The Silsbee Bee (Silsbee, Tex.), Vol. 69, No. 33, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 17, 1987 Page: 1 of 30
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Silsbee Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Silsbee Public Library.
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Lupire Xioroflit Cer
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The Silsbee bee 125-
VOLUME69• NUMBER33 SILSBEE, TEXAS 77656. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER IT, 1687 24PAGES 1 \ 2SECTIONS
B. B. Simieou To Resign
District D Council Seat
May Grads Who Failed The
TEAMS Test May Re-Take It
DistrirrxJ) Councilwoman
B.B SimieovN^nnounced Mon
^ayTugh^shfr is resigning from
the City Cotmcil as the result of
health problems and a heavy
workload. $.
“In my campaign I promised
the people in my district as well
as the people of this city that I
would represent them honestly
and enthusiastically, and dill
gently would I seek to see that
their needs were attended to,
With great effort I have tried
to keep that promise and I feel
the people in my district know
this," Simieou said. "It is
because of this promise that I
must now terminate my tenure
as councilperson for District I)
As a result of a heavy workload
and for personal health reasons
, 1 feel that I can no longer
represent the people effective
ly,“
Simieou, who has been a
member of the council for
almost a year and a half, will
leave the council when a re
placement is found
City Attorney Roger Ratliff
said the council can appoint
someone to fill the District D
position
Mayor. Wes I-at ham said the
council will mis* Simieou
“You've been a wonderful
person on the council." latham
said "We appreciate your ser
vice and will mis* you very-
much .“
District C Council woman
Helen Larsh said she would
accept the resignation with
regret
“It has been such a gratifying
experience and the privilege
that has been afforded me to
serve on this council is one that
1 will always be grateful for “
Simieou said
Simieou was elected, earlier .
this year to her second term on
the council She was first
elected to the council in April
1966 to a one year term
in other meeting action, coun
ril agreed to set two culverts in
a driveway belonging to Mrs.
Frankie Brittain at the point
the driveway crosses a drain
age creek
Luirsh said she had received
letters from residents saying
that the council had agreed to
stt culverts bought by the
residents if a sewer easement
was granted to the city The
easement crosses Brittain » pri
vate driveway three times
“If a promise was made do
sei the1 culverts', then the city
ha* an obligation to meet its
promise." I-arsh said
City manager Ronald Hirker
son said he had no recall or
written record of the agree
ment to set the culverts The
letters indicated thr agreement
was made sometime in I960-------
'The only thing we have on
record is that we obtained an
easement across the property,"
Hkkerson said
Setting the culverts in the
drainage creek would not stop
flooding on Brittain s property,
wrhich is located off of Knupple
road near the city park, flicker
son said.
"There will still be times when
Mrs Brittain cannot get to her
home because the creek bed is
flooded. Hickerson said, add
ing that setting the culverts
will cost about $300
“1 don't know if it will stop the
flooding, but I will feel the
city's promise to (the residents!
has been met," Larsh said
Mayor pro tem David Shows
said hr had no ojbection to
setting the culverts and
thought the action would alle
viate the misunderstanding.
"In the future we need to be
real careful what we have in
writing and what we don't have
in writing." larsh said.
Hickerson said the city usually
installs culverts in city drive
etays because the area of the
culverts is usually in the right
of way.
In other action, council mem
here adopted an ordinance es
tablishing, in conjunction with
the county government, a Har
din County Emergency Man
agement Organization to co
ordinate all aspects of a city and
coiffitv comprehensive enter
gency management program
The organization will consist
of officers and employees of the
city and county and organized
volunteer groups. The mem
bers will prepare and maintain
a joint emergency plan for Sils
bee and Hardin County Ta.
tham will appoint a member to
the organization to represent
the council.
Council members discussed
the list of dilapidated struc
tures tn the city whose owners
have not yet responded to a
letter from the city directing
them to take action on the
structures
Assistant city manager Cesar
Dormngue? said nine persons
have not responded within the
day period alloted in the
letters for action.
Hickerson said the council
could hire a contractor to tear
the structures down and file
liens against the property The
city could also file against the
owners in the city court he
*aid. but added that these
options should be a last resort.
