Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 24, 1997 Page: 1 of 34
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Hondo Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Hondo Public Library.
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2627 E Yondell Dr
Volume 111, Number 30
Thursday, July 24,1997
Published In Hondo, Texas ’
El Paso IX
Our 111th leur
Medina County's Leading Newspaper
79903
***•« t
50 Cents
Medina Fair Court contest
deadline, practice Sunday
The deadline for entering the 1997
Medina County Fair Queen Court
contest is 1:30 p.m. Sunday, July 26.
Contestants should call Diana
Brawner, 426-4660 or426-3666, for
entry forms. When they meet at 1:30
p.m. Sunday at the Hondo High
School Activities Center, contestants
will have their photos taken and will
practice for the Aug. 9 contest.
Pool offers special
summer programs
The Hondo swimming pool will be
holding several special evening
events through the remainder of the
summer, according to Andi Man-
gold, manager.
Every Friday will be Teen Night
from 9 to 12. There will be a DJ and
games for teens ages 13 to 17.
On Tuesdays, adults have the pool
to themselves from 8 to 9 p.m.
Other special summer events at the
pool are being planned.
Band Camp begins Aug. 4
Hondo High School Owl Band
members will begin Band Camp
Monday, Aug. 4, at 9 a.m. and con-
tinue through the week. There will
be a mandatory meeting for freshman
and their parents Tuesday at 6:30
p.m. A mandatory meeting for upper
classmen and parents will be held
Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Domestic Violence
worksbCft^tlpKerndlle
A Domestic Violence workshop
will be held Aug. 4 from 9 a.m. to 12
noon at 1810 Junction Hwy.,Ste 104,
in Kerrville. Cost is $10 per person.
Continuing education and. CEU
credit available upon completion of
the class. Call 1-800-826-5436 for
information or to register. Seating is
limited.
New student registration
Registration for all students new
to the Hondo ISD will be held on
Tuesday, July 29, at Meyer Elemen-
tary, McDowell Jr. High and Hondo
High School. Registration times will
be from 8:00 to 12:0C and 1:00 to
3:00. Parents are asked to bring with
them the following items at the time
of registration: birth certificate, So-
cial Security card, immunization
record. Anyone having questions can
call the campus principal's office at
Meyer Elem. 426-3161, McDowell
Jr. High 426-2261, or Hondo High
School 426-3341.
County authorizes
reappraisal of
flood damaged homes
FOOTBALL CAMP... Owl Coach Eddie Boggess gives encouragement to Tyler Horan during morning
drills at the Owl Football Camp.
Council appointment stalled
The assessment of damage from
the June floods has been complete.
County Chief Appraiser James
Garcia received approval to
reassess the value of residential
and commercial property that
sustained damage from the floods.
“Approximately $900,000 in
value was lost as a result of the
flooding to residential and
commercial property,” Garcia
said. There were just over 100
homes damaged by the floods. He
estimated the decrease in property
value would not exceed 50% of the
total losses due to the calculation
methods as prescribed by law.
“Everyone will get the same
allocation but not everyone will
have the same amount of damage,”
Garcia said. The reduction will be
assessed based on the value of the
property from Jan. 1, 1997 until
the date of the flood and a
reappraised value front the date of
the flood to the end of the year.
Since Governor Bush signed the
disaster declaration the taxing
entities have the authority to
reappraise the damaged property.
We have a pretty good idea
about the homes that received
major or minor damage and put
them on a list to have reduced taxes
for 1997.
The same information has been
submitted to the school districts in
the county but has not received a
response yet. “1 would think this
would be to our advantage,”
Garcia told commissioners.
Garcia was anxious to receive
approval to reappraise the property
so that he could have complete
figures as soon as possible. “I’d
have to hurry up and do this before
you get into budgets and tax rates,”
Garcia stated.
Six candidates submitted applica-
tions for consideration for appoint-
ment to the Hondo City Council seat
vacated earlier this month by Ed
Tackett.
Indicating an interest in the ap-
pointment were Keith Taylor, Jesus
Rodriguez, Hope Puckett, Sammy
Nooner, Elias Robles and Thomas
Jordan, according to Mayor Jim
Barden w|)p made the announcement
at the Monday council meeting.
Council members were unable to
reach a consensus on the appoint-
ment, however, and the position will
remain open until the second meet-
ing in August.
Councilman Bob Heyen said he
was in favor of appointing Keith Tay-
lor and Councilman Jose Ytuarte put
his nomination of Jesus Rodriguez
into the form of a motion which was
seconded by Councilwoman Carmen
Hernandez.
"I feel I'm being asked to make a
decision on people I don't really
know," said Councilman Mark Graff.
'fWe talked about interviewing a
couple of candidates. I feel at a loss
not knowing the candidates. I would
like to motion to table." The motion
See COUNCIL, Page 4
Rep. King discusses
legislative
Ney Unit shake down nets drugs
During the annual shake down at
the TDCJ Joe Ney Unit, a small
amount of cocaine was discovered
by the Hondo PD canine, unit.
