Palacios Beacon (Palacios, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 24, 1980 Page: 1 of 8
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Tax election
talk given
to VFW Post
Mrs. Melvina Koer-
ber, Palacios Independent
Scho'ol District Tax Collec-
tor-Accessor, addressed
Queen-Hamlin VFW Post
2467 Thursday night at the
VFW Hail. Mrs. Koerber
spoke regarding the elec-
tion being held Aug. 9 for
the purpose of creating a
Matagorda County School
District.
The purpose of the crea-
tion of the county school
district is to provide the'
county with another taxing
unit to support the county
and the funds to be divided
among the school districts
in the county on the basis of
the daily student enroll-
ment. This would be in
addition to the school tax
now accessed by each inde-
pendent school district.
Mrs. Koerber urged the
taxpayers at the meeting to
defeat the creation of the
county wide district in the
best interest of local
schools.
“Your Palacios Indepen-
dent School tax will be
assessed and collected as in
the past. If this county unit
system is voted in on Aug.
9 you can be assessed
additionally as much as
1-percent of your appraised
property value for the coun-
ty unit,” she stated.
In answer to questions
from the group Mrs. Koer-
ber gave the following
breakdown by school dis-
trict as how the new tax
proposal funds would be
divided. Bay City 54.5-per-
cent, Palacios 19-percent,
Van Vieck 13.5-percent,
Tidehaven 11 .v-percent
and Matagorda 1.1-per-
| cent.
“These figures are based
on the present school en-
rollment,” Mrs. Koerber
stated.
“It is not the policy of the
VFW to take a stand on
local election issues. But it
is the policy of the VFW to
encourage every qualified
voter to go to the polls and
exercise his or her Ameri-
can privilege to vote. We
S therefore suggest every
™ qualified voter go to the
polls August 9 and cast
your vote to express the
way you wish your tax
dollars are to be divided,”
ga Alton Queen, Post Com-
'I mander stated.
Health clinic
is canceled
for Thursday
The Matagorda County
Health Department Im-
munization Clinic held each
Thursday from 8:30 to 10
a.m.. at the Palacios Li-
brary, has been canceled
for today (Thursday), only.
The regular clinic will
resume next week on
Thursday, August 7.
The City
By The Sea
Weather
DATE MAX MIN PREC
July 14 - 93 - 82
July 15 - 93 - 82
July 16 - 93 - 81
July 17 - 94 - 75
July 18 - 96 - 78
July 19- 96 - 76
July 20 - 91 - 76
July 21 - 92 - 73
VOLUME 73 NUMBER 31
PALACIOS, TEXAS, THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1980
EIGHT PAGES
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Rainfall for the year 20.15
City approves garbage rate increase
A fifty-percent in-
crease in garbage collection
rates was formally adopted
for the city of Palacios
Monday night when the city
council approved a rate
increase ordinance.
Meeting in regular ses-
sion, the council voted
unanimously to nass the
ordinance which will go into
effect Aug. 1. The increase
will raise the average resi-
dent’s bill from $5 to $7.50.
The rates for both senior
citizens and commercial
users will also increase
50-percent.
The only remarks
questioning the increase
came from Eric Brenner
who attended the meeting.
He told the council that the
increase was “too ex-
pensive” for some of the
citizens.
“Some of you people
sitting around this table
might not think it’s expen-
sive but for a lot of people
in town, it (the increase)
would hurt them," Brenner
said. “You know how
people are, they will com-
plain to their nieghbors and
brother-in law but they
won’t come down here
where they should.”
John Howarth pointed
out that the increase was
necessary to cover the costs
of a new landfill site, new
garbage trucks and equip-
ment to be used at the
landfill.
"Those things make it
necessary to increase it and
it’s that simple,” Howarth
said. “There is no way out
of it. If someone is a true
hardship case, they should
appeal to the city council."
It was also brought out
that various welfare and
other social services pro-
vide an allocation in their
payments if an increase in
utility rates take effect.
Mayor Leonard Lamar
also reiterated that those
having hardship with the
increase should come be-
fore the council.
