The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 137, No. 101, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 17, 2014 Page: 2 of 10
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Page 2A — THE GILMER MIRROR, Gilmer, Texas December 17, 2014
LEARNING HOW TO nurse a bottle, a newborn kid draws a gathering at the Pritchett Commu-
nity Center Saturday morning. Carly Welch, left, joins Ann Kuhn, Hannah and Lanie Rockmon
in welcoming the newest goat bom at 3 a.m. that morning. His mother had two other kids to
tend, so Mrs. Kuhn took over his care.
(Mirror photo by Mary Laschinger Kirby)
Court OKs increase for late taxes
Revenue will go to law firm
By Phillip Williams
Upshur County Commis-
sioners Court Monday ap-
proved raising the penalty for
delinquent taxes by 5 percent,
but the law firm which collects
such taxes will receive all the
revenue.
The court approved a re-
quest from the firm of Line-
barger, Bolster, Goggan, Blair
and Sampson to raise the pen-
alty for collection costs from
the current 15 percent to 20
percent. The firm has offices
in Tyler and Longview, among
other Texas cities.
Attorney John Bolster told
the court his firm had never
raised the 15 percent fee in
the 30-odd years it has col-
lected delinquent taxes for the
county. He said the law office
was seeking the hike because
of increased costs of mailing,
firm employees’ desire for a
pay raise, and long hours of
dealing with “title problems”
on abandoned properties.
The increase is not effective
until July 1 and only those
“who don’t pay and take no
action” to arrange payment
will be affected, said Bolster,
adding the increase “won’t
cost the county anything.”
But County Judge Dean
Fowler had noted earlier that
the hike was to pay lawyers,
and, “We (the county) don’t
get any of this” increased
revenue.
The court’s vote came
after two citizens addressed
commissioners concerning
the manner. Upshur County
Democratic Party Chairman
Dan Miles Jr. complained
the proposed increase could
cause the elderly to “lose their
property. They’re on a fixed
income.”
Pet. 4 Commissioner Paula
Gentry replied that the el-
derly can make quarterly tax
payments through July at no
extra cost.
Jimmy Caughron, a senior
citizen, told the court he had
been told his taxes were fro-
zen, but they rose annually for
years. He said he also received
a delinquent tax notice for $774
and was told the county made
r Winnsboro '
Livestock
L Commission J
Shannon Davis of Winns-
boro Livestock Commission,
SH 11 East, reported that 905
head of cattle moved through
the auction on Dec. 12, at the
following prices:
• Baby calves: $45-$510
• Pairs: $1,500-$2,850
• Stocker Cows: $1,250-
$2,400
• Slaughter Cows: 70p-
$1.28 a lb.
• Slaughter Bulls: $1.10-
$1.40 a lb.
• Steers under 300 lbs.:
$2.85-$3.95; 3-400, $2.60-
$3.75; 4-500, $2.25-$3.30,
500-up, $2-$2.95.
• Heifers: Under 300 lbs.,
$2.60-$3.70; 3-400, $2.40-
$3.35; 4-500, $2.25-$3.30;
500-up, 1.95.
an error, but he paid the bill.
“What are you willing to do
for mistakes that they (county
workers) make?” Caughron
asked the court. He said the
tax assessor-collector’s office
admitted “there was a mistake
made. Normally, you pay (for)
your own mistakes, not some-
body else.”
Bolster said the tax office
gave Caughron the opportu-
nity to pay the taxes without
penalty or interest by a certain
date, but Caughron did not pay
by the deadline.
The attorney also said
anyone over age 65 can file a
tax deferral on his/her home-
stead, preventing attorneys
from selling it. However, if the
person never pays the tax, his/
her heirs will owe it, Bolster
added.
In addition, he noted that
the only taxes which are frozen
at age 65 in Texas are school
taxes and that city and county
taxes are not necessarily
frozen for the elderly. Pet. 3
Commissioner Frank Berka,
however, said he believed
every taxing entity in Upshur
County except the city of East
Mountain grants a freeze on
homestead taxes for that age
group.