"We need to explore other
possibilities but these take
time." Hickerson said. Of 20
dilapidated structures acted
against last year, he said, all
but two cases were solved by-
alternative means. "We re ask
- mg you to allow us to do all we
can before we go to the expense
to have them torn down.”
"I think we need to put some
teeth in whatever we're doing,"
larsh said "We need to get
something done."
lath am directed Dominguez
and Ratliff to draft a,letter to
the owners citing the city's
options for enforcement.
Council opened the one bid
received on a drainage project
after discussion on whether to
give other companies more
time to bid.
Hickerson recommended the
council not open the bid until its
next meeting to give other
companies an extended bid
period.
"My concern is if you recom
mend that bid be rejected we re
that much farther behind."
“Hickerson said, adding that
competitiveness is also a con
cern.
Michael Hawley of Leo Equip
ment Rental of Lumberton said
the council should open the bid
because his was the only com
panv that complied with the
bid's time limits.
Place 2 Councilman Marvin
Littlepage said he believed
other companies could have
gotten their bids in on time
since one company was able to
and that the successful bidder
would have to follow a time-
table throughout the project.
Council opened the bid,
which totaled $91,735 Hicfcer
Simieou Sec 1 Page I)
Tax On Newspapers
To Be Eliminated
The price of the
Silsbee Bee will drop
two cents per copy after
o law signed June 16 by
Gov. Bill Clements goes
into effect Oct. 1.
Because the tax was
impractical ond cost
more to collect than it
produced in taxes it was
changed. The law will
eliminate the state
sales tax on the pur-
chase of newspapers
and magazines. News-
papers sold by in-
dividual copy and by
subscription are exempt
from the tox.
AUSTIN Texas students
who did not graduate from high
school in May because they
failed the Texas Educational
Assessment of Minimum Skills
•TEAMS) test can take the
exam again October 27 and 28.
Registration materials,
which include a list of test sites,
can be obtained from any Texas
high school beginning in mid
September. Individuals may
choose a convenient test site
from the list Those who have
relocated do not have to return
to the district last attended to
retake the exam.
Those wishing to retake the
test must have met all other
graduation requirements be
fore they can register.
Registration will close Oct-
ober 2. No late registrations or
walk-ins will be accepted.
Persons registering for the
exam will receive an admission
ticket which must be brought to
the test site with photo identifi-
cation The exam will begin
within the first hour of the
district's school day.
Test results will be mailed to
individuals and to the school
district from which a diploma is
expected.
The TEAMS test was man-
dated by House Bill 72 and
measures student performance
in reading, writing and mathe-
matics.
PTA Board Discusses
Membership Drive
School Open Houses and
PTA Membership Drive were
the subjects of the PTA Exeeu
tive Board Meeting for Sept-
Lower Proposed City Budget
Presented By Hickerson Sept. 9
City manager Ronald Hicker
son presented city council
members with a copy of the
proposed city budget at a
special council meeting Sept. 9.
The proposed $2.979.378
budget dropped $47,485 from
the 1986-87 budget. Hickerson
said.
Major capital expenditures
proposed in the budget are for
maintenance of a street im
provement program, miscel
laneous fire department equip
ment. a police car, a pickup
truck, drainage improvements
and the beginning of replace
ment of old, problem water
County Adopts *6,869,468 Budget;
Holds Tax Rate At 46 Cents
County commissioners
adopted a $6.**69.46b budget
Monday after a quet public
hearing Sept 10
About -15 person* at!- ■■■'■• I
the public hearing and none
spoke against the proposed
budget or tax rate No raises
were given to county em
ployees tri the budget and the
tax rate remained at 46 cents
per $100 valuation
Approximately $820,060 will
be taken out of the county's
carryover fund to balance the
budget, which has proposed
revenues of $6 04 million. The
county's effective tax rate, or
the rate needed to bring tn the
same amount of money as last
year, was calculated at 50
cents The 46 cent rate wtl!
bring about 8 percent less in
taxes into the county McKm
ney said, necessitating the
withdrawal of money from the
carryover fund
McKinney said the reduced
budget will still deliver services
offered currently bv the coun
ty
Commissioners unanimously-
adopted the budget and 46 cent
tax rate Monday
In other action Monday. com
missioners set a 35 mph speed
limit on Brown Road in Precinct
3 after a public hearing Sept 2
The road is located off of FM
770.