“I hope everyone knows
they can come to the city
***'*'•
hall and if it’s a hardship
case we will consider it."
The council also raised
the charge on restoring
water service if a meter has
to be pulled and replaced.
In a related move, the
council agreed to limit the
period on delinquent water
bills before service is cutoff
from to two months.
Lamar told the council
[See COUNCIL, Page 3]
AFTER HAVING gone for
weeks without rain, drivers
had to get reaccustomed to
driving through water and
peering through windshield
wipers after a large thund-
erstorm dropped nearly 1
1/2 inches of rain on
Palacios Monday morning.
Although not exactly
enough to warrant flash-
flood warnings, It was still
more than most people
have seen in quite a spell.
Showers had been In the
neighborhood for a couple
of days, giving only a slight
break from the dry heat
Photo by
PISD Trustees accept fine arts bid
The trustees of the
Palacios Independent
School District accepted a
bid totaling $2,070,100
from Freeport Construc-
tors, Inc. of Freeport for the
construction of a Fine Arts
Complex.
The action came Thurs-
day at the regular meeting
of the board of trustees.
Freeport Constructors
was one’ of six firms submit-
ting bids on the project.
The Fine Arts Complex will
include an 1150 seat audi-
torium and instrumental
band music, voice (choral)
music and theater arts
facilities. The auditorium
will feature continental
seating, gallery exits, and a
large stage while all areas
will be sound proofed to
allow several activities to
take place simultaneously.
Others bidding on the
complex and their bids
were: A&A Construction
Co., of Victoria.
$2,081,000; William
Droemer & Associates of
Giddings, $2,193,000; Dry
malla Construction Co. of
Columbus, $2,108,722; In-
man Construction Co. of
Houston, $2,132,000; and
Krueger Construction Co.
of Victoria, $2,197,000.
American Desk Manufac-
turing Company of Temple
was awarded the bid for the
auditorium seating ai
$82,519 on an alternate bid
for extra comfort seating.
“This facility has been
long awaited by the school
and community,” school
superintendent George
Holst said. “The trustees
and instructional staff
spent considerable time
planning this facility.”
Architects for the project
are Young and McCoy
Architects of Victoria.
The trustees also heard
Tax Assessor Collector
Melvina Koerber explain
the calculated tax rate for
the Palacios ISD for 1980
and set Aug. 4 as the date
for a public hearing on
intent to increase the tax
rate. The board also heard
a tax report for June 1980
which indicated collection
at 78 percent with the cities
of Austin and San Anonio
delinquent for about 21
percent of the PISD tax roll.
A financial report for June
also indicated the budget
was within the district's
estimated income.
The board also appointed
election judges for the Aug.
9 election concerning a
County Unit Sys'em of
School Tax Equalization.
Mrs. Evelyn Capak will
serve as judge of the
Palacios box at city hall and
Mrs. W.L. Ellis will serve
as judge of the Collegeport
box at the Mopac House.
The Indo-China summer
school program which com-
pleted last week, showed 73
Indo-Chinese students re-
ceived instruction in oral
language, vocabulary,
reading, multicultural ac-
tivities and health services.
In other matters, the
trustees took the following
actions:
-Approved the July 198(1
bills for the Work Exper-
ience Program. Consoli-
dated Application and reg-
ular Palacios ISD program.
-Approved changing the
employee long term disabil-
ity insurance program to a
six months waiting period
and extending the em-
ployee dental insurance
coverage to $1,000 per
calendar year.
-Accepted the resigna-
tions of one teacher and one
instructional aide who of-
ficially resigned before the
June 30 deadline for resig-
nations.
-Approved contracts for
five teachers.
-Appointed trustee Cara
Herlin as the trustees’
official delegate to the
Texas Association of School
Board’s Delegate Assembly
in San Antonio on Sept. 27.
Trustee Dan Tucker was
appointed delegate alter-
nate.
-Set a budget work
session for July 21.
