Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 153, No. 27, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 28, 2002 Page: 1 of 16
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Win Dinner and a Movie
Cljerokeeaif/Herald
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper - Established Feb. 27, 1850 as the Cherokee Sentinel
Vol. 153, No. 27-16 Pages Wednesday, August 28, 2002
County commissioners RISD discuss tax rates
Rusk, TX 75785
Solve the puzzle on
the Alto and Rusk
football pages.
See pages 10 and 11
25 cents
■ County officials look
at 55.5 cent tax rate
The Cherokee County Commission-
ers will discuss a 55.5 renl tax rati! at
8:30 a.m. Friday in the county court-
room. A date will be determined at
that time for a public hearing to set
the rate.
The proposed rate will include 34.6
cents for the general fund; one cent for
indigent health; .6 cents for interest
and sinking fund; 8.8 cents for con-
tractual obligations and 15.5centsfor
the road and bridge fund.
Commissioners met Monday morn-
ing to hear an offer from Arnie Spiers
of Champion EMS in Longview. Mr.
Spiers will prepare a proposal for
ambulance service for the area out-
side the Jacksonville limits, which has
formerly been served by the City of
Jacksonville, He will present his pro-
posal to the commissioners at a later
time, if the commissioners approve,
an ambulance will be housed at the
hospital and will serve that area.
Mr. Spiers noted that in the event of
an emergency, an ambulance would
be brought in from elsewhere. His
agency has ambulances in Gregg,
Rusk, Franklin, Morris, Harrison
and Marion counties. The nearest
ambulance to Jacksonville would be
in Overton.
The Jacksonville Fire Department
had told the commissioners that they
picked up 719persons outside the city
limits last year.
In another matter, Judy Beck, direc-
tor of the Cherokee County Health
Unit, discussed proposed new office
hours.
She said that a group from her office
had attended a meeting and learned
that other counties were openingearly
and closing late to accommodate office
patrons. She proposed that the office
open at 7 a.m. and close at 6 p.m.
four days per week and be closed on
Fridays.
Currently the Jacksonville office is
open late on Tuesdays and Thursdays
and closes at 3 p.m. on Fridays.
Laying of utility hnes in Precinct 3
were approved.
Ken Hannah presented the
Cherokee County Safety Incentive
Program Review Report, which was
approved by the court.
Bids were accepted to purchase
a Holt motorgrader for $172,028. A
guarantee buy back of $139,675 was
included in the bid, thus causing the
machine to cost the county $32,353.
A Nortr ax backhoe with a five year
warranty was approved for $58,400.
Trade for the old unit was $9,000.
A used motorgrader was apiproved
for sale to Road Runner for $16,750.
Five offers to purchase tax resale
property were approved. District
Clerk Marlys Mason was authorized
to attend the second annual District
Court Workshop in Austin Aug. 28-
29.
Attending were Judge Harry
Tilley: Commissioners Bob Johnson,
Kevin Pierce, Moody Glass and Billy
McCutcheon; County Clerk Laverne
Lusk and County Auditor L.H.
Crockett.
■ RISD's new tax rate
increases 1.9 cents
Rusk ISD board members adopted
a $13,400,021 district budget and set
a taxrate of $1.48per hundred dollar
valuation at a board meeting Monday
evening. The new tax rate is a 1.9
cent increase from last year. The
action came after a pubhc hearing,
which was attended by one citizen,
H.V! Jones.
Seventypercent of the entire budget
goesforpayroll. Thegeneralfundis68
percent state funded and 32 percent
locally funded This compares to 70
percent state: funded last year and 30
percent locally funded. The decrease
in state funds is due to the increased
property values in the district.
"When our property values go up,
then the state considers us a richer
district and the state expects up to
pick up more of the co st of education,"
Lisa Jones, financial officer for the
district, said.
TWoandahalfteachersandoneand
a half paraprofessional staff members
are funded locally, Ms. Jones said.
One additional work day was added
to the food service budget, she said.
Mr. Jones said he was a part of a
group of citizens who were opposed
to the continuing increase in values
and taxes. He said some were talking
about forming a taxpayers union.
"Looking at the ad you ran, with the
new values, taxes on a home will go up
21 percent. I suggest that you look at
it and look at it hard. It's your budget
and maybe you can't cut it."
This will be an issue in the school
elections in the future.
Ms. Jones said, "I feel comfortable
with this budget." In answer to Mr.
Jones' question concerning whether
the district will continue to increase
taxes, he was told that the state
wants every district to have, $1.50
Maintenance and Operation (M&O)
taxrate. Rusk's M&O will be $1.35.
Please see RISD page 6
Eagle spirit
soars high
Rusk High School head coach Wayne Mahaffey
shows off a new hydrator which was purchased
by the RHS Quarterback Club. The $1,700
machine is a fancy water fountain, which will
provide ice-cold water for team members during
football games this season.
y
!
t
Rusk High School seniors gathered during Meet the Eagles Monday night. They include (back row from
left) Collin Carroll, Chad Linder, Sean Houston, Brandon Black, D'Ondrell Jeffery and Michael Cook. Front
row, same order, are Jake Ocker, Simeon Scallon, Justin Robinson, Chad Colston and Stevie Nelson.
City o Rusk mourns
loss o Bill 1\irney
Bill Turney
City manager
killed in accident
Sunday night
Rusk City Manager Bill
Turney was killed in a car
accident Sunday night, just 13
days after the city lost its mayor.
Emmett H. Whitehead.
Mr. Turney died
at approximately
7:40 p.m. outside
Woden, southeast of
Nacogdoches, He and
his son-in-law, Shane
Newman, were return-
ing home from a Walk
to Emmaus weekend
when the accident
occurred.
