Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 74, No. 19, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 24, 1976 Page: 1 of 12
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Microfilm Center, Inc. XXX
• P.O. Box 45436
Dallas, Texas 75235
The Tuesday —:----------------------------—-
DENTON Record-Chronicle
74TH YEAR OF DAILY SERVICE — NO. 19
DENTON, TEXAS, TUESDAY AFTERNOON, AUGUST 24, 1976
12 Pages in 2 Sections
16 Cents
Council Majority Voices Support
or White
By KERRY GL’NNELS €
City Editor
City Manager Jun White will investigate a
number of items brought up by Councilman Bill
Nash during a closed-door meeting of the city
council and report back later
Meanwhile, three council members joined in
publicly announcing their support of the city
manager and in expressing “our appreciation
for his dedicated and loyal performance "
But Councilman Ray Stephens denounced
those comments as an “emotional overreaction
to a situation I did not create," and refused to
echo the sentiment
Nash also did not sign the statement in support
of White
HOWEVER. HE said that "no charges were
City Bud
made against Jun White" during an executive
session Monday night which lasted until the
early hours Tuesday Nash again denied the
purpose of the meeting was ever to call for
White's dismissal
Nash was curt in his comments after Monday’s
closed-door hearing and appeared visibly upset
He said there still “is a wide difference of
opinion on how a city councilman should conduct
himself," an obvious reference to the criticism
he has drawn from his fellow councilmen on the
manner in which he asked that the executive
session be scheduled
Asked if the meeting resolved any of the
reasons he called the meeting to discuss White.
Nash replied, "I really think we'll have to wait
and see if any positive results will come of this
meeting"
Planners
He said discussion during the meeting
revolved around “general areas I had in mind
personally."
Councilman Joe Mitchell, one of the most vocal
critics of the way Nash handled the affair, said
the meeting about White was made up of
“complaints, rumors and stories he (Nash) has
heard ”
It is on those subjects that White told council
members lie would gather information, Mitchell
said
HE ADDED that "absolutely no personal
accusations were made about Jim (White).
There was no attempt of any kind to connect Jim
with any of the accusations." ‘
Mitchell said the justification for calling the
meeting, and publicly stating it would be about
the city manager, was questionable, and con-
cerned "routine items which should be more
Properly handled on a one-to-one basis” by White
and Nash
"No information was presented that would
even imply Jim has done anything wrong,” he
said
White, who was present for less than half of the
three-hour session, declined to comment on what
happened
“The council held a lengthy discussion. They
are now preparing a statement I will have to let
that statement speak for itself," he said.
In opposing the statement issued by Mayor
Elinor Hughes Mayor Pro Tern Ben Ivey and
Mitchell which expressed their “appreciation for
his (White's) dedicated and loyal performance,”
Stephens said White’s dedication and loyalty
were never in question
HE SAID the council w as more concerned with
White in his role as chief administrative officer
of the city
Stephens, meanwhile, supported a more
lukewarm statement of support which said, “The
council supports Jim White in his administrative
role as the chief executive officer and pledges its
continued support in their joint efforts to create a
responsible government for the people of Den-
ton”
Both Mrs Hughes and Ivey said they were
solidly behind White, but admitted the questions
surrounding the city manager probably have not
been laid to rest
Eye Deficit Elimination
City finance officials have some ideas on
how to eliminate the $300,000 deficit in the
general fund portion of City Manager Jim
Whites proposed $30.3 million budget for
1976-77
But the remedy. White admits will
provide precious little cushion in the general
fund in case of emergencies
City council members sat down with
White for the first time Monday to discuss
the specifics of the budget proposal, but
lengthy closed-door sessions covering the
North Texas State University street closing
issue and White's performance as city
manager cut down on the time the council
spent on the budget
During his overview of expenditures and
revenues included in his budget package.
White said his staff has “achieved the
degree of economy and cutting <of the
budget) possible without crossing the fine
line of policy-making “
IT SHOULD be up to the council he said,
to determine where expenditures, programs
and city services, if any, should be cut or
reduced from the bo get.