Parker to head
Hu-Mar plant
The Hu-Mar Chem-
ical’s board of directors has
named chemical engineer
R.M. Parker to take over as
plant manager for the plant
facilities located in Pala-
cios. The announcement
came last week in a news
release from Hu-Mar’s
president Charles Martin.
Martin also stated that
the plant, which has been
beseiged by problems for
more than a year, will also
undergo a personnel reor-
ganization and restaffing
operation.
Parker’s appointment
comes in the wake of the
sudden resignation of plant
directors Dr. Joseph Rose
and his wife Jana on June
25. He has an extensive
background in the chemical
processing industry in the
areas of process engineer-
ing, project engineering,
maintenance, production
and administration with
such firms as Olin Chemi-
cals, Great Lakes Chemical
Corporation and Velsicol.
Parker, of League City,
was retained by the Board
of Directors on June 23 to
investigate the many pro-
blems which have plagued
the facility.
In the news release is-
sued by Martin, he points
out that "Parker’s engi-
neering report has been
completed and the facility
is shut down at the present
time to implement a
number of process im-
provements to eliminate
the various source of air
pollution.”
It has been reported that
[See HU-MAR, Page 3]
COASTING ALONG
through a cool, water-filled
gutter, young Chrli St.
Peter takes advantage of a
break In the hot weather
after rains early this week.
The airport reported nearly
an inch of rain Sunday and
then recorded over one-
and-a-half Inches of rain
Monday. [Beacon Photo by
Nick West)
Mary Dismukes leaves Beacon
Mary Dismukes, who
has worked at just about
every task over the years at
the Palacios Beacon, has
resigned effective this
week.
“We will miss Mary’s
experience and her know-
ledge of newspaper work,”
Publisher David Toney
•said.
“However,” he added,
“I believe the staff headed
by managing editor Nick
West will produce a top
notch newspaper for the
people of the Palacios
area."
Miss Dismukes did not
reveal her plans for the
future.
Fire guts
Hyett home
Fire gutted the white
frame house of Don Hyett
at 1111 4th Street early
Saturday morning. Although
no one was injured, the
family lost all their posses-
sions in the blaze.
The fire broke out shortly
before 1 a.m. Sunday and
quickly spread through the
roof of the house. The only
person home at the time
was the Hyett's son. Doug,
who was in bed at the time.
He awoke to find the ceiling
on fire and escaped to a
neighbor’s house where he
notified the fire depart-
ment.
The cause of the blaze
was undetermined.
Two separate funds have
been set up to assist the
Hyetts. Don has lived in
Palacios for 20 years and
was instrumental in start-
ing the laboratory and x-ray
departments at Wagner
General Hospital where he
is employed. He has also,
been active in a number of
community and civic areas
and has been quick to serve
anyone in the community
whenever the need arose.
Anyone wishing to con-
tribute to the Don Hyett
Fund may do so through
the Trinity Baptist Church
by making their checks out
to the church and designat-
ing it for the "Don Hyett
Fund". Contributions can
also be made through an-
other fund set up at City
State Bank of Palacios.
Library sets
picnic July 30
The final day of the
Library Summer Reading
program will be marked
July 30 by a picnic and
presentation of certificates.
The children will meet at
the Library at 10 a.m. and
will parade to City Park for
a sack lunch picnic. Drinks
will be furnished.
Children who have read
12 or more books will
receive their certificates
and will return to the
Library at 1 p.m. where
they can be picked up by
parents.
Any parent who would
like to volunteer to help
that day would be wel-
comed and appreciated.
Fire
damage
FIRE SWEPT through the
home of Don Hyett, 1111
Fourth Street, at approxi-
mately 1 a.m. Sunday
morning. Considerable
damage was done to the
structure of the frame
house and fire destroyed all
the family's belongings.
The cause of the blaze !s
unkpown. Two separate
funds to assist the family
have been set up through
the City State Bank of
Palacios and the Trinity
Baptist Church. [Beacon
Photo by Nick West)
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West, Nick. Palacios Beacon (Palacios, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 24, 1980, newspaper, July 24, 1980; Palacios, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth724353/m1/1/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Palacios Library.