travis Raun is filling the vacancy
left by Sheffield
Also on Monday the council will:
• consider an ordinance rezoning from K 1.
single family district to a R-1A, single family
district, approximately four acres of land out of
southeast intersection of FM 2765 and Town and
Country Drive
• consider improvements made on Center
Street and Avenue K and a city manager s report
on the costs of const ruction
• consider an ordinance approving and adop
ting the written stotomont and report of the city
manager and ordering and setting a dale for u
public hearing on the matter
• consider an ordinance abandoning Askey and
KUune streets
• consider an ordinance adjusting residentlgI
and commercial gsrbsgw rotes
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Barbee, Chris. El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 61, Ed. 1 Saturday, October 22, 1983, newspaper, October 22, 1983; El Campo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1017590/m1/3/: accessed July 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Wharton County Library.