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TOP STORIESMarch 26, 1998Pecos among the highest property tax ratesBy GREG HARMAN Staff Writer PECOS, March 26, 1998 - Pecos City continues to have one of the highest tax rates in the state, according to a recent study, and local community leaders are not making any promises that that will change anytime soon. In a study conducted by a non-profit organization, Texas Taxpayers and Research Association (TTARA), Pecos ranked thirteenth out of 570 taxing areas in 386 Texas cities with populations of 3,500 or greater for its 1995-96 total adjusted tax rate. Along with Pecos, Kermit ranked number 12, Crane, at number 10, and Van Horn, at 5. Property tax rates in Pecos totaled $3.12 per $100 of property valuation. The total rate consisted of $0.69 levied by the city, $1.40 levied by Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District, and $0.35 by Reeves County Hospital District. To enhance the over-all economy of Pecos, civic leaders hope to draw workforce and business industry interests into the city. The question that is volleyed back and forth is, How can we make Pecos more attractive to national and international business?' One place to start may be by cutting the city's uniquely-high property tax rate. Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo said that the tax rate was the "number one priority" in Pecos. "Any company looking to make an investment here will look at the tax rate . . . The only way we'll be able to attract business for a 20-30 year investment in the community is by lowering the tax rate," Galindo said. But, he added, as important as the tax rate is the tax base. "We're doing as much, if not more, with our tax money," said Galindo, comparing Pecos, which has a tax base of $300 million, with Fort Stockton, which, he said, operated on a tax base in the billions of dollars. Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD Board President Frank Perea said that the school district would soon be making a final loan payment that may cut 6 cents off its total $1.40 tax rate next year. However, he said, the district auditor told the board recently that the school district would either have to "drastically" cut expenses or raise the tax rate. "He recommended we do both," said Perea. "We are doing what we can to start the coming year with a balanced budget," he said, "and finding the areas in the district we feel are fat.'" Pecos Mayor Dot Stafford said that securing a higher tax base was vital to Pecos. "We have two or three very good prospects." She continued, "All the taxing entities want to lower the tax rates and not cut the services provided. Ideally, we should be able to maintain (the current rates) or lower them." "It's a tough economic time we're existing in," said Reeves County Hospital District Board President Jeannette Alligood. "We try to operate as efficiently as possible and still offer the services that the public requires." Financial difficulties at the hospital are incurred partly by declining Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. On the future of the hospital tax rate, Alligood said, "Hopefully we'll be able to hold our own or go down." For a residential home valued at $100,000, the highest tax bill in Texas was $3,494 in Robstown and the lowest was $1,273 in Glen Rose. These are taxes that would have been due after deducting all generally available homestead exemptions. No adjustments were made to account for homestead exemptions available only to special groups of taxpayers, such as elderly, disabled or veterans. In Pecos, according to the TTARA report, a home-owner with a $100,000 home in 1995-96 would have paid a total of $2,855 in local property taxes, fourteenth highest in the state. The TTARA Research Foundation report also has similar tax burden and ranking information for commercial, industrial, oil and gas, and utility properties valued at $100,000. The local tax burdens and rankings for these properties were: $3,374 for commercial, $3,031 for industrial, $3,210 for oil and gas, and $3,107 for utility properties. According to officials at TTARA, all property must be appraised uniformly -otherwise tax burdens will vary among jurisdictions and among types of property within the same jurisdiction. Uniformity in appraisals insures that all categories of property in all parts of the state are being treated fairly. By law, most property should be appraised at 100 percent of market value. An appraisal ratio over 100 percent means that property will face a higher tax burden because it is appraised at more than market value, while a ratio below 100 percent means just the opposite. State-wide, average ratios of tax appraisals to market value ranged from 82 percent (Spurger ISD in Tyler County) to 127 percent (San Vicente ISD in Brewster County). The average appraisal ratio in Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD was 103 percent. Appraisal ratios for specific categories of property ranged from 92 percent for farm acreage to 111 percent for commercial real estate. Property taxes are the largest source of tax revenue in Texas, according to officials at the TTARA, 50 percent larger than the $11 billion state sales tax, and it continues to grow rapidly. State-wide, more than 58 percent of all property taxes now are levied by school districts, with school taxes accounting for more than half of the property taxes paid by most taxpayers. School districts have