In other business Monday,
the court accepted the lowest
of two bids on site drain-
age and roof repairs for the
77-year-old county courthouse
as part of a forthcoming maj or
renovation of the building.
The court accepted a
$231,000 bid from MMI of
Weatherford, which was $4,000
more than the county bud-
geted for the project, noted
Pet. 2 Commissioner Cole
Hefner. The other bid was
$281,836 from KBL Restoration
of Hallsville.
Commissioners also ap-
proved recording County Au-
ditor Brandy Lee’s certifica-
tion of unanticipated revenue,
and adopting a special budget
for those funds.
The Road and Bridge De-
partment will receive almost
$314,000 in the budget as a re-
sult of the court’s action. The
county sold road and bridge
equipment and received more
than $320,000from general sale
of assets, about $9,400 in in-
surance on a wrecked vehicle
from the sheriff’s office; and
$720 in seizure money from a
special sale of assets.
The court also accepted for
recording the resignation of
building maintenance super-
visor Chuck Mears, effective
Jan. 31, and separately voted
to accept applications for the
post in Fowler’s office through
Jan. 12.
Fowler said the court is
discussing whether to require
Mears’ successor to have a
jailer’s license. “It’s a plus,”
the judge said.
In other business, the court
approved advertising for bids
for county fuel, and for road
and bridge supplies and ma-
terials.
Bids will be accepted
through Jan. 14. The court
plans to open them Jan. 15 and
possibly act on them Jan. 31.
In another matter, the court
approved designating County
Treasurer-elect Brandy Vick,
who takes office Jan. 1, with
several responsibilities effec-
tive that day.
Vick, who succeeds the
retiring Myra Harris, will
assume duties ranging from
county investment officer to
human resources director and
county insurance coordinator,
among others.
The court also took no ac-
tion on a proposal to move
Pet. 4 Constable Phillip Hill’s
office from the Pet. 4 justice
of the peace office into the
second-floor courthouse office
formerly occupied by the now-
defunct county fire marshal’s
office.
“I don’t want to tie up that
office,” said Berka, adding it
could be used for something
else “down the road. ” Hill was
not present.
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8497C
Upshur Rural Electric
Cooperative Corporation
Customer Care Numbers
903-843-2536 • 800-259-2536 • Fax 903-843-2736
REPORT AN OUTAGE
903-680-2100 (LOCAL) • 1-866-8041674 (LONG DISTANCE)
AUTOMATED PAY BY PHONE
Make a secure payment by calling 888-223-2056,
or you can visit us online at www.URECC.coop
to pay your bill online or by mobile device.
PORTER CLICK rides his wobbly-wheeled tractor in the Pritchett Christmas Parade, greet-
ing the dozens of onlookers Saturday morning before the annual breakfast at the Community
Center.
(Mirror photo by Mary Laschinger Kirby)
FOR HER WORK at keeping the Pritchett Community Center shipshape, the residents of
Pritchett cheer Ann Mayberry as the Queen of the Pritchett Christmas Parade Saturday.
(Mirror photo by Mary Laschinger Kirby)
TWDB seeks applications
The Texas Water Development Board is currently
soliciting applications for projects from eligible ground-
water conservation districts.
Available funding includes almost $1.5 million for
cost-share of water use monitoring equipment in ground-
water conservation districts that have rules requiring
metering of groundwater withdrawals.
Applications are due by noon March 11, 2015, with
anticipated award date in mid-June. The request for
applications and application instructions can be viewed
online.
TWDB will host a webinar about the application pro-
cess and grant contract management in January or early
February. Watch for details on our website.
For more information, contact the Agricultural Water
Conservation Team at 512-936-6090 or agconservation@
twdb.texas.gov.
Notice....
The Gilmer Mirror will not be responsible for mistakes
made in stories submitted in handwritten form.
Please type your copy, if at all possible.
