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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Commissioners begin effort to find budget cuts
By BRENDEN BRIGGS
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., Sept. 30, 2003 -- Reeves County Commissioners met this
morning to discuss the county's proposed 2004 budget, including
possible options to both cut some costs and raise some salaries for the
upcoming fiscal year.
Commissioners are seeking to deal with budget problems linked to the
shortfall of funds from the lack of inmates to fill the new 960-bed
Reeves County Detention Center. The county faces a series of bond
payments during the upcoming fiscal year on the $40 million facility,
and also faces a $422,000 payment to the Town of Pecos City in two
weeks as their share of the South Worsham Water Field construction
project.
Discussions on the budget continued at 2 p.m. today at the Reeves
County Courthouse, following a lunch break. A discussion of the 2004
tax rate for Reeves County was to follow the budget hearing.
Commissioners heard from the various department heads on the
justification for the expenditures allocated for the up coming year
this morning, beginning with County Court-At-Law expenses.
County Court-At-Law Judge Walter Holcomb addressed the possibility
of raising the salary paid to the court-at-law judge by a state program
that utilizes the extra $15 dollars in court fees assessed this year.
The state will allow the salary of the judge to be raised, in Reeves
County's case, by around $28,000 per year.
The funds for this raise will be provided by the state in the form
of a grant for $35,000. Of that, $28,000 would go for salary, around
$3,000 for various taxes, and the remaining $4,000 going toward the
general fund. These remaining funds could then be used to help cover
extra expenditures to the county court budget such as court reporters
and facility maintenance.
This program is designed to reduce the load on the district courts
by moving some of the cases to county court-at-law, as long as the
elected judge is qualified to handle the extra caseload.
In other court-related budget issues, the commissioners discussed
the $80,000 spent on indigent defense fees in 2002 and the $60,000
dollars spent so far this year.
County Judge Jimmy Galindo inquired as to whether some the cost
might be offset by getting some of the local attorneys to do pro bono
work for the county. Also the possibility was looked at as to the
hiring of a part-time public defender.
The idea was not seen as very feasible due to the fact that the
attorney would have to be representing up to five or more defendants on
a given court date. The appointment of local attorneys has cost the
county $350 for any service less than five hours and $75 dollars for
any case that requires any more than five hours.
Commissioners then discussed maintenance expenses at the Reeves
County Civic Center, and possible ways of lowering costs there. Galindo
also inquired of county auditor Lynn Owens if the city had made any of
its promised payments towards the civic center.
Owens said that they had not made any of the $5,000 per year
payments during the past three years.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Herman Tarin suggested to the rest of the
commissioners that the county should look into returning ownership of
the Civic Center, West of the Pecos Rodeo Grounds, Reeves County Golf
Course and the local parks back to the Town of Pecos City. No action
was taken this morning on that suggestion.
Commissioners then discussed the county's juvenile officer and
detention center department budgets. The county has proposed a budget
of $290,000 as per the request of the department. The allocation was
requested to remain the same as the previous budgets to maintain the
same amount of state funding the department was receiving.
Indigent care funding was found to have changed little from past
budgets. The fund, which is supplemented from F.E.M.A, goes towards the
assistance to those people who need help making electrical bill to
maintain heat and to provide transportation to get those people to the
medical attention they need.
The Reeves County Library saw a drop of $2,500 in their book
allocation. Library staff expressed concern that the lack of funds
would drop their accreditation with the Texas Library Association,
losing the facility even more money through the cessation of grants.
And finally Tarin voiced his concern over the loss of all funding
for the Balmorhea Civic Center.
The county has been involved over the past three years in
construction of a Community Center for Balmorhea. In previous years,
funding for the center had been $17,100 in 2001, $25,000 in 2002 and
$23,500 in 2003.
Organizers hoping to double current entries
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., Sept. 30, 2003 -- The Reeves County Sheriff's Posse is
halfway to their goal of entries for this year's Barbeque Beef Cook-off
competition, which is scheduled for Friday and Saturday as part of the
57th annual Reeves County Fall Fair.