The court voted to amend the
county's subdivision regu
lations to specify that all flexi
ble based pavement roads must
have a wear surface They also
changed the amount of the bond
required from $3 a foot to $10 a
foot McKinney said the chan
ges were made l© protect the
county in the event a developer
does not build roads up to the
Parent Peer Group
Schedules Seminars
On Drug Abuse
Four training sessions for
parent leaders of junior high
and middle school age children
will be offered in October by
The Parent Peer Group, a
drug alcohol prevention strtt
egy designed to bring parents
together as allies in helping
their children sav no to drugs
The training schedules are:
Thursday, Oct. 1. 9 a m. to 3
p.m.; Saturday. Oct. 10, 9 a m
to 3 p.m.. Wednesday, Oct. 14,
(Part I) 7 to9:30 p.m.: Wednes
day. Oct. 21 (Part ID 7 to 9:30
p.m.
The Houston Council on Alco
holism ti Drug Abuse is assist-
ing with this project. To regis
ter for the training parents may
contact Sharyn Grisham or I^ea
Perlitz.
county specifications The
changes were effective immedi
ately.
The coun approved the final
put for Mil! Creek Farms
Subdivision, which is located
north of Silsbee
' Commissioners agreed to
ratify an agreement between
the county s justices of the
peace and County Clerk Gera!
dine Collins making Collins the
local registrar of county births
and deaths rather than the
individual justices as of Jan. 1.
1988.
Justice of the Peace Bennie
Como said that action would
eliminate the birth and death
record files in the justices'
offices and would make it easier
to locate such registrations
Commissioners accepted a
petition presented by Kenneth
Durbin and calied a public
hearing on the request to post
four way stop signs and 20 mph
speed limn signs in the Brook
wood* Subdivision. The court
also called a public hearing on
setting speed limits on either
side of the post office on FM
3068 in Wildwood Both hear
ings will be conducted on the
same date, which will Oe set in
the future
The court voted to allow
Raymond Tenmson, the county-
emergency' management co
ordinator, to hire a part time
secretary.
McKinney said Tuesday the
court w ill probably meet Friday
to authorize the county to make
a proposal to the state to try to
bring a prison to the county
A 390 person minimum se
curity prison would bring about
1.250 jobs to the county, he
said, while a 790 prisoner maxi
mum security prison would
bring about 2,500 jobs
The qualifications for an area
to get a prison are that it must
lie within 100 miles of Dallas or
Houston and that it is adjacent
to a county of 100,000 people or
more, McKinney said. The pri
son would need about 300
acres
lines.
The proposed budget does not
propose increases in water,
sewer or tax rates. Hickerson
said.
About 17 employees will get
wage increases to bring them
up to the minimum starting
salary level for their positions
as recommended in a w age and
classification study, he said.
The raises will cost the city
about $19,000 and do not in-
volve supervisory staff.
Two city positions are being
eliminated through attrition, he
said The positions being elimi-
nated are a director of public
works and an assistant librar
lan.
The proposed budget includ
es $80,000 from an industrial
contract being negotiated with
Louisiana Pacific Corp., but no
agreement on an amount has
yet been reached with the
company, Hickerson said.
Kirby Forest Industries' in
dustrial agreement with the
city ended in 1986. when they
paid about $125,000.
"We feel like an agreement
somewhere in the vicinity (of
$80,000' can be reached," Hick-
erson said. If not, the city
would have to amend the
budget to take up the slack.
City administrators began
working on the budget soon
after the first of the year, he
said.
"We felt we just had to
tighten our belts and make do
with what we have," Hickerson
said.
The council will conduct a
public hearing on the budget at
5 p.m. Sept. 25 and has called a
special meeting to adopt the
budget and a tax rate at 5:15
p.m. Sept. 25.
No Deaths Reported
On Rural Roads
In Hardin County
No one was killed in Hardin
County during August in rural
automobile accidents, accord-
ing to Sgt. Burt Christian of the
Texas Highway Patrol.
The Highway Patrol investi-
gated 23 rural motor vehicle
(S** Death* S« 1 Pag* I;
School Tax Rate To Remain
The Same As Last Year, $1.17
The Silsbee ISD Board of
Tiuslees set the district's tax
rate Monday night and discuss
ed the possibility of making
changes in its communicable
diseases policies because of the
threat of AIDS and other
diseases.
