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The tax rate mirrors last year's rate, which the council lowered by two
cents from 1995's 71.7 cent level. However, despite a $4 million
increase in the city's property tax valuations this year, expenditures
are still expected to exceed revenues in the FY 1997 budget.
According to figures presented following a special meeting Aug. 27, the
city's deficit budget will reflect a $200,000 shortage in its cash
balance, as expenditures were calculated at $7,050,000.
This morning's cost totals did not include the $700,000 that was
included in a preliminary budget proposal for the construction of a new
landfill. That cost was inadvertently put on the initial budget figures,
and would have left Pecos with a $900,000 deficit budget next year.
During the Aug. 27 meeting, the council voted 3-2 to approve a 90-day
trial plan with West Texas Waste for the hauling and disposing of local
trash at the company's Ector County landfill site, thus sparing the city
$700,000 in costs for the construction of a new landfill.
If the WT Waste contract is not extended, the city can still avoid
building a new landfill by hauling trash on its own to other sites.
The ordinances proclaim that the fiscal year will begin Oct. 1 and run
until Sept. 30, 1997. It will open with a cash balance of $2,451,000 and
with the landfill cost deleted, the city is expected to finish up the
fiscal year with $2,264,000 cash on hand.
The tax rate was levied at .4368 cents per $100 valuations for
maintenance and operation and .2599 cents for the interest and sinking
fund, to be apportioned for retirement of bond debt.
A second reading of the ordinance and final action on the budget and
tax rate is schedule for Thursday morning's special meeting of the
council.
They will convene at the Pecos City Hall council chamber at 7:30 a.m.
WT Waste will be in charge of hauling trash from Pecos city alleys,
keeping the alleys clean and hauling off the larger items. The company
is on a 90-day probationary period after signing a contract with the
Town of Pecos City last month for $560,000.
In there are no problems during the probationary period, the contract
would continue for a 5-year term.
"We will be placing extra containers in the alleys," said WesTex Waste
Operational Manager Ernest Falcon.
He explained that the city currently has three trash vehicles that pick
up refuse around Pecos. The three trash trucks have specific routes and
are picking up trash twice a week.
"We will be picking up trash only once a week, which is why we're adding
the extra containers," said Falcon.
WT Waste will purchase about 160 dumpsters costing $48,000 and build a
transfer station if the 90-day trial period proves satisfactory. The
agreement is expected to save the city the cost of building a new $1.2
million landfill trench, to replace the one opened in 1994.
The contract would bring in $6,500 a month during a 90-day trial period,
which will help increase revenue and bring down the deficit.
The city will be divided into different districts, according to Falcon.
The Eastern District will be split up into four different days. Eastern
District includes the east side of Cedar Street from the north city
limits to East Third Street, then west on Third to Elm Street, and from
there all the way down to 14th Street.
"This district is split up into four days, and if individuals would like
to know which district and which date it falls on they can look at the
map," said Falcon.
The maps can be viewed at Pecos City Hall, and will be published several
times over the next week in the Enterprise.
The Central District runs from west of Cedar and Elm to Washington,
Lincoln and Walthall Streets. Trash pickups there will also be split
into four different days.
Southern District alleys will basically have the same outline, according
to Falcon.
This district will run from Washington, down Highway 17 and all the way
to the edge of town, with collections also split into four days.
"It's three different districts, three different trucks, with each truck
having their own particular route to follow," said Falcon.
A certain amount of commercial pickup will also take place, such as
stores, schools and businesses, as they are currently set up, stated
Falcon.
Cardboard boxes and empty containers, anything that is placed in the
trash bins will be picked up, according to Falcon.
The waste will then be transported to the regional landfill in western
Ector County.
If the contract is approved after the 90-day trial period, there will be
a transfer station here at the Pecos City landfill.
Alley cleaning will take place once a month, according to Falcon. In the
past, alley clean-up was been done in Pecos only once a year, during the
month of July.
Under the plan, the eastern section of town will have alley pickups the
first week of each month, the northern section on the second week, the
central area on the third week and the southern area during the fourth
week of the month. During this time, bigger items will be picked up and
the alleys cleaned off.
Yard wastes, old furniture and bulky items, will be the type of trash
that will be picked up once a month during alley clean-up, according to
Falcon. Items which will not be picked up include white items, batteries
and old tires. WT Waste is asking that these items be taken to the
landfill instead.
"The reason we don't pick up white items, such as refrigerators is
because we are not certified to do that," said Falcon.
He explained that these items have to be properly disposed of, such as
draining them of refrigeration coolant first, and the company does not
have the capacity to do that.
"We would appreciate everyone's cooperation in our efforts," said Falcon.
PECOS, September 24, 1996 - Teachers from Pecos-Barstow-Toyah elementary
and secondary schools were named regional winners in the annual Teacher
of the Year program sponsored by the Texas Educational Agency and
Southwestern Bell, though they failed to make the finals for state
Teacher of the Year honors.