©be f&ilmttMixt&r
P.O. Box 250
Gilmer, Texas 75644-0250
(903) 843-2503
ISSN No. 8750-0884
Established as
The Texas Mirror
in Gilmer in 1877
The Gilmer Mirror is published semi-
weekly each Wednesday and Saturday by
GREENEWAY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Subscriptions are $31 a year in Upshur,
Gregg, Morris and Camp Counties and $36
elsewhere in Texas. Periodicals postage paid
at Gilmer, Texas USPS No. 218720.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
address listed above.
William R. Greene
Publisher
Sarah L. Greene
Publisher Emerita
Vic Parker
Editor
Suzanne Patterson
Advertising Manager
ERRORS REPORTED TO THE PUBLISHER
WILL BE CORRECTED IN THE NEXT ISSUE
What Can You Learn from the “Oracle of Omaha”?
By Chad Burkhalter
Warren Buffet, the “Oracle
from Omaha,” is considered
one of the most
successful in-
vestors in his-
tory. Yet while
the investment
world may
seem complex,
Mr. Buffet’s ad-
vice is actually pretty simple.
Here are a few Buffet quotes,
along with some suggestions
on putting them to use:
“Whether we’ re talking about
socks or stocks, I like buying
quality merchandise when it
is marked down.”
Essentially, this means you
should look for good invest-
ment vehicles whose price
may have dropped. A “bear”
market tends to drag down
many stocks — even those
with strong fundamentals and
favorable prospects. These
stocks might then be consid-
ered “bargains.” One way to
determine whether a stock
is “expensive” or “cheap”
is by looking at its price-to-
earnings ratio (P/E). For ex-
ample, if Company “A” has
a share price of $20 and earn-
ings per share of $4, then it
has a P/E of 5. On the other
hand, if Company “B” has
the same share price of $20,
but has earnings per share of
$2, its P/E would be 10. So
it would be considered more
expensive than Company
“A.” Be aware, though, that
the P/E ratio works better as
a measure of cost when you
are comparing two compa-
nies in the same industry.
“Time is the friend of the
wonderful business, the en-
emy of the mediocre.”
Be prepared to own quality
stocks for the long term; over
time, your confidence may
be rewarded. On the other
hand, if an investment is not
of high quality, its flaws will
be revealed over the years.
“If investors insist on trying
to time their participation in
equities, they should try to
be fearful when others are
greedy and greedy only when
others are fearful.”
Trying to “time” the mar-
ket — that is, attempting to
buy when prices are low and
sell when prices are high —
is a difficult task. Too many
people do just the opposite:
They try to “cut their losses”
by selling when the market
is down and then go after
the “hot” investment whose
price may already be as high
as it’s going to go. Mr. Buf-
fet clearly is not in favor of
a market timing approach,
and those who try to do it, he
says, are probably better off
by going against the crowd.
Keep in mind, though, that
even when holding invest-
ments rather than trying to
time the market, investing
in equities does involve risk,
including potential loss of
principal.
“When we own portions of
outstanding businesses with
outstanding managements,
our favorite holding period is
forever.”
When should you sell good
investments? Never, accord-
ing to Mr. Buffet. And while
this endless holding period
may not be possible for all of
us, you get the idea: the lon-
ger you keep a good invest-
ment, the better off you may
be when you do sell.
“The line separating invest-
ment and speculation, which
is never bright and clear, be-
comes blurred still further
when most market partici-
pants have recently enjoyed
triumphs. Nothing sedates
rationality like large doses of
effortless money.”
The lesson here? Be an in-
vestor, not a speculator. A
long run-up in the market
can increase your wealth, but
it may also make you prone
to risky behavior if you think
that all your investments will
rise indefinitely.
As an investor, you may well
want to consider Mr. Buffet’s
ideas— after all, they’ve sure
worked well for him. If
you have questions, contact
Chad Burkhalter at Edward
Jones, 325 N Roberts St,
Gilmer, or 903-843-2023.
Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors are not estate planners and cannot provide tax or legal advice.
You should consult your estate-planning attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation. This article was
written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.
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Parker, Vic. The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 137, No. 101, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 17, 2014, newspaper, December 17, 2014; Gilmer, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth879835/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Upshur County Library.