Rains County Leader (Emory, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 10, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 15, 2000 Page: 1 of 16
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Bains Countu Leader
Your Hometown Newspaper Since 1887
VOLUME CXIII, ISSUE NO. 10
EMORY, TEXAS -TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2000
PRICE 50C l
NEWS BRIEFS
Point initiates water rationing
The Point Water Department is requesting that all customers conserve
water effective until further notice.
Due to the dry weather, a large number of water leaks on the main
lines, increased outdoor activities and outdoor watering, the water plant is
not able to keep up with the demand, so Point is enacting a "Stage I" water
conservation action.
The Point water treatment plant is undersized for the growing number
of water customers and has been for a number of years This issue has been
addressed, and the city has obtained a loan and grant to build a new treat-
ment facility and replace the old transmission line from the plant to town
and the Flats area.
Our current plant is only capable ot producing 2t)<>,<MM) gallons pet
day. This number of gallons is being exceeded each J.iy I lie water main
breaks on the old existing lines only increases the burden on the existing
system.
This action only affects the customers on the Point water system and
in no way affects any other water system in the local area.
Burn ban strengthened
The countywide burn ban which was initiated Monday, July 31, was
strengthened last week to include no outdoor burning of any kind. The orig-
inal burn bail permitted burning of household trash in a metal barrel fitted
with a screen-type covering. However, on Thursday the commissioners’
court removed that option stating that conditions arc too dry in the county
to permit any outdoor burning. Burning during a burn ban is a class “C”
misdemeanor punishable by a $5(X) fine.
Meet-the-Teacher nights at RISD
Rains Elementary School will have “Meet-the-Teacher” night on
Tuesday, August 15, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. All parents are encouraged
to come and meet their child’s teacher. Also, parents of Title I and Gifted
and Talented students will meet at 5:30 p.m. in the elementary library.
“Meet-the-Teacher” night for junior high and high school will be
Thursday, August 17, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. There will be a meeting tor the
parents of high school students in the Gifted and Talented program from
7:00 to 7:30 in the Learning Resource Center (library). Snacks will be
served in the cafeteria.
Zoning Commission to meet
The Zoning Commission for the city of Emory will hold a regular
meeting on Tuesday. August 15, at 6:00 p.m. at the Emory City Hall. At that
time the following items will be considered and acted upon: (1) Roger
Hooten to discuss building permit on Highway 69 East (2) Alan Morgan to
discuss proposed office location at 595 E. Lennon and (3) comments. The
commission will take any and all action in regards to the above matters.
Court of Honor ceremony
The Boy Scout Troop 393 Court of Honor ceremony will be held
Tuesday night, August 15, at 7:00 at the Emory United Methodist Church.
These boys have worked very hard and earned a total of 44 merit badges.
Please come and join us for refreshments and show your support for these
fine young men.
First football scrimmage August 18
The “Meet-thc-Wildcats” blue-and-white scrimmage will be August
18 in the Wildcat Stadium at 6:00 p.m. The junior varsity will play first fol-
lowed by the varsity teams. Everyone is encouraged to come out and meet
the football boys, the Lady ’Cats volleyball players, the cheerleaders, and
the cross country runners. Free hot dogs and drinks will be served. Come
out and support these fine young athletes The boys will play their first
scrimmage game against Kaufman on August 25 at Wildcat Stadium.
Preschool registration August 22
It’s already time for the Rains County Preschool registration. The reg-
istration will be Tuesday, August 22, at the Emory Baptist Church between
6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Your child has to be three years old as of September
1 to be able to attend. We are still in need of volunteers. We cannot have a
successful school year without volunteers.
Friends of the Library meeting
Friends of the Rains County Public Library will meet Tuesday
evening, August 22, at 7:00 in the Meadows Room of the library. Everyone
is invited.
Rains Fair Association meeting
The Rains County Extension Program Council and Rains County Fair
Association will meet on Tuesday, August 22, at 7:00 p.m. at the Rains
County Fairgrounds exhibit building in Emory. Extension activities will be
discussed and plans finalized for the Rains County Fair, which is scheduled
for September 11-16. All interested citizens are invited to attend. For addi-
tional information, contact the Rains County Extension Office at 903-473-
2412.
Booster Club to hold first meeting
The Wildcat Booster Club will have their first business meeting
Tuesday, August 22, at 7:00 p.m. in the high school lihrary. Some of the
agenda items are to elect a new treasurer, discuss the financial situation,
plan for the Rains County Fair, and discuss activity plans for the upcoming
school year. Every member is asked to attend. Your input and ideas are
encouraged. Future meetings will be held on the third Monday of each
month in the high school library.
RYSA soccer sign-up August 25
Deadline for soccer sign-up is August 25. Ages 3-12 forms will be
passed out at school or may be picked up and returned to Emory Auto
Supply. Anyone interested in coaching please call Wendell Moon at (903)
473-2913 or at (903) 473-3193.