Fair events will start up on Thursday, but entries will still be
accepted until Friday afternoon for this year's cook-off, which has
been part of the Fall Fair weekend for 26 of the past 29 years.
"As of yesterday we had 30 entries, so we're halfway to our goal of
60," said Jerry Matta, co-chairman of this year's cook-off.
Last year's event had a total of 45 entries, and while that's still
15 more than have currently signed up, Matta said, "By Thursday they'll
really be hitting it, and we should have more entries by Friday
morning."
Entry fee is $50 per team, and registrations will be accepted until
5 p.m. on Friday at the KIUN studios on South Cedar Street.
Matta is co-chairing the event this year with KIUN's Cody West, who
had to take a break from that work Monday to be with his wife Sarah
when she delivered a baby boy just after midnight today. Still, Matta
said entries should be submitted to the radio station.
"We don't want to have two master maps, so if anyone needs to
register Paul or Bill (Cole) will call me," he said.
The event will again be held in the sheriff's posse arena this year,
and contestants can pick out their camp locations on the master map
when they sign up.
This year's event also will involve both ribs and brisket judging,
with each contestant providing their own meat for cooking.
"We'll ask them to be there at 10 (a.m. Saturday), and they'll start
judging at 11," Matta said. "They'll judge the ribs first and then the
brisket."
Awards will be given out to the first through third place winners in
each division, along with the Grand Champion and the Best Camp awards.
Last year, Grand Champions were the Juan Largo Catering group, with
head chef Johnny Burkholder, while the Best Camp award went to the
Downtown Lion's Club.
Matta said those people needing to get their cookers and other
campsite items into the posse arena need to do so before 7 p.m. on
Friday, when the gates will close. "They won't open again until
Saturday about 2 p.m. The purpose of that is for safety, since we don't
want anyone there run over," he said. "The only one we allowed in last
year was the Lions' train in order to give kiddie rides."
While the babebque cook-off is held at the posse arena, the Fall
Fair will also feature a chuck wagon cook-off for the first time this
year, on the northeast side of the Reeves County Civic Center. Three
teams will be cooking up to 100 plates each for the event, and plates
will be sold for $8 each to the general public.
Aside from the two cook-offs, the weigh-ins for the Fall Fair
Livestock Show will also take place Friday evening, and the show itself
will be on Saturday at the Civic Center. Indoor events at the Civic
Center will open to the public at 1 p.m. on Friday, and a ranch rodeo
is scheduled for Friday and Saturday night at the Buck Jackson Rodeo
Arena.
Baby contest at Fall Fair seeks entries
PECOS, Tues., Sept. 30, 2003 -- The Women's Division of the Pecos
Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Pretty Baby Contest on Friday and
Saturday at the Reeves County Fall Fair.
The contest is open to babies ages 0 to 24 months and entry forms
are available at the Pecos Chamber of Commerce office, next to the West
of the Pecos Museum before 5 p.m. Thursday.
Prizes will be given out to first through fifth places, with a $100
award going to the winner.
For further information, contact the Chamber at 445-2406.
Weather
PECOS, Tues., Sept. 30, 2003 -- High Monday 96. Low this morning 63.
Forecast for tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows 55 to 60. Southeast winds 10
to 15 mph. Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Highs 75 to 80. North winds 10 to
15 mph. Wednesday night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s to the
lower 60s. East winds near 10 mph. Thursday: Partly cloudy. Highs near
80. Light and variable winds becoming south near 10 mph in the
afternoon. Thursday night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s to the
lower 60s. Friday: Partly cloudy with isolated showers and
thunderstorms. Highs in the lower to mid 80s. Friday night: Partly
cloudy with isolated showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 50s to
the lower 60s.
Obituaries
Fernando Orona, Sr. and Frank Williams
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2003 by Pecos Enterprise
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