According to police, '^=^=
Mr. Turney was chiv-
ing a 1998 Ford Escort. The
vehicle was north bound on FM
226 in Nacogdoches County. A
1998 Toyota pickup truck,
driven by 16-year-old Joshua
Torres, hydroplaned and struck
Turner's vehicle on a curve.
Mr. Turney was killed on
impact, and Mr. Newman was
taken to Nacogdoches Memo-
rial Hospital where he was
released Monday morning.
Word of the accident did not
reach Rusk resident s until after
10 p.m. Sunday
The 16-year-old, who resides
in Lufkin, was also released
from the hospital.
The untimely deaths of the
city manager and the mayor fall
at a critical time for city gov-
ernment. Annual budgets are
August each year, andtaxrates
will be approved and given to
the Cherokee CountyAppr aisal
District on Sept. 12.
The proposed budget is
$130,000 short with a 48.96
cent tax rate. That rate is up
to rollback status. Currently
the tax rate is 56,46 cents. The
rollback rate is less because of
increased valuations and the
fact that there is no bond
indebtedness in the
general fund. The
city will continue to
have bond payments
in the water and
sewer fund.
Mr. Turney was
working on the pro-
posed budget. Last
week he told the
Cherokeean /Herald
that he was going to
recommend to the council that
water rates be increased from
$9,50 to $11 minimum and an
additional 50 cents per thou-
sand gallons. He was going
to ask that the sewer rate be
increased from $12.50 to $14.
He planned to ask for the tax
rate to be set at 48.96.
If the city is late in setting
a tax rate, then the city tax
notices could not be mailed at
the same time as Rusk ISD, cre-
ating an additional expense.
City Secretary Fran
Wendeborn said, "I am going
to miss him, I le was a very nice
man and always considerate.
Water Clerk Doris Robinson
Said Sun day night, "Mr. Bill was
a wonderful boss anditis awful
losing him and Mr. Whitehead
prepared during the month of P|ease see TURNEY page 6
County students report for class
School enrollment totals were handed in
Tuesday morning at Rusk, Alto and Wells for
Monday Aug. 19, which was the first day of
school. School began Aug. 13 in Jacksonville.
Rusk showed a total of 1,878 students on Aug.
19. Registering for the 2001-02 school year were
1,897 and 1,868 for the previous year. At the
end of school in May 2002, there were 1.91 I
students.
Broken down by campus, on Aug. 19 there
were 526 students at Rusk High School; 448 at
the junior high; 431 at the elementary school
and 473 at the primary school.
Campus totals in 2001, there were 493 at the
high school; 466 at the junior high; 460 at the
elementary school and 478 at the primary year,
The previous year totals were 506 for the high
school; 434atthe junior high; 471 attheelemen-
tary school and 457 at the primary school.
Enrollment at Alto ISD showed 636 students
on Aug. 19 and 640 students the first day of
school last year.
Broken down by campus, on Aug. 19,181 stu-
dents reportedfor classes at the high school; 186
at the middle school; and 269 at the elementary
school. Theprevious year showed there were 174
students at the high school; 179 at the middle
school and 287 at the elementary school.
Dale Morton, superintendent at Wells said
School Enrollmei
Jacksonville
2002
High School
1,164
1,099
Middle School
670
677
Nichols
660
638
East Side
521
517
Fred Douglass
547
489
Joe Wright
464
506
West Side
424
451
Rusk
High School
526
493
Junior High
448
466
Elementary
431
460
Primary
473
478
Alto
High School
181
174
Middle School
186
179
Elementary
269
287
Wells
School
310
305
- Cherokeean/Herald graphic
there were 310 students who reported for the
first day of school. That compares to 305 the
previous year.
Traditionally school enrollment increases until
after Labor Day.
Alto trustees rejoice over the
district's accountability rati ngs
by Randall Birdsong
Special to Cherokeean/Herald
Alto Independent School
District trustees discussed and
approved the newest account-
ability ratings for the district,
Superintendent John Fergu-
son reported that the district
rated superior overall in the
performance category (taking
care of business and efficient
operation).
Campuses are rated based
on TAAS performances for
the 2001-02 school year. The
high school campus rated
exemplary middle school
acceptable and elementary
recognized.
"An outstanding report
over all,'' said Ferguson. Two
parcels of tax resale property
were discussed. A bid of $250
by Billy R. Johnson for lot 5 of
Cooper Addition was rejected
unanimously. Gary Dominy
bid $400 for a land locked
parcel located in conjunction
with property he already owns.
The bid was unanimously
accepted.
The firm of Gans-Smith was
awarded the fleet andproperty
insurance contraotfor theyear.
Gans-Smith was the only
bidder on the package which
includes buildings, grounds,
vehicles and board liability
The bid of $33,000 is, $12,000
more than last year spremium
of$21,000, F ergusoninfor med
trustees that many insurance
underwriters are getting com-
pletely out of the school insur-
ance business.
The local "Board Policy
Manual" was repealed. This
was done so the new and
improved local policy manual
prepared by the Texas Asso-
ciation of School Boards Policy
Servicecouldbeapproved. The
new manual was approved on
a six to zero vote by trustees-
The new manual brings the
district into compliance with
all laws andprocedures as they
apply to school districts.
Crow ell - I'ipes Certified
Public Accountants were
approved as the auditing firm
for the district. The substitute
teacher hst was also ratified.
Professional Development
and Appraisal calender was
adopted. It will run from
September through May.
The: next regular meeting
of the AISD Board of Trust-
ees will be held Sept. 16 at
7:30 p.m. The meeting will
take place in the board room
of the administration building
on Yellowjacket Drive.
C IV K
EP-
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 153, No. 27, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 28, 2002, newspaper, August 28, 2002; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152532/m1/1/?q=cherokeean: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.