The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 242, Ed. 1 Monday, August 9, 1993 Page: 1 of 14
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Around Town 14A
What’s Inside...
Lifestyle 14A
Education 5A
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1
Police officer
delivers own
baby at home
Around Town.
......14A Opinion.......
10-13A Police Beat.
........6A Sports.........
......14A Stocks........
........2A Television...
........3A Weather......
.4A
Teachers train
at special
workshop
Tips for first-time
bank customers
What to expect...
,2A
HP omics.....
Sf^fLifestyle....
Movies......
Obituaries.
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Volume 71, No. 242
Telephone Number: 422-8302
Monday, August 9,1993
Baytown, Texas 77520
50 Cents Per Copy
No raises in proposed city budget
of both pay and retirement checks through Rountree proposes a switch to Cost Care, the retain insurance coverage through the city’s plan
additional payments for health insurance. same PPO Network used by Exxon. but their increase will be $100 more per month.
Health care costs are at a crisis stage throughout Costs will change. Retirees have not had to pay anything for personal
Baytown City Council will begin budget work the nation and despite the Clinton administration’s For a city employee insuring only himself, the coverage, but those with one to two dependents
sessions Thursday and as city officials move into efforts, no easy solutions are in sight. cost will increase from zero to $42 per month, were paying $82.50 for dependent coverage,
that tedious process, one thing is certain. City The city of Baytown has always offered Cost for the city to cover that same employee City funding for dental coverage will be
Manager Bobby Rountree’s recommendations traditional health care benefits to its employees will increase $32 from $160 to $192. eliminated, though dental insurance will still be
give city employees little to look forward to in tire and retirees. Currently the city contributes For an employee with any number of. depen- available to employees, but only if they pay the;
way of additional benefits. $2,115,408 for employee/dependent and retiree/ dents, the cost will increase that same amount — entire cost themselves.
fa fact, the proposed $45,410,462 budget leaves spouse coverage. The employees and retirees $42. The city’s share will increase $32. The budget work session will be held at 7 a.m.
no room for raises and will take a new chunk out contribute $327,957. Retirees will also face increased charges to Thursday in the conference room at City Hall.:
By Jane Howard
of The Baytown Sun
1
II
Vehicle replacement
program suggested
i
i
66
By Jane Howard
of The Baytown Sun
City finance director Monte
Mercer has come up with a plan
to smooth out the expenditures
for vehicle replacement.
It is called, quite logically,
the vehicle replacement prog-
The establishment
of this perpetuating
fund would give cur-
rent and future
councils the
flexibility to meet 5 ;
the uneven expends |
ture needs for capi-';
tal outlay.
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The premise is simple.
Rather than funding for vehi-
cle replacement on a “crisis-
response” basis, the plan would
provide a means of funding
expenditures through a perpe-
tuating fund. The vehicle
replacement program would
begin with $750,000 made
available through Housing
Finance Corporation refundings.
Vehicle purchases approved
in the city’s 1993-94 budget
would be made through the
vehicle replacement fund. The
department’s that receive new
vehicles wou:d then make lease
payments through their own
budgets, thus repaying the fund.
Proposed vehicle-related
expenditures for 1993-94
include 12 police vehicles, a
street sweeper, striping
machine, side loader for sanita-
tions and refinancing for the
wood chipper. Those total
$434,200, thus leaving $315,800
in the fund.
As each department paid back
the fund, payments for the year
would total $94,925 and with
interest earnings
of $23,215, bring the fund back
MR
if
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if
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Monte Mercer
Finance director •
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sic!
up to $433,940.
Mercer expects the fund to
remain fairly constant at around
$400,000, thus allowing for
more equipment to be replaced
annually with less strain on the
budget
“The establishment of this
perpetuating fund would give
current and future councils die
flexibility to meet the uneven
expenditure needs for capital
outlay,” said Mercer in a May
memo to City Manager Bobby
Rountree. ‘Timely replacement
would allow the city to mere
effectively control repairs dnd
maintenance costs and les$
downtime should convert to
more time for employees to
perform their various job fune-i
tions, thus enhancing productive
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Photo by Carrie Ptyor-Newman
Construction under way on bridge
The new West Main bridge over Goose Creek stream is scheduled to be completed in October 1994. The new bridge is
named after Perry Simmons, longtime Baytonian and former City Councilman. Kent Laza, director of engineering and
inspections, said construction is making it difficult for people to enter and exit the city's animal shelter and advised that
drivers pay extra caution in that area.
Time
&
the
ity.
I Of Hits 1909-
ilycro'i 350.31
Students share ideas about hometown
Dennis: Barbers Hill
district to lose funds
15078
: Waking
i
pattern of the street.
“I’d leave the street as it is. It would take
too much money to change it,” she said.
That money could be used for other pur-
poses, she said.
She suggested redesigning the old brick
planters which she said are too tall, block
traffic and lack consistency in planting.
Enterprise Zone committee chairman Car-
ole Opryshek agreed.
“That would look a lot better and improve
visibility,” she said. “It would also show that
(the city) is doing something in there. Then
we can work with the individual property
owners on other ideas.”
Osaria said the planters should be low-
ered. The ones that contain trees should be
have them removed or cut back severely.
She suggested breaking up large buildings
into areas for smaller shops, then encourag-
ing restaurants, delicatessens and other types
of shops to occupy these areas.
The student group’s ideas will be further
developed and presented for a final critique
at a meeting on Aug. 25, according to Kent
Hadnot, who works with the city’s Planning
and Community Development Department.
attraction for visitors.