Rains County Fair Pageants
It is that time of year again! Pageant and Cutest Babies entry forms
may be picked up at the Rains County Leader office. Deadline for entry is
Wednesday, August 30. No entries will be accepted after this date.
Senior citizen athletic passes
Senior citizens (65 years and older) are eligible to receive a free admis-
sion pass to Rains High School athletic events. Applications may be made
in the high school office.
eS
School board asks for bids to
begin dirt work on new school
by Jaxie Morgan
Hams County l eader staff
In an effort to jump start the con-
struction of the new high school, the
Rains ISD board of trustees voted
luesday night during their regular
meeting to go ahead and release the
bid package for the dirt work. Bids
will be received on August 29.
Architect Don Burleson, con-
struction manager Tim Jackson and
Jackson's brother Jonathan were on
hand Tuesday night to go over
seven pages of site drawings with
the board and to answer questions.
Burleson said the plans are 90 to 95
percent complete.
In reviewing the plans, several
changes were made by the board,
including that the building have a
sloped metal roof with the air con-
ditioning units on the ground (as
previously requested by the board),
as well as changing the type of
brick used on the exterior of the
building. Tim Jackson said that
even with the more expensive roof,
“I’m optimistic about the budget.”
Burleson will make the requested
changes and meet with the board
again at the earliest possible date to
get the plans finalized and approved
so bidding can proceed.
Also on August 29, a special
meeting will be held at 2:(H) to
approve the sale of bonds to fi-
nance the building project.
A public hearing will be held at
6:00 Thursday, August 31, on the
district's budget and proposed tax
rate. The district is proposing a tax
rate of $1.6598. Of this, $1.4835 is
for maintenance and operations
Leader photo by JAXIE MORGAN
ARCHITECT DON BURLESON went over site drawings with the Rains ISD board of trustees Tuesday night to
answer questions about the floor plans for the new high school. Pictured left to right are Lawrence Terry and board
members Valeria Groves (seated), Linda Terry, Becca Munsch, Wayne Wolfe, and Mike Willis; Jonathan Jackson of
Jackson Construction Company; and Mr. Burleson. Not pictured (but present) were board members Mickey Cooper
and Philip Alexander, and construction manager Tim Jackson (directly behind Burleson).
(M&O) and $0.1763 is for bonded
indebtedness (l&S) tor the new
high school.
The board approved a contract
with the law firm of Linebarger
Heard Goggan Blair Graham Pena
&. Sampson, LLP. for property
value appeal services This firm
works for a 10% contingency fec-
und has gained thousands of dollars
for the district in past years as a
result of administrative and judicial
appeals of the state property value-
study conclusions. They believe
they can get $300.(Xt0 in additional
state aid for our district for the
200!-2002 school year.
In other action, the board:
calendar for 2000-01.
• Approved quarterly investment
report, which showed
$72,159.13 in interest earned
during March, April and May.
• Approved athletic guidelines for
2000-01.
• Approved pay ment of bills, in-
cluding $14,732.50 to Student
Insurance Services for athletic-
programs, over $60,000 to
Burleson & Associates, SI7.219
for computer software, and
$48,343 to the Rains Tax Ap-
praisal District.
• Approved one out-of-district stu-
dent hardship transfer request
for a foreign exchange student
living with a faculty member.
• Approved a general waiver for
instruction (teacher certifica-
tion).
• Discussed class size reduction
program.
• Discussed TASB Update 63, first
reading
The board met briefly in closed
session from 9:29 to 9:50 to discuss
purchase, exchange, lease or change
of real property. No action was
taken when the board reconvened in
open session.
Commissioners meeting includes workshop
by Carolyn Hill
Rains County Leader staff
Rains County Judge Bob Sisk
and the county commissioners met
in a regular session and a third FY
2000-2001 budget workshop on
Thursday, August 13, at the cout-
house annex.
In addition to Thursday, budget
workshops were held on Thursday,
August 3, and Monday, August 7.
During these workshops the court
voted to maintain last year’s tax
rate of .6384 per hundred valuation
which will require a public tax
hearing since valuation in Rains
County is up and the tax rate will
result in added revenue.
While pay raises were not a
major budget issue this year, Judge
Bob Sisk again asked the court to
implement a “step raise” which
would result in higher wages being
Complaints
filed against
former
treasurer
by Jaxie Morgan
Rains County Leader staff
Complaints have been filed
with Rains County Attorney
Robert Vititow by the Rains
County Child Protective Serv-
ices and the Rains Wildcat
Booster Club alleging their for-
mer treasurer has taken money
from each organization.
According to Vititow. this per-
son has been indicted on one
charge of theft and one charge of
misapplication of fiduciary prop-
erty. Vititow stated. “The fact
that a person has been indicted
may not be used at trial as evi-
dence of guilt. The investigation
is still pending with regard to
each organization due to the pos-
sibility of more than one person
being involved. This office in-
tends to treat the former treasur-
er consistent with all other first-
time theft offenders.”
paid to employees doing the same
job but with longer tenure with the
county. Judge Sisk termed the pro-
gram a “one-time-only shot” and
proposed a two percent pay raise
for county employees with one to
five years service; a four percent
raise for six to ten years service;
and a six percent raise for eleven or
more years of service. He proposed
the same program last year but the
commissioners passed it over,
instead giving themselves pay rais-
es and an across-the-board three
percent raise for employees. This
year the commissioners approved
the program.
