Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 128, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 6, 2010 Page: 1 of 20
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Volume 128 Number 36
The Dominant News and Advertising Source in Polk County
UPS 437-340
Price: 50 cents
Sports
Livingston Coach
Amanda McMeans
chats with Lady Lion
Daylyn Harris, a junior,
Monday at the Region
III track meet at Sam
Houston State Univer-
sity in Huntsville.
See Sports, Pg. 9A
Living
Relay For Life draws a
record number ofteams
to celebrate, remember
and fight back.
See Living, Pg. IB
Quote for
the day
"If all econo-
mists were laid
end to end, they
would not reach
a conclusion"
George Bernard
Shaw
(1856 - 1950)
dramatist
Local Weather
90/65 4 :
Generally sunny. Near record high
temperatures. High near 90F
Thu
5/6
92/65
Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the
low 90s and lows in the mid 60s.
Sat
5/8
84/64
JLl
Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 80s
and lows in the mid 60s.
Index
Bulletin Board.............2B
Business Guide.........10A
Classified................5B-8B
Crossword...................5B
Community Calendar......5A
Obituaries....................6A
Official Records..........2A
Opinion........................4A
Living......................1B-3B
Sports..................9A-12A
Officials awaiting decision on property value protest
BY VALERIE REDDELL
Editor
polknews@gmail £om
LIVINGSTON - Property
owners struggling under the strain
of growing tax bills, government
officials turning over rocks to find
the revenue to meet their budgets
and state officials who believe
Polk County values are too low
will have to reach some consensus
this month.
The deadline for protesting
taxable values is May 31 and Chief
Appraisers must certify the tax roll
by July 26 and local taxing entities
must adopt their tax rate by Sept. 29
- all of which is taking place while
the Polk Central Appraisal District
FAST FACTS
Polk County Property Own-
ers have until May 31 to pro-
test the taxable value of their
property set by the Polk
Central Appraisal District.
For more information on the
protest process, call the dis-
trict at 936-327*2174 or visit
the office at 114 Matthews
St, Livingston.
is contesting the 2009 Property
Value Study, which pegged most
Polk County values as too low.
During the last budget cycle,
Livingston Independent School
District lost about $1 million in
state and federal revenues after the
Property fax Division of the Texas
Comptroller’s Office found that
Polk CAD values were not within
5 percent of the market value in the
2008 study.
. In Onalaska, the state’s values
were certified because the study
showed the local values were less
than 90 percent of the lower end of
the margin-of error range.
Of the eight public school districts
with boundaries within Polk County,
only the v alues i n Corrigan-Camden
I.S.D. were found to be valid,
Values were not found to be
valid in the studies on Goodrich,
Big Sandy and the portion of the
Chester district that lies in Polk
County, but the Property Tax
Division certified the values in
those districts which are in Year 1
of its grace period.
Livingston ISD values
The 2009 Property Value Study
claims values assigned by the
Polk CAD are 71 to 91 percent of
market value, depending on the
type of property studied. The state
requires values to be between 95
and 105 percent of market values.
Chief Appraiser Carolyn Allen
has contended in numerous public
meetings that the discrepancy
arises because the comptroller's
office has access to data about
actual real estate transactions that
the CAD does not have.
Austin officials tend to get
better response rates to surveys
about recent transaction and they
purchase data from the Houston
Area Multiple Listing Service.
Single family residences are
listed on tax rolls at 81.39 percent
of market value, based on sales
data reported to the Comptroller's
Office or appraisals by the Property
Tax Division on sample properties.
The local tax roll value was
$688,605,098; but the Property
Tax Division assigned a value of
$846,056,017.
Vacant lots were valued at 71.22
of market value, according to the
study. Instead of the local value
ot $73,360,422, the comptroller’s
office assigned a value of
$103,005,336.
See V ALUES, Page 3A
First Presbyterian Church makes $50.000 pledge
College gets major support from congregation
PCSO jails burglary suspect,
seeking female accomplice
LIVINGSTON - Polk County
sheriff's deputies have arrested
a suspect in a Moscow area bur-
glary during which firearms, jew-
elry and a computer were taken,
according to Del. Christopher
Lima. Investigators are exploring
potential connections to a number
of other burglaries in the urea as
of 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Of-
fice launched an investigation
into a Moscow area burglary re-
ported May 3. The missing items
had an estimated value of more
than $6,000.
Lima said
Sgt. ('hris-
tian Schan-
mier spotted
a vehicle
mate hi ng
the descrip-
tion of the
suspect’s
MICHAEL EUGENE chicle
CARTER ,Ma> 4„. (’n
U.S. High-
way 59 traveling south toward
Goodrich. Trooper Ramey Bass
with the Texas Department of
Public Safety stopped the vehicle
See BURGLARY, Page 3A
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Members of First Presbyterian Church of Livingston presented a $50,000 check to fellow con-
gregation member County Judge John Thompson, who also serves as president ot the Polk
County Higher Education and Technology Foundation.