He said council me mbers and staff should
approach the budget on a team basis "
' The No 1 priority should be to balance the
budget. White said
To that end, he and Finance Director Bill
Bryant recommended a four-step solution to
the $300,000 general fund deficit between
expenditures and revenues
—$49,600 can be trimmed from a $200,000
contingency fund to be used for cost-of-
living raises for city employes by im
plementing those raises Jan t instead of at
the first of the fiscal year in October Cost-
of-living raises went to the city work force in
January of this veer
—$75,000 can be transferred into the
general fund from the sinking and interest
fund i which pays principal and interest on
outstanding booth) to be replaced with
revenue sharing money
$53,400 is estimated to be added in tax
revenues as a result of a re-evaluation of
city commercial and business property
which was not included in White's original
budget proposal. The re-evaluation will add
$3 million to the city's assessed valuation.
Bryant said
—$137,500 in surplus sinking and interest
funds also can be transferred to the general
fund They originally were earmarked for a
1975 general obligation bond sale which was
not conducted until last spring
TOTALLING MORE than $315,500, the
four recommendations would wipe out the
$306,300 projected deficit in the general
fund, leaving a razor thin surplus of $9,200
With the exception of manpower ex
penses, which rose from projected figures
this year of $3,644,400 to an estimated
$3,863,946 in 1976-77, White said general fund
expenditures have not nsen substantially
"We’re not very far from where we have
been except in personal services," he said
The city's work force has remained vir-
tually the same except in the parks
department — which will need more per-
sonnel as a result of the city's park bond
program — and the fire department —
where additional firemen will be needed to
man a proposed east-side fire station.
White said, however, the 1976-77 budget
"will not staff that new station.”
Rather, he said the additional fire
department personnel will move the city in
that direction by allowing civilian personnel
to take over dispatching duties in order to
free trained firemen for firefighting tasks.
IN ANOTHER area of general ex
penditures. White said the amount of money
spent for supplies is almost the same,
spelling an actual 5 or 6 per cent budget
reduction since material costs continue to
rise
He also justified a budget increase for
maintenance of structures and equipment
(from $476,700 to $530,0001 by stating that
cutting back on vehicle and equipment
maintenance will be only increase costs
farther down the line
“If we don’t put money in the budget we re
(still) going to have to repair the equipment
or take it out of service." he said
“We re only fooling ourselves if we do."
White added ”. We’ll just be creating
problems for ourselves"
BUDGET PLANNING — Members of the Denton City Council
discuss next year's budget in a special session Monday The figures
arrived at will take effect Oct. I, the beginning of Denton's next
Photo By LARRY BARR
fiscal year From left are Mayor Elinor Hughes, Joe Mitchell, Ben
Ivey Jr., Ray Stephens, Bill Nash and King Cole, assistant to the
city manager Facing the council is City Manager Jim White ’
County Okays Carri
By DIANA KUTSKY
Staff Writer
Architect Bob Halford said afterwards it was the
first time since county commissioners began
discussing the interior of the Carroll Park office
building that he d seen County Clerk Mary Jo Hill
smile
And indeed she was after commissioners agreed
Monday to give all of the first floor to her office
and then voted to finish all six floors of the
building
Commissioners last week discussed finishing
only four floors and leaving the county court-at-
law and part of the county clerk s office in the
present courthouse But now all courts and all of
Mrs Hill s office will be together in the new
building in fact, the only office which will remain
behind in the present courthouse will be the
medical services office
What the decision means to Mrs Hill is that her
office will make the move in one piece into a
facility that will have space for at least five, and
possibly 10, years of growth
"WE'RE READY to run now." Halford com-
mented, adding that schematic drawings of the
new courthouse will be completed within a month
with advertising for bids to follow soon after
Commissioners voted unanimously to finish all
six floors of the building after hearing the price
tag for renovation of the present courthouse set
between $109,000 - a “po boy" figure — and
$136,000.