led the way in a dramatic rise in property tax levies over the past decade. Across Texas, total property taxes grew form $8.1 billion in 1984 to $16 billion in 1995, a 97 percent increase. In comparison, school district levies climbed 124 percent, from $4.2 billion in 1984 to $9.3 billion in 1995. Levies made by cities, counties and various kinds of special districts increased by 59, 78 and 74 percent, respectively, over this same period. In contrast to the rapid growth of levies, total local taxable values have increased and decreased at moderate rates in Texas for the last ten years (1995's $651 billion total was just under 7.1 percent greater than that of a decade ago). However, the nearly $36 billion increase, 5.8 percent, is state-wide taxable values experienced in 1995 was by far the biggest gain in any single year since 1985. Half of the 14 categories of property have declined in value since 1985, while seven have increased. Particularly noteworthy has been the almost 63 percent drop in the total value of oil, gas and mineral properties from $86.6 billion in 1985 to $32.2 billion in 1995, and the more than 34 percent jump in single-family residential property values from $223.8 billion to $300.8 billion. The TTARA report shows that the various state-mandated and local option homestead exemptions account for the largest portion of the total amount exempted from property taxation. Together, the value shielded from property taxation due to homestead exemptions increased by 50 percent, from $50.6 billion in 1986 to $75.9 billion in 1995. The total property value not taxed due to all the various exemptions and special valuations combined was $127.1 billion, or more than 16 percent of the total market value of all taxable property. Local property values declineBy GREG HARMAN Staff Writer PECOS, March 26, 1998 - Supplemental certified property appraisal totals recently released by the Reeves County Appraisal District, show a decrease in nearly all appraised property values of local taxing districts. The corrected totals show a decrease in real estate and mineral property value as follows: Reeves County decreased by $88,360 for an appraised value of $360,619,810; City of Pecos decreased by $48,340 for an appraised value of $116,177,070; City of Toyah decreased by $3,000 for an appraised value of $1,382,860; City of Balmorhea did not change; Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District decreased by $589,170 for an appraised value of $380,622,330; Balmorhea Independent School District decreased by $10 for an appraised value of $18,649,790; Reeves County Water Improvement District, Number 2, decreased by $2,000 for an appraised value of $3,657,680; and the Reeves County Hospital District decreased by $88,360 for an appraised value of $360,619,810. Chief Appraiser Carol King Markham said that the main reason the appraised value of the P-B-T ISD (by far the largest decline in value) decreased as much as it did was because of an Aug. 12, 1997 election that increased the number of homestead exemptions for schools. An overwhelming majority of Texas voters, 94 percent, approved the $1 billion property tax cut that increased the minimum homestead property tax exemption from $5,000 to $15,000. Young poets selected for publicationBy ROSIE FLORES Staff Writer PECOS, March 26, 1998 - Eight young poets from Pecos will have their poems published in the Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. Pecos Elementary School third-grade students in the gifted and talented program submitted poems for publication in November and eight of those were selected for publication, according to school principal Gail Norris. "Six of the students in my class, submitted their poems and out of those four were selected for publication," said teacher Elaine McKee. Students in the other gifted and talented class at the school did the same thing, with four of those selected also, according to Norris. McKee stated that this is the first year she has done this at the school and that all the students were very excited about it. "We studied the forms of poetry and after that we wrote our poems," said McKee. The poems were submitted in November of last year and the school was contacted recently about the poems that would be selected. The program is designed to foster creative expression among young people by submitting a poem to the Anthology of Poery, Inc. "I was shocked and very, very proud of the students whose poems were selected," said McKee. McKee stated that this is a big honor and that all the students did very well. "They are all going to purchase a book and the school is going to purchase one also," said McKee. "Of course, I want to get one, too," she said. Students whose poems were selected include, Jennifer Palomino, Kelsey McKinnon, Crystal Ikeler, R.J. Guerra, Alyssia Garcia,, Eleanor Mason, Joann Soto and Joseph Tarin. Four of the poems selected for publication will appear in Sunday's Free Press, a supplement of the Pecos Enterprise. The Anthology of Poetry, Inc. received a large number of submissions from students and teachers, according to Norris. Bond set at $75,000 in Ward County drug bustBy ROSIE FLORES Staff Writer MONAHANS, March 26, 1998 - An individual transporting more than 500 pounds of marijuana didn't bother to conceal it very well, according to Permian Basing Drug Task Force Commander Tom Finley. Javier Rodriguez, 20 years old, of Hagerman, N.M. was arrested for possession