The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 57, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 29, 1976 Page: 1 of 12
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57th Year No. 2
THE J-TAC
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY
Stephenville, Texas .
January 29, 1976
Situation is 'gray' on higher gas bills
by Lisa Lloyd
According to Mayor Don Jones
of Stephenville, the situation
presently facing citizens paying
gas bills in the city is "gray".
The recent rate increase which
appeared on the January gas bills
sent from the Lone Star Gas Co.
-was the result of several factors
Mayor Jones indicated Tuesday.
^ Mayor Jones Tuesday.
In September 1975, Lone Star
filed an application with the
. Stephenville City Council for a
rate increase. The Council gave
the application to Homer Hunter
and Associates, the legal advisory
committee for the city, for
review. Hunter examined the
request and told the City Council
that Lone Star had complied with
the legal demands for a rate
increase. >
The gas company had
- indicated that the increase would
be based on terms of the average
user of the natural gas. Monetarily
the average increase would have
been from $8.20 to $10.82, an
increase of 31 per cent.
Mayor Jones stated, in
reference to the grant for increase,
"Upon the recommendation' of
Homer Hunter and Associates, in
terms of the 31 per cent increase,
the City Council passed the rate
increase."
At the time, Lone Star had a
rate increase request filed \yith the
Railroad Commission. This; was a
gate rate request which involved
the moving of natural gas from
transmission lines to Lone Star's
distribution lines. The Railroad
Commission granted approval for
the gas company to pass oi} an
average amount increase,
providing that the average was less
than 72 cents.
Prior to the current "increase,
Lone Star had purchased access to
natural gas being piped from the
LoVaca Gathering Co. for future
use. Other users of the gas-being
piped from the LoVaca,Gathering
Co. refused to give up the use of
this source of gas upon the
request of Lone Star, winch was a
factor involved in \ the rate
increase.
According to Mayor Jones,
'The Lone Star Gas Co. has
indicated that people will be
credited for the extra charge of
this expense in their January bill.
Still, it will not be that significant
a decrease."
Several of the City Council
members have indicated a desire
to rescind the ordinance altywing
the rate increase to the Railroad
Commission, according to Jones.
He described this as the "easy way
out" for the Council and
anticipated that this would merely
Student activities feature
movies, concerts, dances
University Student Center Director Jack Mathews has outlined
some of the student activities scheduled for this semester. Mathews
believes this to be an outstanding lineup of events featuring movies,
concerts and dances for University student body entertainment.
Calendar of Events
Movies:
Feb.3 ..
Feb. 16
Feb. 25 ..
March 9 . ,
March 23 .
March 31 .
April 5 ...
April 13 ..
, Airport 75
The Stepford Wives
My Name is Nobody
Monte Python's Flying Circus
Bite the Bullet
. . . Eiger Sanction
Funny 1 :idy
The Great Waldo Pepper
April 28 A Touch of Class
May 4 BreakOut
Concert:
March 10 or 11 "Asleep at the Wheel"
Dances:
Feb. 13 Valentine's Dance (Rock Music)
May 6 / Spring Barbecue and Street Dance
Each semester "students pay a Student Activity Fee. Tarleton
Center Committee meetings, held each Wednesday night at 5 p.m. in
the Student Center, provide opportunity for students to make
suggestions for use of this money.
Another concert is planned for April but a bank has not yet
selected. '
Mathews strongly urges students to attend the T.C.C. meetings.
He says, "It's the students' money: it should be the students'
decision liovv the money is spent."
7
prolong a greater increase in gas
rates for this area.
If the ordinance is rescinded by
the council, Lone Star will appeal
the decision to the Railroad.
Commission. "Lone Star Gas?
implied that if they have to appeal
the rate increase to the Railroad
Commission, next time their rate;
increase would be based on the
1975 costs, which would be;
significantly higher than the
present increase based on 1974
rates, due to inflationary costs,"
Jones stated.
