Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 28, 1989 Page: 1 of 14
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Cotter Street merchants object to traffic plan
By Mary Judson Thursday, Sept. 21. the “stacking area” for cars approach- Point Park and increase the stacking people objected to the plan which they laughter from the audience and the
They came, they spoke and they Before it was over, the project was mg ihr ferry from Pon Aransas, ac- area for vehicles waning id board die say, as summed up by Susan Lagedrost response “Yeah, it’ll take the business
were heard. turned over to the Planning and Zon- cess to the cruise ship docking area off ferries. Vehicles coming on to the is- of Tortuga Flats, “is akin to cutting off off Cotter,” by Nettie Mayfield of
Business owners from Colter and ing Commission and a five-member Port Street and what is now a five-way land would have the option of turning an exit ramp to a little town on an Nettie’s Baits on Cotter Street and
Alistcr streets were united in their citizens group which will present a “idiot intersection”. left on Port Street which would line up interstate highway”. “Do we want to relieve the pressure?”
opposition to a proposed change in the solution at the council’s October The proposed plan by the highway with Cotter Street, or going straight City Manager Gordon Beck said the by Roger Miller of the Quarter Deck
traffic pattern coming off the ferry meeting. department would do away with the and connecting with Cutoff Road. plan is designed to “take the pressure and Waterfront Restaurants in the
landing at a meeting of the city council At issue is a proposed expansion of loop road that circles through Roberts Cotter and Alisler street business off Cotter Street”, a comment met by See "Cotter Street," Page 6
Lodging industry rebuffs
information requirement
By Mary Judson
Representatives of the lodging in-
dustry in Port Aransas turned out
Thursday night, Sept. 21, to oppose a
proposed city ordinance that would
require monthly occupancy tax report-
ing and information with penalties for
failure to comply with either.
The mayor and two city council
members filed affidavits of conflict of
interest and spoke to the issue as pri-
vate citizens.
When the dust settled, the council
acquiesced to what seemed to bp a
majority opinion and approved the
first reading of an ordinance that dif-
fers from the present ordinance only in
'We're in this
together. We're on
the
threshold of
greatness...
let's do it
together.'
Jim Atwill
the distribution of the lax dollars.
Most objections were over a penally
for failure to provide information
accompanying the tax report. The
information is needed by the Hotel/
Motel Tax Advisory Board to provide
guidance in spending its advertising
budget which is f unded by a portion of
the occupancy tax.
The board contends that it is operat-
ing in the dark without information
regarding room availability. With that
information the Board feels it could
better target its advertising.
The council was presented with three
versions of an ordinance and Council-
man Chuck Borders, a partner in Wes-
Tcx Management, was first to address
the council as a private citizen.
He said he would support the ver-
sion requiring quarterly reporting of
taxes and information, but without the
penalty for failure to comply with the
information requirement.
He also recommended that lodging
facilities with annual rentals under
$50,(XX) not be required to comply
with the information clause.
Borders cited the need for the infor-
mation because of the frequency of
requests for demographic information
about visitors to Port Aransas.
“Other than spotty cooperation, we
have to guess,” Borders said.
George Harris, owner of the
Sportsman’s Lodge, was the next
council member to address his peers
as a private citizen.
Harris said ho is “totally opposed”
to all three versions, with the excep-
tion of the provision (the same in each
version) for distribution of funds.
“I’m opposed because of the paper
work. I have a small place, I don’t
have a computer or a staff.”
The information requirement con-
cerned Harris, who wondered if the
two questions on the form would be
expanded each year.
“How far will they go? Where will
they stop?” Harris asked.
He said he has never been ap-
proached about providing such infor-
mation, but he speculated that those
who have not cooperated might not
have been approached properly.
“When you start putting a gun to
someone’s head” the information
obtained may not be reliable, Harris
said.
“Our town is not ready to do busi-
ness this way. We’ve always cooper
ated, especially when it comes to tour-
ism. But (having been here 20 years) I
don’t recall ever forcing compliance
and ! pray we don’t start now,” Harris
said.
Mayor J .C. Barr took to the podium
to express his opposition to die pro-
posals.
Reporting (on room occupancy)
would require calculating each day
which would add to accounting costs,
Barr said.
He said he had no problem with
providing the information, however
he said he does have a problem with
the penalty for non-compliance.
Jim Atwill, owner of the Tarpon Inn
concurred with Barr and Harris, say-
See "Tax," Page 6
Satellite office opens
Representatives of three taxing en-
tities were on hand Wednesday for the
ribbon cutting ceremony that officially
opened a satellite office for tax collec-
tion and other services at Port Aransas
City Hall Wednesday, Sept. 20.
' (*L r\ rv f Dr\ rt A rnnooo
I UVCllj KJ i 1 Ul l / U til I OHO, UIV i)VIIUUI
districtand water district haveall joined
the consolidated tax collection service
offered by the Nueces County Tax
Collector’s office.