of more than 50 pounds of marijuana but less than 2,000 pounds and was transported to the Ward County Jail in Monahans Tuesday. Bond was set at $75,000 late yesterday afternoon, according to Monahans Sheriff Ben Keele. Rodriguez was pulled over after drug task force officer Robert Martin noticed his Chevy Suburban weave off the road. "I don't know if he was weaving because he spotted Martin or because the smell had gotten to him," said Finley. Finley stated that the marijuana was stored loosely in the back of the Suburban. "Martin walked up to the suburban and was asking for his driver's license and insurance when he smelled it, and spotted the marijuana in the back," said Finley. "Part of it was covered with a blanket, but most of it could be seen, just by standing by the vehicle," he said. "Martin said he could smell it as soon as the driver opened his window," said Finley. During the search, about 500 pounds of suspected marijuana valued at $332,000 was seized. Rodriguez was stopped just four miles outside of Monahans, at mile marker 86. "This is the second largest drug bust this year (in the Permian Basin), the first one was in February, where 700 pounds were confiscated," said Finley. This makes 990 pounds of marijuana confiscated so far this month, according to Finley. "I know this shipment was enroute to Odessa, but to where or who we don't know," said Finley. Problem dialing 911 not with emergency systemBy CARA ALLIGOOD Staff Writer PECOS, March 26, 1998 - Trouble that a Pecos resident recently had when trying to dial 911 was not due to problems with the local 911 system but was rather due to dial blocking services chosen by the phone customer, said Charles Watkins, Public Affairs Manager for GTE. The problem occurred last Thursday evening, when a local resident tried to dial the emergency number and only got a busy signal. GTE investigated that case and found that the customer had a total block on their phone. Watkins said that many times, customers have total blocks put on their phones when they really mean to have toll blocks. Total blocks restrict phone customers from being able to call 911 along with any other 900 number. He said that a GTE representative went to the customer's home and reprogrammed the phone so that they will be able to dial 911 in the future. People who have had their phones connected with such restrictions need to check which type of restriction they have, and if they mistakenly have the total restriction, they need to call GTE's toll free repair number (listed in the front of local phone books) to have their restriction changed if they wish to have 911 access, Watkins said. In the meantime, anyone who tries to dial 911 and gets a busy signal should call the police department's local number, 445-4911, to have emergency services dispatched to their residence. Watkins said he wanted to assure the community that 911 is a very reliable system. He said that the local system has only had two outages since January, and that both were back up and running within an hour and before technicians arrived to repair the system. The first was caused when a new computer system was installed, but the backup kicked in, Watkins said. He said he wasn't sure of the cause of the other outage. "The local 911 system is the enhanced 911 system, which is state-of-the-art and has the newest technology available," said Watkins. Crockett holds parents' nightBy CARA ALLIGOOD Staff Writer PECOS, March 26, 1998 - Crockett Middle School will hold two events next week that parents may wish to attend to help their students plan their high school educations. Parent Nights will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Crockett library Monday, March 30, Tuesday, March 31 and Thursday, April 2. Sessions will be provided in both English and Spanish to prepare students' personal educational plans as freshmen entering Pecos High School. "During each semester I take a couple of weeks to teach the eighth-grade students about high school graduation requirements," said Career Investigations teacher Kim Calhoun. During the week of March 30 -April 3, students in the eighth-grade Career Investigations classes will be learning graduation requirements and how to prepare their four-year high school schedules. "The students learn how to prepare a four-year plan based on the personal career pathways they have chosen," said Calhoun. Career pathways are chosen according to the students' interests, she said, but may be changed as the students mature. Parents of students taking Career Investigations are encouraged to visit the school any time during the day and to attend Parent Nights as well. "I want parents to know what arena scheduling is and what classes their children are taking," Calhoun said. Calhoun explained that arena scheduling, which will be adopted by Pecos High School for the next school year, is like college scheduling. Classes are assigned to the first students who sign up for them, and students choose alternate classes in case they don't get their first choices. Calhoun said that at a later date, parents and students will meet with high school counselors in special counseling advisement sessions to discuss their questions and concerns. Pecos chamber presents jobs seminarBy CARA ALLIGOOD Staff Writer PECOS, March 26, 1998 - The Pecos Chamber of Commerce will host a presentation on the Texas Department of Economic Development's Smart Jobs Fund at 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 