The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 122, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 30, 2012 Page: 4 of 52
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THURSDAY 3D AUGUST 2D 1 2
NEWS PAGE
THE CANADIAN RECORD
Commissioners lower tax rate, prepare
$10.5 million county budget for 2012-13
Hemphill County Commissioners are pro-
posing a tax rate of just under 50-cents this
week—1.8 cents less than last year’s rate—
and with most of the county’s capital improve-
ment completed or nearing completion, are
planning a slimmed down $10.5 million bud-
get with capital outlay slashed from $3 mil-
lion last year to about $1 million in 2012-13.
Values in Hemphill County have dropped
about $85 million since last year. Of that, $26
million is under protest by oilfield companies
that lease heavy equipment in this county.
Their owners are trying to take advantage
of a new law passed by Texas’ 82nd Legis-
lature redefining heavy equipment. One of
those companies—Mid-Con Compression—
contends that the equipment can be rendered
elsewhere as leased equipment rather than
based on its full value. Mid-Con has filed a
lawsuit against Hemphill County Appraisal
District, and the fate of that suit—which may
not be determined until next year—has left
the remainder of those protests in a sort of
legal limbo.
Those values may or may not be returned
to Hemphill County tax rolls.
Because of the drop in values, the county’s
proposed .4910/$100 tax rate is actually sig-
nificantly lower than the rate which would
have been required to raise the same amount
of revenue as last year. This year’s proposed
rate is 5.6 cents lower that the effective tax
rate and will raise about $1.1 million less than
last year’s rate.
Hemphill County Judge George Briant
said this week that about $600,000-700,000 is
left in the current budget’s general reserves
to cover the completion of the courthouse and
tax office projects which are still underway.
Next year’s million dollar capital outlay proj-
ect has been allocated to finish up the coun-
ty’s commitments to construction of Fourth
Street between the city limits and Hackberry
Trail, and Shaller and Teas Drives which will
provide access to The Mesa View assisted liv-
ing center. Some of those costs, he said, may
come out of reserves that have accumulated
in Precinct 1 and Precinct 2.
“You can use that for roads,” Briant said,
“and that’s a good place to draw some of their
reserves down. If we do that, it will give us a
little more room in that million dollars to do
other things.”
Briant said the county is pushing to get
Fourth Street to a point where a two-course
oil penetration surface can be laid to provide
a more durable surface. That street provides
critical access not only to Canadian Elemen-
tary School and the Little House Day Care
Center, but to the assisted living facility and
to housing and commercial development that
is proposed on the south edge of town.
Work on that street is a couple of months
behind, Briant said, and the two-course oil
penetration must be done before nighttime
temperatures drop in mid- to late-Septem-
ber. “We ought to have something functional
there by October,” he said, “even if we have to
go back next year and add to it.”
In addition to those budget allocations,
commissioners have set aside another
$350,000 for repair and maintenance of the
courthouse and to complete the painting,
finish work and carpet replacement that are
necessary in conjunction with the restoration
of the courthouse exterior.
Once those projects are completed, Briant
said, “I just want to get everything cleaned
out and quit paying [contractors and archi-
tects and engineers] for a couple of months so
we can find and end point and start over.”
“That’s my plan,” he said. “I don’t think the
court is in any big hurry on that. We just want
to get everybody out of our hair for a while,
step back and evaluate what we’ve done.”
Also included in the proposed budget are:
• A 3 percent pay increase for all county
employees with the exception of the commis-
sioners.
• $200,000 in allocations to the city of
Canadian to be used to serve the debt on the
sewer system bonded indebtedness.
• Approximately $500,000 for road repair,
particularly for rural roads in Precincts 3
and 4 which have more road miles and more
wear and tear on roads due to heavy oilfield
activity in the area.
The county is not required to conduct a
hearing prior to adopting this year’s budget
and tax rate, but has included a public hear-
ing anyway on its September meeting agenda
to invite comment from county taxpayers.
According to Judge Briant: “It’s just good
business.”
That hearing will open the Monday, Sep-
tember 10 meeting at 9 am, after which com-
missioners are expected to set the 2012 tax
rate and adopt a budget for the coming fiscal
year.
CONCOURS/’ ELEGANCE
THE CITADELLE ART FOUNDATION
---
CANADIAN, TEXAS
CLAYS TOURNAMENT - l:OOPM
hosted by Tournament Targets, Inc. of San Antonio, TX
COCKTAILS & DINNER - 6:OOPM
catered by OHMS of Amarillo & hosted by
Randy 6c Ginny Bailey’s J Bar Ranch
You’re invited to join us on
Saturday, September 15, 2012. We have a big day
planned in Canadian at The J Bar Ranch, with Randy and Ginny Bailey serving
as hosts for the event. This year’s event will feature a 10-stand competition and
a 2-man flurry game from Tournament Targets, Inc. of San Antonio, followed
by a casual, evening dinner catered by OHMS of Amarillo, TX.
YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUESTED
SEPTEMBER 15, 2012
2nd Annual Shooting Clays Tournament & Dinner
-----
CANADIAN, TEXAS
For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact The Citadelle at 806.323.8899
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Brown, Laurie Ezzell. The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 122, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 30, 2012, newspaper, August 30, 2012; Canadian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth649664/m1/4/: accessed June 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hemphill County Library.