Dateline: September 1, 2005

Clarendon aldermen consider tax hike

By Roger  Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Lower property valuations prompted the Clarendon Board of Aldermen to propose an increase in the city’s property tax rate during their regular meeting last Tuesday

If approved, the new rate would be one cent higher than last year at $0.49555 per $100 valuation and would generate approximately $3,800 in new revenue for the city.

Mayor Tex Selvidge told the board that keeping last year’s rate would mean the city would lose money because property values in the city had fallen by more than $250,000. The Donley Appraisal District said the drop was largely due to changes in valuations for property owned by American Electric Power and Cebridge Communciations.

Alderman Michael Tibbets expressed concern about raising the taxes too much, and Alderman Janice Knorpp said the city could not afford to go backwards when already facing a budget crunch.

Mayor Selvidge said he thought it was better for a local government to increase its tax rate a little bit every year rather than get in a situation where they had to go up a lot all at once. He told Tibbets that he may not like raising taxes, but future boards would thank him for doing it.

“I remember when I became mayor the first time [in the late 1970s], and we had to double the tax rate from 25 cents to 50 cents,” Selvidge said. “I felt like Gary Cooper in High Noon.”

The board unanimously approved proposing the higher rate. A public hearing will be held September 13 before finalizing the rate.

In other city business, aldermen approved Ordinance 357 increasing garbage rates. Effective October 1, 2005, residential garbage rates will increase $1 per account, commercial rates will increase $1 per Dumpster, and Greenbelt Water Authority’s rate will be $2,500 per month.

The board also approved Ordinance 358, which increases the deposit for water service from $50 to $125. That new rate also takes effect October 1, and Alderman Tommy Hill opposed the increase.

Aldermen also awarded the bid for the city’s workers’ compensation, general liability, and other property insurance coverages to the Texas Municipal League Risk Pool.

Bob McCombs was on the agenda to discuss a complaint regarding dust from the street paving project, but he said his complaint had already been taken care of, and he thanked Alderman Mark White and City Superintendent Jim Roberts.

The aldermen approved Ordinance 359 as presented by City Attorney James Shelton, establishing a Municipal Court Building Security Fund as provided by state law. A fee of three dollars will be assessed on any defendant convicted of a misdemeanor in municipal court.

The aldermen approved Sharon Knox and Gail Shelton as members of the executive council of the Burton Library’s advisory board. Freddie Jo Moreman will replace Jim Douglas as a lay representative.

The board considered and rejected an increase in the telephone access line rate.

Aldermen discussed taking the power of hiring, firing, and setting salaries away from the city administrator and returning that power permanently to the board.

Alderman Tibbets said he wanted to insure those powers remain with the board in the future, and Alderman Hill agreed, saying he thought five heads were better than one.

Alderman Bobbie Kidd disagreed, saying he wouldn’t take the job if those powers weren’t included, and he sided with Aldermen White and Knorpp in defeating two motions by Tibbets to reserve all or part of those powers to the board.