Amy Lucyle Wilson, a fifth grade teacher at Bessie Haynes Elementary
School and Kathy Painter, an eighth grade Language Arts teacher at
Crockett Middle School were selected as the outstanding teachers from
Midland-Odessa based Region 18, the largest geographical region in the
state.
The Regional Education Service Center located in Midland, supports 33
school district in 19 counties covering 37,533 square miles.
The vote for regional winners took place on Sept. 10 and those chosen
for state competition were selected this past Friday. The six finalists
for state competition will be honored at a special banquet in November.
While Wilson and Painter did not make into state competition, the two
will be recognized at the next meeting of the Regional 18 chapter of the
Texas Association of School Administrators on Oct. 9.
Each of the 20 Education Service Centers in Texas selects one elementary
and one secondary teacher as regional Teacher of the Year winners. The
40 regional winners each receive a $500 award from Southwestern Bell
Foundation and an engraved plaque, and qualify for the state Teacher of
the Year award in their respective categories.
Wilson has been a teacher for three years, with all of her teaching
career coming in Pecos. She received a bachelor's degree from Sul Ross
State University, her teaching certificate from the University of Texas
of the Permian Basin, and a Master's Degree from SRSU.
Wilson is involved with Service Learning programs in Pecos, and feels
that every student can learn if only given the opportunity.
"I'm honored to have been selected from among the many excellent
elementary teachers in this region," she said.
Painter has been a teacher for 15 years and has taught at her present
position in Pecos for three years. She received a bachelor's degree from
Sul Ross State University and has done graduate work at the University
of Hawaii, East Texas University and the University of Texas of the
Permian Basin.
She is involved in PTA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, and church
activities and feels that teaching is an investment of the heart, the
soul, and the mind.
"I'm thrilled to receive this award and to have the opportunity to
represent the many outstanding secondary teachers in this region," said
Painter.
The two Texas Teacher of the Year state winners receive an additional
$2,500 award from Southwestern Bell Foundation and the chance to compete
at the national level.
"The national Teacher of the Year program is among the oldest and most
prestigious in the country," said Bryan LaBeff, executive director for
Region 18 Education Service Center. "The program is designed to
recognize the talent and dedication required to excel in this important
profession. To be selected at any level in the process is a great honor
for any teacher," he said.
Teachers are judged in five major areas: professional development,
recognition, community involvement, teaching philosophy, and
understanding of major public educational issues.
Judges from the West Texas area were nominated by their respective
professional educational organizations, and selected the winners based
on information submitted by the nominated teachers in Region 18.
For the past six years, Southwestern Bell Foundation has provided an
annual $25,000 grant to fund statewide Teacher of the Year awards.
Previously, Texas teachers recognized by the program at the regional and
state levels did not receive monetary awards.
FFA members who exhibited in the Odessa show on Sept. 13-14 are Kellee
Bagley, Brandi Harrison, Sarah McKinney, Taryn McNeil, Lauren Martinez,
Shelly Martinez, Amanda Stickles and Jack Stickles.
Bagley took first place in the light weight medium wool class and McNeil
placed sixth in the medium weight crossbred class in what Wheeless
termed a very competitive show. Several other FFA members made it into
the preliminaries, but didn't place in the top ten.
The FFA club plans to exhibit at the Reeves County Fair next month and
to attend other livestock shows around the state to compete in all
classes of livestock.
In addition to the Reeves-Loving Counties Junior Livestock Show in
January, other events over the next four months the Southwestern
International Livestock Show in El Paso, the San Antonio Livestock
Exposition, and the Houston Livestock Show.
Out at the FFA and 4-H pens south of town, other PHS students are
building drainage system around the building.
The students began the project about a week ago, and the two teachers
estimate that it will the approximately one more month. Students working
on the project are: Joe Gomez, Ernesto Madrid, Robbie Acosta, James
Burciaga, Jacob Sandoval, Gerardo Mendoza, Efrain Adame, Geneva Chavez,
Rachel Salinas, Sonny Patino, Ben Anchondo and Jacob Contreras.
PECOS, September 24, 1996 - A story in Monday's Enterprise on the Reeves
County Commissioners Court and a resolution to the proposed senate bill
regarding the Texas Lottery stated that another county is currently
receiving money back from the lottery. The other counties are currently
supporting the proposed Senate bill which will be introduced to the
Texas Legislature in 1997. The bill must be passed by both the Texas
Senate and House before it can go into effect.
PECOS, September 24, 1996 - High Monday 100, low this morning 67.
Tonight, mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers or
thunderstorms. Low in the mid 60s. Southeast wind 5 15 mph. Wednesday,
mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. High
in the upper 80s. South wind 10-20 mph.
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_
Copyright 1996 by Pecos Enterprise
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
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