Trustees voted to set the tax
rate at $1.17 per $100 valu
ation, the same rate as last
year.
District business manager
Joyce McClung said the effec
tive tax rate or the rate needed
to bring in approximately the
Appraisal District Budget Adopted
After Only Four Entities Veto
The Hardin County Apprai
sal District's budget became
official this week after only four
entities vetoed their 1988 bud
net
The county, school boards
and cities that levy an ad
valorem tax can vote to veto
the appraisal district's budget
within 30 days after the district
adopts it If a majority of the
entities veto the budget, the
district must present another
budget within 30 days.
In the county, the cities of
Silsbee and Sour Lake vetoed
the budget, along with the
commissioners court and the
Lumberton school board Six or
more entities would have had to
veto the budget before the
appraisal district would have
been forced to present a new
version.
The Silsbee City Council
vetoed the budget in a special
meeting Sept. 9 by a vote of 5-1
with Councilman Thomas La
Toof dissenting.
Council members questioned
Chief Appraiser Ed Barry on
the employee raises contained
in the budget, on the district's
computer and on its plans to
lease or buy the Pilgrim House
Restaurant.
On the employee raises, Barry-
said his board believed the
raises were necessary to keep
trained employees from leaving
in search of other work after
losing three employees to other
appraisal districts last year
Tm wondering if this 7 per
cent (increase in salaries) is not
a little off base, even though
(the employees) haven't had an
increase in four years,” Coun
cilwoman Helen Larsh said.
"This may not be the time to
give salary increase*. “
The council voted to veto the
budget, becoming the fourth
and last entity to do so.
IjiToof said he voted against
vetoing the budget because he
thought the action would im
pede progress. He said the 7.1
raise was large this year, but
divided^out over a four year
period the raise would have
come to less than two percent a
year.
"I feel we need to keep quality
people,” LaToof said.
The Silsbee Board of Trus
tees met Sept. 10 and stale
mated 3-3 with one absent on
the issue of vetoing the budget.
Appraisal district board
member Elaine Gore told trus
tees the district’s budget de
creased $30,000 and that the
board could find no fat ip the
budget. She said the board had
not been contacted by any
entities concerning opposition
to the budget before the dis
tnct voted to adopt it.
Trustee Dr. N.G. Ferrell said
his problem with the budget
was in the salary increaes. He
said he did not believe it was
right to have to adjust the
appraisal district 's salaries with
a 7 percent increase when the
raises could have been given at
about 2 percent a year over a
four-year period.
Trustee Dot Smith said she
did not- like the 7 percent
increase at one time but believ
ed that Barry had not asked for
raises for his employees over
the last four years because he
believed he could not get them
a raise while carrying computer
mapping costs.
Smith said she thought the
same amount of money as last
year, was figured at $1.2074,
meaning that the district will
bring in about $30,000 to $35,
000 less in taxes with the rate
set at $1.17.
The balance of the money
needed to fund the $13 million
1987-88 budget will come from
a carryover fund. About $120,
000 will be taken out of the
carryover fund for use in the
budget, though the specific
amount could be affected by the
allocation of state monies and
local collection rates, McClung
said.
Taking the money out of the
carryover fund will not hurt the
district and was done because
board members did not want to
raise taxes, she said.
Because the effective tax
rate is almost $1.21, the district
could have raised taxes to
$1.30, or 8 percent, without
becoming eligible for a rollback
election.
In other action, trustees dis
cussed the districts' communi
cable diseases policies and de-
cided the polices were sufficient,
Assistant Supt. Harold Gard
ner said.
“We just feel that right now
we are (adequately) informing
our people," Gardner said.
The district has been taking
precautions against AIDS
such as wearing gloves around
a bleeding student- for the last
couple of years, Gardner said.
“We re waiting for word out
of Austin on any additional
precautions we should be tak
ing that we aren’t," he said.
notified that any of its students
or staff has AIDS, Gardner
said, adding that the district
does not legally have to be
informed.
If the district did have a
student with AIDS, Gardner
said he thought the student
would be allowed to come to
class if physically able. If not,
he or she would be offered
home-based studies.