Officer Wesley Beck and Prince
were conducting the searches on
July 14 which prompted the inves-
tigation.
So far, five offenders were iden-
tified. Ney Unit Warden Ernest
Dixon said the inmates will be re-
moved from the program and trans-
ferred to another prison after their
probation is revoked.
The Ney Unit is slightly different
from other prisons because it is a
substance abuse facility. Inmates in
the prison are allowed to take part
in the substance abuse program as
part of their probation. If they com-
plete the program the clients are re-
leased into a halfway house for a
short time. After their stay at the
halfway house they are allowed to
return to their homes and required
to continue with the conditions of
their probation under the supervi-*
sion of a probation officer which do
include frequent drug tests.
If the inmates fail to comply with
the conditions of the program they
are returned to prison.
A training session has been held
for the officers that deal with the
clients to help them learn what to
look for in these situations.
“The investigation did reveal that
this had not been going on very long
and the perpetrators were new to the
program,” Dixon said.
“We’re dealing with criminals and
drug addics, they are going to do
these things. ” Dixon said. “I gauge
our success by how quickly we
catch them.”
’The officers conducting the inves-
tigation have learned that a family
member of one of the trustees on
the squad was dropping off the
drugs. “That family member will
no longer be allowed to visit any-
more,” Dixon said.
The work the inmates were do-
ing throughout the community was
discontinued until the investigation
was completed. Warden Dixon said
he expects trustee crews to be back
to work sometime next week.
Since the Ney Unit was built in
the county the trustee clients have
performed community service for
public entities throughout the
county. Much of the work they
have done has saved the county,
city and schools thousands of dol-
lars. Some of the work they have
done would not have been possible
if it weren’t for the work done by
the inmates.
State Representative Tracy O.
King held several town haljl meet-
ings throughout Mc$na County to
visit with his constituents and pro-
vide an update on the action taken
during the 1997 Legislative
session.
Some of the topics dis-
cussed include the in-
creased homestead exemp-
tion which the voters will
decide on Aug. 9. He
also discussed the new
water law, the governor’s
reading initiative and addi-
sources in Texas.
The bill encourages areas that
have water to sell it to areas that suf-
fer from water shortages. Texas
Natural Resource and Conservation
Commission has been
granted the authority to au-
thorize water transfers for
emergencies such as con-
1 lamination or drought.
Money was also desig-
nated to the Water Devel-
opment Board to make
loans to small com-
munities to assist with wa-
tional money which was al- pe_ jracy ^jnq ter and wastewater infra-
l/«nntA/i ¥/\* MAiai mm aama # ** rtmAtiirn
located for new prisons
King said the homestead exemp-
tion was the result of Governor
George W. Bush’s commitment to
reduce property taxes.
King also stated all profits from
the lottery will be dedicated to
schools.
The 75th Legislature also passed
the state’s first ever comprehensive
water plan. SB 1 was written to pro-
mote the preservation and conser-
vation of all of the valuable water
structure projects.
Additional funds were also set
aside to construct new prisons. “We
are locking them up and keeping
them longer and executing more in-
mates than ever before,” King said.
The Legislature set aside $32 mil-
lion to fund the governor’s reading
initiative. The goal of the initiative
is to help all children read on a third
grade level by the third grade. Funds
will be appropriated for tests and
grants to school districts.
Home-Rule Charters: A City’s Constitution
By William Hoover_
Anvil Herald Staff
What do College Station and Aus-
tin have in common besides the
greatest college football rivalry in
Texas? Both cities have Home-Rule
charters.
In fact, 284 cities in Texas operate
under Home-Rule charters. TTiere are
only two types of city charter, Gen-
eral Law and Home-Rule, and any
form of government (council-man-
ager, mayor-council, etc.) is permis-
sible under both.
Choosing Government
These charter types provide differ-
ent approaches to city governance.
Indeed, which type of charter a city
operates under determines the city’s
relationship to the state.
With a General Law charter a city
is an extension of the state and oper-
ates under the policies of state law,
Under a Home-Rule charter a city is
a semi-autonomous subdivision of
the state and implements its own
policies with full local control.
Home-Rule cities look to the state
legislature not for grants of power
but only for limitations on their
power. Article XI, section 5 of the
Texas Constitution grants Home-
Rule cities all the powers of self gov-
ernment not expressly denied them
by the legislature.
The powers of Home-Rule cities
are only limited by their charters, the
State Constitution, and general law.
Among the implied powers of mu-
nicipal government is the power to
enact and enforce reasonable laws
and ordinances for the protection of
health, life, and property.
To be eligible to adopt a Home-
Rule charter a city must have a popu-
lation of 5,000 or more. Texas claims
1,179 incorporated municipalities of
which 298 have a populations in ex-
cess of 5,000.