Early voting under way
City, school district positions
up for election Saturday
Church signs three-year pledge Sunday
W”"lirst Presbyterian Church in
rH Livingston has just become
JL the first church in the county
to make a donation to the new Polk
County College and Commerce
Center. The church is contributing
$50,000 - $25,000 will be given
now and $15,000 and $10,000
will be given in the following two
years.
Presbyterians have a long
history of being concerned about
their communities and one of the
ways that has been shown is in
the development of schools and
colleges. Where there were no
schools for children, the church
started them. When public schools
were opened for elementary and
secondary education, but there
was nothing beyond that available,
the church opened colleges and
universities. When there were
minority students who didn’t
have adequate opportunities for
education, the Presbyterian Church
provided them.
In addition to the donation to
the community college, First
Presbyterian Church supports many
other local projects: Camp Cho-Yeh,
CERT, Children’s Free Clothing
Exchange, Empty Stocking, Godtel
Ministries Habitat for Humanity,
Pastor's Discretionary Fund
(utilities), Polk County Emergency
Health Board including the
Keep a Kid in School Fund, Polk
County Mission Center, Polk
County Relay For Life, River of
Life and SAAFF. House.
First Presbyterian Church was
established in Livingston in 1882
and is a member congregation of
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
It is located in at the comer of
North Washington and Feagin and
welcomes new members.
LIVINGSTON - Voters will
head to the polls Saturday to
determine several city and school
board positions in Polk County.
Voting locations will be open from
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Livingston LSI)
Livingston Independent School
District has the largest field of
candidates with four candidates
seeking two positions currently
held by Frank Henderson and Brian
Bounds. Toni Coehran-Hughes,
Casey Evans, Danny King and
Frank Henderson are seeking the
two at-large positions.
City of Onalaska
It's a three-way race for the
Onalaska Mayor’s office. Voters
will choose between incumbent
Lew Vail, Steven Poe and Mike
Read.
Seats currently held by Tom
Edwards and Brandon Smith
are also on the ballot. Edwards,
James W. Arnett and Fred Huff
are competing for two at-large
positions.
Onalaska I.S.D.
Voters in Onalaska I.S.D. will
elect three trustees for three-year
terms on May 8.
Position I is currently held by
Sherrie Winkle, who plans to
seek another term. Brandon Smith
has also filed for that position.
Position 2 held by ('ary n Price and
Position 5 held bv Tom Curran
also expire in Ma^Ttiey each
iiv-?fOdilional
have filed for an-aaditional term.
City of Goodrich
The City of Goodrich has had a
vacancy in the mayor’s office for
the last two election cycles, and
See ELECTION. Page 3A
ATV crash
sends teen
to hospital
LIVINGSTON - A collision
between two four-wheelers
shortly after 7:30 p.m. Sunday
seriously injured a 16-year-old
Livingston girl, according to the
Texas Highway Patrol.
Janet Lynn Durbin was driving
a 2004 Honda ATV northbound
on Summit Drive, a county road
just north of FM 3277. It struck
the rear of another AT V, dri ven by
another !6:year-old Livingston
girl, which had slowed to turn
into a private drive, according
to CpI. Sammy Lattner. Durbin
was ejected from her vehicle.
She was transported to Memo-
rial Hermann Hospital in Hous-
ton by medical helicopter with
incapacitating injuries.The driv-
er and passenger on the other
ATV were listed as uninjured.
The accident occurred at 7:39
p.m.
Also investigated Sunday was
a one-car accident at 8:42 a.m.
on FM 3126, nearly a half mile
west of FM 350. As Misty Kay
Casey, 28, of Livingston, was
driving eastbound she lost con-
trol of her vehicle in a sweeping
right-hand curve, according to
See CRASH, Page 6A
>ELL
County Judge John Thompson signed a proclamation Wednesday designating May as Higher Education and Technology Month in
Polk County and was joined by volunteers who have been active in fund-raising efforts to build the Polk County Col lege/Commerce
Center at this site adjacent to the Livingston-Polk County Chamber of Commerce on the Loop 59 Bypass in Livingston. This years
theme is “Turning Dreams into Reality” through partnerships created by the Polk County Higher Education and Technology Foun-
dation and organizers who provide services, consultation, evaluation and advocacy of education and scholarships.
/
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Reddell, Valerie. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 128, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 6, 2010, newspaper, May 6, 2010; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth659760/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.