Marshall also suggested building all-pur-
pose running and walking paths that would
meander through neighborhoods and com-
mercial areas, following Goose Creek
through strategic areas.
He suggested a park-and-ride program for
local industry workers, specifically in the
narrow streets of West Baytown, already
plagued by parking and traffic problems.
Student Melina Menchaco focused on the
Market/Minnesota street area during the
presentation.
She suggested that property owners deve-
lop consistencies that would tie their storef-
ronts together, such as sharing awnings and
matching windows.
Bellinda Osaria addressed problems on
Texas Avenue and made similar sugges-
tions.
By Jane Howard
of The, Baytown Son
Is Baytown ready for trolley cars or a bus
system linking West Baytown, Goose Creek
and Pelly with the new marina?
Can property owners be convinced to
spend money to spruce up their vacant
buildings?
These were some of the issues brought up
to the
45’s
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t a
Wide
By Amit Z. Baruch
of The Baytown Sun
MONT BELVIEU — Like
dozens of other Texas school
districts, both wealthy and
poor, the Barbers Hill school
district is challenging the
constitutionality of the new
state education funding pack-
age which strives to equalize
the amount of funding each
school district gets.
“According to an attorney
who represented the district
in the Senate Bill 351 case
(the Robin Hood plan), this is
basically the same school
funding system in a different
form,” A1 Dennis, Barbers
Hill superintendent said. “It is
a share-the-wealth scheme
that will ‘level down’ the bet-
ter schools in the state.”
Dennis claims that statew-
ide, the amount collected
from property wealthy dis-
tricts will be more.
“But our ability to provide
more for our students will de-
crease,” Dennis explained.
“Barbers Hill will lose more
than 50 percent of its taxable
66
CA) 35409
Barbers Hill will
lose more than 50 :•
percent of its tax- >;
able property
value through
Senate Bill 7 in
one form or
another.
wasr.
Cyrus:
vsAli
41711
Of
by students who submitted proposals
city’s Enterprise Zone Committee. The
group met Tnursday night at the Baytown
Community Center for tire first critique of
drawings, models and proposals submitted
by students studying Baytown’s enterprise
zones.
Student Julian Marshall proposed linking
areas throu
cally, with
He sugi
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challenge each of the five op- ,
tions as being an unconstitu-
tional state property tax,”'
Dennis said. “In the mean- „
time, we must live with Se-
nate Bill 7, and the district
must chose one or more of
the options to comply with
the law.” , 1
Dennis urges eligible vot-
ers in die Barbers Hill district
...90177
gh public transportation, specifi-
buses that look like trolley cars,
jested that the vacant Woolco
building, located at Highway 146 and Texas
Avenue, be used as a main terminal, with
stops along a route that would encircle
residential and business areas on West Main,
Market Street and Decker Drive and the
future marina site at Bayland Park. He said
this would not only provide inexpensi
transportation for citizens, but also an
90770
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-
...93876
things that
“We don’t want to
wpuld take an entire facelift,” she said.
She suggested that property owners strive
to create a welcoming, homey look by using
awnings and lampposts and by trying to
match store fronts and windows.
“The current facades and look of the
street are not helping,” she said.
She opposed changing the curved snake
54164
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ive
to attend the 7 p.m. Tuesday
information session at the
C.T. Joseph Conference
Room in the Administration
Building. Additionally, he
continues to stress the impor-
tance of voting on the options
between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 14, at the Bar-
bers Hill Administration
Building, or the Beach City
Community Building.
Early ballots may be cast
from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through
Tuesday, Aug. 10, at the dis-
trict’s administration
building.
Commission to look at building permit appeals
KS
'oin day ont,
at the
—Possible approval of an
another three member commit- mission members with legal
tee will be appointed to study an advice as they create a com- agenda request by Homero Silva
appeal from Gayla Pomykal to prehensive zoning plan. for a variance from building
build a horse bam and tack City Council will meet in lines,
room in the Cherry Point n regular session at 6:30 p.m.
subdivision.
A public hearing on ABC include:
' gen Service Corp.’s appeal —Possible
held at the commission’s
meeting last week, on Aug. 5
Monday’s meeting will also eting Company Inc.
presentation from City
Finnin A. Hickey Jr.,
By Ken Walker
of The Baytown Son
MONT BELVIEU — 'Die
city’s Planning and Zoning
Commission is scheduled to
meet at 4:30 p.m. Monday to
discuss two parties’ appeals for
variances from die city s mora-
torium on building permits.
A three-member committee
will make a recommendation to
the commission on ABC Nitro-
gen Service Corp.’s appeal, and
buy another
u Hite. After
lltional sales
However,
-Club-price
membership
—Standing committee reports
Monday. Items on the agenda from the annexation, citizens’
advisory, historical, ordinance
approval of a and planning and zoning com-
t for Diamond mittees and commissions,
hamrock Refining and Mark- —Reports from Hickey, city
department heads, Police Chief
—A presentation from EGP Jerry Whitman, Mayor Joe Dut-
Fuels Co. regarding a sink hole ton and City Engineer Jim
Hutchison.
■>
Bill 7 in one form or another.
And any taxes collected on
this ‘lost’ tax base will go to
the state or directly to another
school or schools.
“Barbers Hill is opposed to
school funding plans that
share the wealth, and will
to:
Nitro
; pipeline
. ShamtxH
permit for
was
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include a
Attorney
who has been providing com- on their premises.
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Dobbs, Gary. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 242, Ed. 1 Monday, August 9, 1993, newspaper, August 9, 1993; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1157780/m1/1/: accessed July 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.