Out of the 298 municipalities with
5,000 or more in population, a full
284 have Home-Rule charters,
Ninety-five percent of eligible cities,
including Dallas, Ft. Worth, Hous-
ton, and San Antonio, as well as the
smaller local towns of Pearsall,
Pleasanton and Kerrville, have opted
for this form of governance.
Many cities, such as Kerrville in
1942, were founded with Home-Rule
charters. Others cities have adopted
Home-Rule charters after being es-
tablished under a General Law char-
ter. For example, San Antonio was
founded under a General Law chat-
ter in 1914 but adopted a HomeRule
charter in 1951. Pleasanton, first
chartered in 1982, just adopted a
Home-Rule charter in 1995, Pearsall
became a Home-Rule city with its
first charter in 1994.
Preparing for change
Charter revision may be proposed
by a two-thirds vote of the city’s gov-
erning body or through a citizen pe-
tition of at least 10 percent of the
population. At this point an election
is held which asks the citizens “shall
a commission be chosen to frame a
new charter?”
If the answer is “yes”, the govern-
ing body of the city or the mayor
selects a charter review commission
to create a new charter. The charter
must then be reviewed by the city
and mailed to each registered vott t
Once the charter revision is accept-
able to the city and understood by
the registered voters, the charter is
put to a vote.
A proposed Home-Rule charter is
adopted if it is approved by a major-
ity of the city’s qualified voters.
Advantages/Disadvantages
The advantage of Home-Rule lies
in the power of local control. Home-
Rule cities make their own laws
without consulting the legislature.
Smaller towns wishing to adopt
Home-Rule charters, however, are
presented with some disadvantages.
Juanita Firestone Ph.D., a politi-
cal scientist and Professor of Public
Administration at the University of
Texas at San Antonio explains, “One
consideration is cost. Many small
towns opt to stay with General Law,
charters to avoid the cost of imple-
menting a new municipal policy
structure. It can take a great deal of
time and money to establish a char-
ter review commission and develop
a new charter.
Another consideration is technical
and political skill. In smaller towns
you risk having a brain drain with
the most knowledgeable and skilled
people leaving the area for bigger
cities and larger salaries. This ten-
dency for the best and brightest to
move away from small towns could
cause some poor decision making.
You may end up with not enough
people at the local level with the ap-
propriate experience and public ad-
ministration skills.”
Also, locally developed and
adopted Home-Rule charters, while
serving the interests of local govern-
ment, have the potential to aggravate
fragmentation in given geographical
areas among cities with competing
interests. But with experienced and
skilled leadership, the HomeRule
charter gives cities the autonomy and
independence they need to exercise
control at the local level—without
state intervention.
Many Home-Rule cities have
unique local laws and exercise al-
most unlimited local control-except
where state law supersedes local law.
Greater local control, however, can
be both a blessing and a burden.
Just as a Home-Rule city can en-
act beneficial local laws without state
approval, so to can it enact oppres-
sive local laws. With more local
power a city assumes more local re-
sponsibility. Indeed, to show how
important crafting a Home-Rule
Charter is the process has been re-
ferred to as “constitution making” or
“writing your own government.”
For example, the city of Austin,
which adopted a Home-Rule charter
in 1994, uses the power of Home-
rule to restrict development over the
Barton Springs watershed. Austin's
land use policies are stricter than any
other Texas city’s policies or county
or state regulations. Austin has im-
posed these restrictions in the name
of environmental protection. These
land use restrictions conflict with the
rights of private property owners
who wish to develop the land.
This is a classic Home-Rule di-
lemma and whether you agree with
the policy or not depends on whether
you place a higher value on private
property rights or environmental pro-
tection. Land development conglom-
erate Freeport McMoRan and nu-
merous individual laAdowners are
fighting Austin in state court now
because they are accustomed to more
relaxed land use restrictions which
prevail throughout the state. Yet, the
Home-Rule powers of Austin al-
lowed its citizens to enact as strict a
set of land use ordinances as they
wanted to protect the Barton Springs.
A Home-Rule charter gives a city
and its citizens more tools to exer-
cise what they believe to be benefi-
cial, necessary and appropriate local
controls.
With Home-Rule charters cities
exercise increased local control be-
cause they do not look to the legisla-
ture to implement policy changes.
Home-Rule gives municipalities
the opportunity to control their own
destiny rather than being controlled
by state legislators who are not inti-
mately familiar with local issues.
Although Home-Rule guarantees
greater democracy through local
control, it does not ensure greater ef-
ficiency or effectiveness.
Citizens are responsible for ensur-
ing the efficiency and effectiveness
of their municipal government via
participating in elections, selecting
the best qualified representatives
(council members, city manager,
mayor, etc.) and holding them ac-
countable at the next election.
The true power of Home-Rule
government is in the hands of the
citizenry.
It is the voter who must ensure that
political leaders act responsibly and
in the community's best interests.
Jfl
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Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 24, 1997, newspaper, July 24, 1997; Hondo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth818181/m1/1/?q=%22~1~1~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hondo Public Library.