Several other budget concerns
regarded the county payroll. The
item drawing the most interest was
a plan to place all sheriff’s deputies
under the Department of Labor’s
section 207K of the Federal Wage
and Labor Law. Section 207K
allows management to require
by Carolyn Hill
Rains County Leader staff
A half-dozen or so residents of
the Hermits Cove subdivision
attended the Tuesday, August 8,
regular meeting of the Point City
Council to voice their displeasure
of the city’s water service to the
addition.
While one of the residents was
on the council’s agenda, the discus-
sion took place in open forum.
First, Russell Reed spoke to the
council regarding the slow service
in setting his water meter. He said it
had been weeks and still no meter
had been set with him receiving the
same excuse that no backhoe was
available. He said for the $1375 fee
charged by the city, a backhoe
could have been rented and the
meter set weeks ago.
Then, Joe Mac Dennie, who was
on the agenda, James Jackson, and
all of rest of the attendant Hermits
Cove residents joined jn registering
their complaint of the low water
pressure in the addition. Dennie
said that the pressure is so low in
the addition that water usage in one
home in the addition makes it close
to impossible to use water in anoth-
er home. “I can’t take a bath if my
deputies to work up to six addition-
al hours during each pay period
with or without pay. The commis-
sioners’ court agreed to pay the
county deputies straight pay for the
additional six hours. According to
Judge Sisk, this is a program under
which the DPS pays its troopers
and many counties and cities pay
their officers.
The plan, as it relates to Rains
County, would mean that if a
deputy works any amount of time
over 80 hour a pay period (two
weeks) he will be paid straight time
for the first six hours. After the first
six hours he will earn comp time.
For example: a deputy who works
42 hours one week of a pay period
and 40 hours the next week would
be paid 82 hours of straight time.
And a deputy who works 44 hours
one week of a pay period and 44
hours the next week would be paid
neighbor is washing dishes,” he
said.
Point Public Works Director
Curtis Reichle responded to all of
the problems, saying that a back-
hoe has been rented and Reed’s
meter will be set this week. He con-
tinued by saying that the low water
pressure is due to the 1-1/2-inch
Point Water and Sewer-owned line
that services the area. He asked that
an agenda item to replace the water
line servicing the addition be
moved forward and acted on. A
motion by Councilman Ted
Romine to go out for bids to lay a
4-inch water line of approximately
1900 feet passed unanimously.
The last thing the residents want-
ed was a definite time when the
work would be completed and the
water service improved. This
request could not be met since the
time factor would depend on the
bids and the winning contractor's
work schedule.
Another water problem the coun-
cil faced came from Point residents
Anthony and Michelle Redmon
According to the Redmons. a check
in payment of their water bill was
placed in the drop box at city hall
within two or three days after
receiving their water bill. The
86 hours of straight time and two
hours of comp time.
The program was hotly debated
with Sheriff Richard Wilson strong-
ly objecting and several other citi-
zens voicing concern. The program
was approved by a three-to-one
vote with Commissioner Gary
Bishop voting no.
The court also voted, by a three-
to-one margin, to terminate over-
time and use comp time in all
departments. Again, Bishop was
the no vote.
A discussion on health insurance
also became a budget concern as it
relates to the county payroll and
benefits. This year the county’s
insurance provider. Blue Cross
Blue Shield, and/or agent. Texas
Association of Counties, handed
the county a 26.8 percent increase
in health insurance, bringing the
<• see COMMISSIONERS page 3
check was not found and the
account became past due on the
15th and, as prescribed by the
water department's regulations, a
lock was installed on their water
meter on the 27th of the month. The
Redmons said they were stunned to
find the meter locked when they
had paid their bill and. since no
notification had been left at the
house, couldn’t figure out who had
installed the lock. Their business
before the council was to request
that the city adopt some form of
informing residents that their water
bill is past due and service w ill be
discontinued if the bill is not paid.
Again. Reichle responded with
an agenda item. He asked the coun-
cil to approve the purchase of door-
hangers which he and his depart-
ment could leave at the homes of
water customers whose bills are
past due. Reichle suggested a yel-
low door-hanger to serve as a past
due notice. It would state the
amount of customer’s current water
bill plus the late fee incurred and
notice that non-payment will result
in discontinuation of water sere ice.
The notice would be left after the
15th of the month. He also suggest-
see POINT COUNCIL page 2
Point council pressured over water
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Hill, Earl Clyde, Jr. Rains County Leader (Emory, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 10, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 15, 2000, newspaper, August 15, 2000; Emory, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth768327/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rains County Library.