Commissioner of Health Ro-
bert Bernstein and Commis-
sioner of Education William
Kirby have said that the virus
causing AIDS is not transmit-
ted in everyday school settings
and that affected students
should be dealt with on a
case-by case basis, depending
on the risk of transmission.
The State Board of Health's
communicable disease chart for
schools specifies that students
can be excluded from class in
situations that include open
sores or skin eruptions, biting
behavior or lack of toilet train-
ing..
“We have to take whatever
steps needed to be taken to
continue a child's education yet
protect our other children,"
Gardner said.
school board had failed in not “We try to take all the pre
staying on top of the appraisal cautions we can but we don’t
district's budget and letting the want to ostracize anyone
board know their feelings either. Students have edu
cational rights."
iS**Aff»ai..iSac.i.Feg*i) The district has not been
The district’s health services
director, Sherry Woodard, is
studying all the material she
can find on AIDS and other
communicable diseases and
how they should be handled,
Gardner said. *
In other meeting action, trus-
tees accepted the resignation of
Julia Ashworth from Project
Search. They voted to hire
Kristina Evans for Project
Search and Frankye Riley in
the accounting department.
ember. Jan McKinney urged ail
board members to be present at
the Open House for parents to
meet their childrens' teachers.
Tables will be set up for
parents and teachers to join
PTA.
Open houses will be held at
Kirby Elementary September
21, and Read-Turrentine Sept-
ember 22. The PTA first gener-
al meeting of the year will be at
Silsbee High School.
Fred, Miller Read Element-
ary principal, announced that
Pat Strong swill again be the
teacher representative for that
school. Reports were also given
by parents representatives
from each school concerning
Teacher Refreshment day and
the number of teachers joining
PTA from each school.
Pam Runnels, Fund Raising
chairman, said that Jerry
Brown from the Henco Com-
pany would speak to the
students at Read-Turrentine on
October 20th about PTA's an-
nual fund raiser. An assort-
ment of different foods and/or
Christmas wrapping paper will
be sold.
Lea Perlitz, reporting for
Concerned Parents’ Coordinat-
or Sharyn Grisham, said that
James Tyler would be the
parent representative for the
eighth grade. She also reported
that there would be a Parent
Peer Group Leadership Train-
ing for Junior High /Middle
School parents held in Houston
October 1 or 10. Parents inte-
rested in this workshop can
contact Grisham or Perlitz.
Diane Keith, Community Ed-
ucation director, spoke about
the PTA project to coordinate a
community drive to replace the
seats in the Middle School
auditorium. Speakers from the
PTA Board will approach the
various organizations and clubs
in the community to ask for and
encourage their participation.
A plaque will be placed in the
lobby of the auditorium with
names of all individuals and
organizations donating chairs.
Jan McKinnev. president,
announced that Red book Maga-
zine had a special "Back to
School" issue in a joint effort to
celebrate the National PTA's
90th anniversary.
Plans for attending the Dis-
trict LV Workshop in Jasper
October 9 were discussed os
well as plans for board mem-
bers going to the State Conven-
tion in El Paso November
14-16. McKinney asked that all
members try to attend. The
next PTA Executive Board
meeting will be held October 8
at the school administration
building and is on open meet-
ing.
Tigerette Boosters
Hold First Meeting
The first meeting for the
newly formed Tigerette Boot
Boosters Club was held Sept.
14 at Silsbee High 8chooi.
Mrs. Pam Green, Tigerette
director, explained to parents
and ex-Tigerettes- what hod
been accomplished and what
they hope to do this year.
Thirteen of the Tigeiettas
participated Aug. IS in the
MDA Kick A-Tbon at the Hob-
dome in Beaumont with othor
area drill toons. Tbs area
raised over 114.000 far MDA,
bath Silsbeela
raising over 1
Mrs. Green said sbt hops* ta
enter the Tigerette* in eon-
petition for the experience and
to get new ideoe. They wB
sponsor several fund ration to
defray expenses te eamp and to
help, buy i
equipment,
sell 16-ounee mugs to the
football games.
The group will onto to tbs
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Read, R. L. The Silsbee Bee (Silsbee, Tex.), Vol. 69, No. 33, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 17, 1987, newspaper, September 17, 1987; Silsbee, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth826244/m1/1/?q=WAR+DEPARTMENT: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Silsbee Public Library.