30 in the banquet room of the Best Western Swiss Clock Inn, located at Country Club Drive and I-20. The Smart Jobs Fund is an organization that provides grants to businesses to train their employees. This innovative business incentive program is affordable, flexible and easy to access. It was designed to increase the competitiveness of Texas businesses in the global economy. Because Smart Jobs is employer-driven, the employer decides who to train, what type of training is needed and who will provide the training. Smart Jobs can provide funding for various types of training, including on-the-job, classroom and computer-based training. "We are trying to have more seminars this year that will help our local businesses than we have in past years," said Chamber Executive Director Tom Rivera. A company is eligible for a Smart Jobs grant if it has been in business for at least one year, has at least one employee, demonstrates financial viability and is current on state tax obligations. "We will base our decisions on holding future seminars on the participation in the next few that we hold," Rivera said. Please contact the Pecos Chamber if Commerce of you would like to attend the presentation, or for more information, by calling 915-445-2406 or by writing to P.O. Box 27/111 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772. Or, you can e-mail the chamber at pcoc@bitstreet.com. "We are planning another big seminar in May where lots of state agencies will be represented," said Rivera. CRIME OF THE WEEKPECOS, March 26, 1998 - Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 in reward for information leading to the arrest and Grand Jury indictment of person(s) responsible for the incident described below. Anyone having any information on this crime or any other crime including narcotics can call "Crime Stoppers" at 445-9898 and you will remain anonymous. On Feb. 3 at approximately 12:04 a.m., the Pecos Police Department was advised of a burglary of a motor vehicle that occurred in the 500 block of East Fourth Street in the parking lot of the Del Rio Bar. Sometime between the hours of 6 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 2 a person or persons took a Winchester .22 caliber rifle and a Winchester .410 rifle, both with brown wood finishes, from a gun rack that was located behind the front seat of the vehicle. Entry was gained by opening the small vent window on the driver's side. The stolen guns were valued at $300. POLICE REPORTPECOS, March 26, 1998 - EDITOR'S NOTE: Information contained in the Police Report is obtained from reports filed by the Pecos Police Department, Reeves County Sheriff's Office, or other officers of those agencies. The serving of warrants by an officer for outstanding fines of either traffic citations, animal control violations or other court costs are considered arrests and will be printed as such unless indicated that the fines were paid. In such instances we will indicate payment and release. *** A 1998, white, four-wheel-drive, short bed, ½ ton, extended cab pickup truck was reported stolen from Colt Chevrolet, 1600 Palmer, at 1:45 p.m. March 17. *** Elias Dominguez Sanchez, 45, was arrested at 2:36 p.m. March 17 at the Circle M Bar for public intoxication. *** Jesse Maldonado Abila, 29, Barstow, was arrested at 11:40 p.m. March 19 for public intoxication. *** While the owner was inside a local establishment, a red, 1979 pickup was vandalized the evening of March 22. The truck had graffiti painted on it and tires were slashed. *** Three fence posts were stolen out of a fence at County Road 424 and Highway 17 on March 20. *** A house in the 200 block of S. Plum St. was burglarized sometime between 8:30 a.m. and 10:27 p.m. on March 22. *** Roberto Mendez Castillo was arrested at 10:40 p.m. March 22 in the 400 block of W. 3rd for public intoxication. *** Maria Guadalupe Valenzuela was arrested at 7:03 p.m. March 19 on three counts of forgery. *** Jeffrey Martinez was arrested at 12:34 a.m. March 22 in the 500 block of S. Pecan for driving under the influence of alcohol by a minor and reckless driving. *** Sylvia Ortiz was arrested at 3:28 a.m. March 22 in the 100 block of Locust for public intoxication. *** Albert Corrales was arrested at 3:28 a.m. March 22 in the 100 block of Locust for public intoxication. *** Jesus Martinez was arrested at 5:28 p.m. March 22 in the 900 block of Cherry for assault under the family violence act. *** Marcos Galindo was arrested at 8:36 a.m. March 24 in the 400 block of Walnut on a warrant for a parole violation. *** Angelica Orona was arrested at 8:11 p.m. March 24 in the 500 block of S. Walnut on a warrant service. WEATHERPECOS, March 26, 1998 - High Wednesday,. 93, low this morning, 56. The sunny rain-free weather was good while it lasted, but it's over as forecasts call for showers and thunderstorms across most of the state tonight and Friday. The weather change will be triggered by an upper level disturbance entering West Texas tonight and moving eastward during the night and Friday. The weather will be improving over the weekend except in West Texas where some showers and thunderstorms are expected on Sunday. Showers and thunderstorms are expected across all of West Texas tonight, but sunny and breezy conditions will return on Friday. Lows tonight will be in the 40s and 50s in West Texas, highs Friday will be in the 70s.
Pecos Enterprise
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