The rate increase is affecting
not only Stephenville residents.
Granbury is an example ,ofka city,
which did not pass the; LoVaca'
Gathering Co. plan, yet they are
now being charged extra to make:
up the gas company's loss.
Several other cities in contracts
with Lone Star have an
"automatic pass on adjustment
clause" in which rates continually'
and gradually rise according to the;
company costs. Mayor Jones,
stated, "Fort Worth and Dallas
have this clause in contracts, yet
there was still a great jump in
their gas costs, so no city supplied
by the Lone Star Gas Co.
completely escaped the .increase.
Stephenville was so greatly hurt
because of the . extreme and
sudden jump in rates. We had a
good deal for tWo or three years."
The average bill |n January was
increased 100 per cent from a
year ago. The increase in
consumption is proportional to
the increased rate. In cases where
the consumption ratj; was,
doubled, the price, rate was
Former studehts
to plead guilty
to assault charges..
Two former University ,
students are scheduled to plead
guilty to charges of assaulting a
University coed last semester this
morning ai 9 a.m. in Ejath
County Court. -
The former students,. Robert
Airhart and Steven Pardue, will be
sentenced immediately after
entering their plea by Erath
County Judge L.L. Martin. In a
telephone interview Wednesday
afternoon, Martin confirmed that
the original charge of assault, the
highest class "A" misdemeanor on
the books, had not been changed
in any way: He also indicated that
he had dismissed the jury for'the
trial because the guilty plea had
been scheduled.
Airhart and Pardue were
arrested last Nov. 12, charged and
placed under a S10,d00 bond,,
They were suspended by- Hie
' University lasl Dec. I.
tripled.
Mayor Jones stated,
"According to Lone Star Gas
Company there was a $122,000
loss in 1975 in servicing this
area."
"A Railroad Commission
representative stated that they
now have pending appeals where
city co.uncils have rejected
applications for rate increases. He
said that he thought our chances
of winning were very slim if we
rescind the application,". Jones
stated.
Since Stephenville. has no
clause for automatic pass on
adjustment as Fort Worth and
Dallas do, the gas company is
entitled to periodically pick up
losses and inflationary costs.
Homer Hunter and Associates
are working with Lone Star Gas
Co, to provide an explanation to
the City Council for some persons
being sent a bill for a 43-day
period. Other explanations which
will hopefully, be provided during
the next Council meeting will be
the: LoVaca Gathering Company
costs and the calculation of block
rates, which are increased
according to the amount of gas an
individual uses.
On the Council's decision
Jones stated, "I don't think one
person would understand or
III IfepiflSW
ftruniducauc
sympathize with a decision ofher
than to rescind. They would be
adamant. Like when we increase
taxes, you need to do what is best
for the people. The Council will
have to do what we consider to be
best for the people."
If the City Council does not
approve the request, Lone Star
Gas Co. will appeal its request to
the, Railroad Commission. If no
agreement is then made between
the Council and the gas company,
the decision would be settled in
court.
Jones said that the Railroad
Commission would look at the
problem objectively jf the case
were rescinded, although he said
that the Commission was "more
industry oriented than consumer
He stated, "I want to see it
calculated in the terms of bills.
With that information, the
information from Hunter and the
reaction of other cities, we'll
make a decision on whether to
rescind or leave it as it is."
Although the majority of
citizens in the city are greatly
concerned with the rate increase,
Jones stated, "Many say they
won't pay. Then the gas company
will say that they will not supply
the gas. After that, the people will
say that they want gas at any
cost."
tmtiii
Msifi
(*• *«„ <*«
wSS^felll
'
The advanced degree programs at the University offer
specialized training that will soon move into the area of social
sciences, and are steadily growing. University Graduate
School Dean Dr. Robert Walker indicated some specific
directions of anticipated growth in an interview this week.
See page 2. ;
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The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 57, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 29, 1976, newspaper, January 29, 1976; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth141333/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.