Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 121, No. 70, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 31, 2003 Page: 1 of 63
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Polk County Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Livingston Municipal Library.
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Violators face stiffer fines
By EMILY BANKS
News Editor
LIVINGS I ON Increased effi-
ciency and financial integrity are
the oh|c-ui\c of several changes in
counts piocedure recommended by
County Auditor B.L. “Bob” Dock-
ens during Tuesday's budget work-
shop of the Polk County Commis-
sioners' Court
Following Dockens' explanation
of the changes and the reasons he
thinks they are necessary, the
commissioners court was in
agreement.
The first change involves-the -
way the county handles budget
revisions and budget amendments.
Commenting that the court has
been approving the revisions and
amendments without much study,
he said he feels that additional
study is necessary to protect the
integrity of the county’s fund bal-
ance.
Dockens explained the difference
between the two procedures, saying
that moving funds from one line
item to another within a depart-
ment's budget is a budget revision:
whereas, a budget amendment is
when additional funds are needed
that are in excess of the original
budgeted amount, normally due to
-circumstances beyond the county's
control
Dockens suggested the formation
Onalaska ISD sets
tax rate, new budget
ONALASKA - A public hearing
to discuss the budget and proposed
tax rate for the 2001-2004 school
year was held by the Board of
Trustees of the Onalaska Independ-
ent School District Thursday
Follow mg the public hearing, the
board reconvened and approve^ a
resolution setting a tax rate of
$ I 6710 for the 2003-2004 school
year, the same (ax rate as last year
The board also approved adop-
tion of the 2003-2004 budget.
A proposal from Devolve Corpo-
ration to install Category 6 Cabling
for the computcr/tclcphone wiring
in tire new junior/senior high
school for $39,044.89 was ap-
proved
The use of canine detection for
the school campuses was also ap-
proved. with the board opting to
contract with' Interquest
Following a presentation by Pre-
cinct 2 Justice of the Peace David
Johnson regarding what he thinks
the district needs, the board dis-
cussed the duties relating to a re-
source officer, or juvenile proba-
tion officer, that the district could
employ for the 2004-2005 school
year
In other business, the board ap-
proved budget amendments for the
2002-2003 school year
driving to ha\c their records purged
of the offense, and thc\ will also
not be allowed deferred adjudica-
tion.
Drivers who receive violations in
work /ones will also no longer be
allowed to take defensive driv mg
Those drivers eligible for defen-
sive driving will have less tune io
complete the course Under current
law. a driver has 180 days to com-
plete a defensive driving course
See POINT pg. 4A
V
* ,• -> A
of a three-person committee to
meet prior to each commissioners
court 'meeting to study the budget
amendments and make a recom-
mendation to the court He said the
committee should be comprised of
himself. County Judge John
Thompson (who serves as the chief
budget officer for the county) and
one commissioner Although no
commissioner immediately volun-
teered for the position, following
some discussion Precinct I Com-
missioner Bob Willis was desig-
nated as the commissioner who will
serve on the committee
The second change recom-
mended by Dockens involves the
county going on a complete pin
chase order sy stem
"The purchase oidci svstem in
effect has not been tmiv enloieed
Dockens said, emphasizing that no
one has done any thing wrong pu
viouslv. this is just a natural evolu-
tion due to growth
"The whole essence is (hat Polk
County is growing We have multi-
ple departments and financial con
See AUDITOR pg. 4A
Goodrich approves rate, benefit plan
new fees beginning Monday There
will also be a $10 administrative
fee for processing defensive driving
paperwork
The state fee to obtain a certified
driving record has been doubled,
from $10 to $20. he added
All of the additional money goes
to the state
Another major change will im-
pact violators with commercial
driver's licenses Those holding a
commercial driver's license will no
longer be allowed to take defensive
furious start of llie new school
year and commented that growth
has been experienced
Elementary Principal Darol Hail
reported a good start of school and
said he lias current enrollment of
164 which is an increase over Iasi
year
In communication items, the
board reviewed the Polk Central
Appraisal District s adopted budget
for 2004 and also rev ievved a notice
of the refund of half the district s
membership dues for 200' for the
Texas Association of School
Boards
The board rccogm/cd Fimlv
Banks of the Polk County Enter-
prise as a member of the I ASB
Media Honor Roll and presented
her a certificate
Other business included approval
of the financial reports and the
minutes of the Julv 17 meeting
OFFICES EVACUATED - Livingston Firefighters cncck out the roof of the IJTMB health
center on EastjChurch Street in Livingston Thursday after fire wa^discovered between the tar
w^h three knocks andTsfirefighter? Tha fire was confined to a small area offtie root^but the
entire building was evacuated and t^ie UTMB office was closed for the remainder of the day
, ThoOnalaskaVfD stood by to cover the area in the event of another call.