Prec. 1 Commissioner Chester Sparks, who last
week opposed finishing six floors, bowed to the
pressure of his fellow commissioners, but told
Mrs. Hill to be sure the prices quoted on the
courthouse renovation were included in the
minutes of the meeting. The estimates, architects
said, were accurate to within 10 per cent of the
final cost ,
"I just went along with the bunch I wasn't fully
convinced, but probably they’re right that it's
cheaper (to finish all six floors at one time),”
Sparks said
Halford suggested that the juvenile detention
facility, currently housed in the overcrowded
courthouse annex, be moved to the second floor of
the courthouse when present occupants move out
HE SAID the probation office could occupy the
remainder of the second floor, with the county
extension, veterans services, a community
meeting room, county surveyor and county school
pe T11
ticA Plans
LJVU A C4ID
superintendent offices located on the first floor
Located in the basement would be the medical
services office, the welfare council and the city-
county health department
The third floor would be left vacant for future
growth, Halford said.
In other business, County Judge Dan Trammell
said he agreed with a letter from Denton resident
Bullitt Dowry that redistricting the voting
precincts in the county should be postponed until
after the November election.
“It would just confuse people to do it now," Mrs
Hill added
Lowry said that statutes require election
precincts to be based on the number of persons
voting in the last residential election and that
there has been no purge of the registration rolls for
several years
COM MISSIONERS also approved several minor
amendments to the by laws of Flow Memorial
Hospital based o n city approval of the amend-
ments
Trammell also read a letter from Westgate
Hospital administrator Jim Mullen stating that
the hospital is "in no position to handle highly
agitated and-orr violent persons" in Us limited
psychiatric care facilities
good afternoon
Volunteers At Work
\ The ear rly morning rains arrived too la te with too little to help John Mankin and Da Ie Grant of The Krum Volunteer Fire Department
• Myers, right, of Krum protect his parched pasture land from a putting out the blaze which happened on FM 2449 near Ponder
grass fire that occurred at about 4 p.m. Monday. At left are Troy RCA fonder.
Phoro By ROBERT HART
Morning Rainfall
Gives Little Relief
Showers that began during the wee hours Tuesday
morning ended more than a month of drought in Denton
and the surrounding area
The storm was complete with thunder and lightning,
but it dropped only .225 of an inch of rain on a parched
Denton County The last recorded rainfall was July 18,
when one-tenth of an inch fell
The showers brought welcome lower temperatures,
too. At 8a.m. today, it was only 68 degrees in downtown
Denton. .
More of the wet stuff was a possibility, with scattered
showers predicted for the North Texas area
Inside Today
DENTON SCHOOL trustees will take up the 1976-77
budget in a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the board
room at the Administration Annex, 909 Linden. Page 2A.
THE DENTON City Council wants to take a closer look
at the proposal by North Texas State University for the
closings of portions of Avenue D and Prairie Street
Page 2A
THE RELATIONSHIP between reading and spelling
problems is examined in the second part of “Johnny Still
Cant Read. But You Can Teach Him At Home Page
3A.
THE MIAMI DOLPHINS waived running back
Mercury Morris on Monday, and George Blanda feels
he'll be cut loose by the Oakland Raiders Sports. Page
1B
Index
Amusements
Classified
Comics
Crossword Puzzle
Editorials
Helen Help Vs
Horoscope
Lifestyle
News Briefs
Notepad
Seek&Find
Sports
2B
3-6B
5A
SA
4A
5A
SA
SA
SA
3A
SA
IB
SB
Showers
DENTON AND VICINITY:
Partly cloudy with scattered
showers—and a—few thun.
derstorms through Wed
nesday Low tonight 64 to 71.
High Wednesday 88 to 93
WEATHER REPORT
Low This Morning 66
High Monday 98
Low Monday 70
High Last Year 95
Low Last Year 75
The sun sets today at 8.07;
# rises Wednesday at 7:02.
RAINFALL
Last 24 Hours
Total For Month
Total For Year
Normal For Month
Last Year to Date
25.420
2.390
28.700
Schmitz Floyd-Hamlett
Funeral Home. Phones
382-2214 and 387-4300.
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Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 74, No. 19, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 24, 1976, newspaper, August 24, 1976; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1703319/m1/1/: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Denton Public Library.