The Nueces County Tax Collector’s
satellite office will, in addition to
accepting tax payments, handle auto
registrations including license tag
renewals and new license lags (except
disabled tags ), voter registration and
absentee voting. However, absentee
voting for local elections will con-
tinue to be conducted at the respective
administrative offices.
The office will be operated by Kath-
leen Me Inti re who will commute from
her home in Flour Bluff.
The satellite office will be open
Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to
12 noon and from 1 to 5 p.m.
Heated battle
Port Aransas volunteer
firefighters joined area
fire departments in Aran-
sas Pass Monday, Sept. 25,
to fight an 800-acre brush
fire that destroyed travel
trailers, some noats and
some carnival concession
equipment. Port Aransas
fire chief Mark Youngsaid
12 Port Aransas firefight-
ers fought the blaze for
five hours usingfour units.
Above, from left, John
Kenny, Mike Copeland,
Dan Pike, Jimmy Reider
and Troy Ouslcy pump
water into the fire truck
as flames approach from
a stand of nearby trees. At
right, Copeland helps
Reider cool down as
Kenny approaches form
the background.
(Statt photos by Murray
Judson)
Snip! It's open
Nueces County Tax Collector Ronnie Canales cuts the ribbon marking the official opening of
the satellite office inside the Port Aransas City Hall. The three local taxing entities accepted
Canales' invitation to consolidate tax collection services throughout the county. The local
office will accept tax payment and handle voter registration, motor vehicle registration and
license tag renewals. On hand for the ribbon cutting Wednesday, Sept. 20, were from left,
Nueces County Water Control and Improvement District No. 4 manager Nona Sherrill, Port
Aransas school board president Georgia Neblett, Mayor J.C. Barr, Canales and Nueces County
Judge Bob Barnes. 7
(§*&({ photo hv M.urr^v i ^
RTA seeks to provide more
variety, flexibility in service
By Mary Judson
Expanded, more flexible transpor-
tion services may be available to Port
Aransas courtesy the Corpus Christi
Regional Transit Authority (RTA) as
soon as October.
Port Aransas city council members
heard recommendations for improved
service made by the RTA after a study
by a local transportation committee
and a mailed survey, during a meeting
Thursday, Sept. 21.
Recommendations calls for “vari-
able demand-responsive service” 40
hours a week for six days of the week.
An RTA representative told the
council that a weekday would be cut
from the schedule and Saturday routes
would be added.
“Demand-responsive” routes would
be based on calls in advance to re-
serve space on a bus for a certain
route.
Certain fixed routes would be main-
tained and a “circulation schedule” in
Port Aransas or from Port Aransas to
the shopping malls in Corpus Christi
were proposed.
A sample schedule would include a
circulator/dcmand-rcsponsivc. route
on Mondays; a shopping/social serv-
ices (doctors’ offices,etcetera) trip on
Tuesdays: a medical route to labora-
tories and hospitals on Wednesdays; a
shopping trip on Thursdays; recrea-
tional tours on Fridays; and a circula-
tor route in the Port Aransas area on
Saturdays.
Local input was requested by put-
ting city hall’s telephone number on
the cable television screen during the
meeting, but no calls were received.
The change in service will require
an interlocal agreement between the
city of Port Aransas and the RTA. The
service is funded by the RTA.
The medical service route is de-
signed for people to make doctor’s
appointments on Tuesdays so any lab
work could be done on the return trip
on Wednesdays. Riders can make
appointments with their own doctors,
and the RTA representative said
Corpus Christi medical communit has
been very cooperative with the trans-
portation schedules of their patients.
Riders will also be able to transfer
to other routes in the RTA system
once they arc in Corpus Christi.
The proposal will increase local
control of the service, with dispatch-
ing out of the Port Aransas city hall.
Initially a “stretch van” will pro-
vide service, but with increased rider-
ship a larger vehicle will be provided.
In response to questions from the
audience, it was explained that the
RT A can provide a variety of services
as long as the service does not com-
pete with private enterprise, such as
charter bus companies. The RTA is
also not allowed to enter the Corpus
Christi International Airport which is
serviced by private taxi companies.
The local transportation committee
included Mike Hall, Sandi McNor-
ton, Richard Safford and Lorin
Doolen. Ken Williams represented
the city council and city staff repre-
sentatives were City Manager Gor-
don Beck and administrative assistant
Pam Hat/.cnbuchlcr.
The committee reviewed current
scrv ices and ri dersh ip and learned that
most riders arc over 60 and most trips
are to the shopping malls. About 10 to
12 people per day use the service.
A mailed survey revealed that 98%
of the respondants have cars, 84%
work here, 40% are age 60 or older;
17% of the respondants have used the
RTA; and 1% uses the RTA regularly.
The primary use of the RTA is to eat
and shop in Corpus Christi.
The council will have an interlocal
agreement with the RTA on the Oct.
19 agenda. If it approved, the new
service will go into effect shortly
ihr'r/'iifler
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Judson, Mary Henkel. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 28, 1989, newspaper, September 28, 1989; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth662881/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.