LIVINGSTON - Effective Mon-
day those with moving violations
will find themselves facing suffer
penalties
The changes arc part of the
Driver Responsibility Program
passed into law as pan of House
Bill 3588
Among the changes violators
will sec is a major increase m court
costs which will rise from $57 to
$87. according to Precinct I Justice
of the Peace Darrell Longino. who.
along with other JPs will assess the
GOODRICH The Board of
Trustees of the Goodrich Indepcnd
ent School District adopted the
2003-2004 budget during its regu-
lar meeting Thursday and set a tax
rate of $1.4961. the same tax rate
as last y ear
A change to the benefit plan lor
the 2003-2004 school year was
approved whereby faculty may
now be reimbursed up to $800 per
*cai tin college ciedu in an educa-
tion-related field
Also approved were the cafeteria,
bus ndor s and substitute teacher
hai dbooks
I lie (mard approved the bid from
Stubbs Petroleum loi petroleum
and approved the md Iron, Sanitary
Supplv loi mamtenaiice/eustodial
No bids were received for me
sale and icmoval of the old mainte-
nance building
A student use agreement foi the
district electronic communications
system was approved
The board approved the official
budget amendment for the 2002-
200' school year through Aug 31.
2007
A signature diskette for the new
computer program for fi-
nancc/payroll was approved.
In police matters the board ap-
proved EIC l ocal which addresses
class rank and Policy Update No
70. which deals with administrative
procedure
Following an executive session,
the board approved the employ-
ment of Belinda Brannon as an
elementary teacher. Paul Davidson
as a high school science teacher
and Lcland Edge as a half-day vo-
cational agriculture teacher
Superintendent Clay Webb pre-
sented a maintenance and transpor-
tation rev tew He also discussed the
upcoming TASB/TASA conven-
tion distributed district sports
passes to the board, reminded them
of the Sept I Labor Day holiday:
and informed them dial he has been
designated pest control manager for
the district and w ill attend training
in Fort Worth m November
Secondary Principal Malissa
Williams reported on a fast and
IMEKPRISt PHOIO B\ GORDON I V B VRRON
SPIT IAI DEI l\ TRY A Sikorsky helicopter with Five States Helicopter Inc of Oklahoma
is shown placing an air conditioning unit on top of the new Onalaska Junior/Senior High
School I htirsday 1 he helicopter lifted >6 1.100-pound air conditioning units to the roof
placing them exactlv where they needed to be The project took approximately one hour and I $
mmutes and was conducted by a two-man crew that had been working in Montana the prev ious
day I he new school will be completed in mid-January and the move will be made next
summei
Corrigan-Camden ...27 Trinity................ .....8 Gtoveton...............26 Palestine........... 33 Channelview ...20 Lufkin..............34
Center
21 Cokbpring-Oakhurst... 6 Shepherd..............12 Cleveland............ 0 Huntsville........10 Katy.................12
m
-t-H-
e 121 Number 70
Polk County-
......A"
47’ |
No,. ADc 7(j0
KS IXC
ENTERPRISE
Sunday
August 31,2003
The Dominant News and Advertising Source in Polk County
UPS 437-340 Price: 50 cents
father charged in murder
:<k<
; LIVINGSTON - A Livingston
(nan remains in the Polk County
;Jart 'without bond after being
charged with capital murder for the
Jtlly":13 death of his 29-day-okl
daughter
t-Jdnatlian Paul Durham. I8. was
aocsted Tuesday following a six-
week investigation
According to Livingston Police
Detective Ken Bohnert. the baby
was brought to the emergency
room at Memorial Medical Center-
Liviiigston on July 12 and was un-
responsive and not breathing
Bohnert said hospital personnel
notified the police department tliat
the circumstances appeared to be
suspicious
Although the baby was put on a
respirator and a heartbeat was es-
tablished. she was transported by
Life Flight to Memorial Hermann
Hospital in Houston later that day
Medical personnel at Memonal
Hermann found the child exhibited
signs of being brain dead and she
was removed from life support on
July 13. Bohnert said
“Ft was the opinion of the medi-
cal personnel at Memonal
Hermann that the injuries were not
consistent with die accounts given
by the parents. Boluiert said
Wc began an investigation dial
lias been ongoing and developed
enough information 10 establish
probable cause. " lie said
Bohnert and the Livingston Po
lice Department have been assisted
m their investigation b\ Imesliga
tor Byron Lyons ol the Polk
Countv District Atlomcv s (Hike
and Texas Ranger Ron Dull
Auditor suggests changes
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 121, No. 70, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 31, 2003, newspaper, August 31, 2003; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth821147/m1/1/?q=Homecoming+queen+1966+North+Texas+State+University: accessed June 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.