Mexia Daily News, The (Newspaper) - April 22, 1987, Mexia, Texas Mexia have perfect district mark re BiStone Realtors sponsoring seminar Page 2 1930 VALLEY VIEW LANt 752 streak ends at 13 Page 7 Serving The People Of The BiStone Area VOLUME 88 NUMBER 95 MEMBER AP AND NEA APRIL 1987 TEXAS 10 PAGES 25 CENTS City Beat The Readers write page 2 HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Melanie of Real ty Plus The former Black Cat cheerleader is how old I aint gettin involved in age revelation on this Mexia High cheerleaders are selling athletic tote bags for identified by Fightin Mexia Black Cats on the Pat PILK INGTON will be at Sims In School this Thurs day morning from until selling the tote Judy at the same will sell em at McBay Elementary All relatives and customers are invited to at tend the Safeway employes farewell party this Thursday morning at 11 Come and eat with advises Peggy Safeway Friday is final day to be open National temperature ex tremes were 100 at Texas and 14 at INDEX Ann 9 Today In WEATHER Decreasing douda through Mild with high TOi and low about 60 Shortterm costs studied to keep ambulance service by BOB SONDEREGGER Limestone County commissioners are still looking for a solution to am bulance problems in the south part of the county but they arc becoming more convinced that whatever is decided will cost the county New South Limestone Hospital Ad ministrator Gary Hornback said Tuesday at a hospital board meeting attended by county commissioners that the hospital might be willing to go halfway in keep ing ambulances running until the fiscal year for both entities ends Sept The hospital district had originally announced that it would discontinue ambulance service May 1 and then said it would cooperate with the coun ty In possibly extending that County Judge Ray Sealy said that he was told in a telephone conversa tion that the hospital would stop am bulance service May 1 as planned but Mondays meeting Indicated a possi ble softening of that The figure discussed for continuing service was which would be half of an estimated operating cost of per month for the remaining five months of the fiscal Hornback said he would calculate an actual operating cost Commissioner Jeff Stuver said assuming the cost of the ambulance service in the middle of a fiscal year made it difficult for the Sealy said that the commissioners court questioned why the hospital dropped its tax rate if it were facing financial who became ad ministrator April said that the forecasts at the time the tax rate was set did not indicate a need for the older higher tax He said changes in medicare admission rules had cut the hospital population about in The new administrator said that the hospital district was considering bor rowing money to get through its cur rent fiscal Troy chairman of the hospital said that the district would probably have to borrow funds just to keep ambulances going even with county But he vowed that the district would do everything it The groups agreed to form a Joint committee to come up with a quick solution to the pending If the county agrees to subsidize the hospital it may also be ask ed to do the same for the City of Mex which is also reporting revenue losses from the ambulance The city has taken no official action on an ambulance proposal and tabl ed the matter at a meeting Tuesday but has indicated an interest in an equal or similar Commissioners moved to the cour thouse for a second meeting Tuesday and interviewed two prospects for the vacant county attorney Present County Attorney Rex Leach plans to resign the post May 1 but Pat Simmons has been hired as an assis tant county attorney and can handle the job until a replacement is Sealy said hiring a former county gives us time to make a decision and we plan to take advantage of that City Commission slates workshop about ambulance Fain new Mayor High Mayor by KEN DUBLE The Mexia City Commission Tuesday to elect Commissioner Fain mayor and Commissioner High mayor pro but motion without discussion on what to do about but did not set a date for the bulance service to the southern u frt seconded her Deep down I would like for the city to get out of the ambulance he said The commission approved to the of the county until an open workshop at a later The meeting also included the swearing in of two commissioner Doug Hooks and an elected to a new One remains to be the seat currently occupied by outgoing commissioner Danny who served as mayor til Tuesday night Voters will Oil this vacancy in a runoff election Saturday May who chose not to seek another received a plaque from the commission in appreciation for his The commission tabled action on the fate of the ambulance service on a motion by Commissioner Laura who said the first of the commissioners is to enj I agree with the county Commissioner Jeff Stuver what we need to do is have a study group draw up some she I dare say there would be very few ambulance services that could meet the quality of service we are If we should get out of the am bulance service and an independent carrier gets that independent carrier decides that due to their col lection response they will get where would we be Commissioner Eugene Forsythe Fain said it would be open The commission also accepted resignations from two directors from the Bistone Municipal Water Supply Gamble and Hooks and named Rodney Brubaker will replace whose term expires July Jim Parks will replace whose term expires July The commissioners also passed an ordinance eliminating the exemption of telecommunications services from the municipal sales tax effective Oct Telecommunications services had been exempt from both state and local sales taxes prior to and had re mained exempt from local taxation up until recent action by the state legislature to repeal this s commission also granted per ment to the city of a monthly fee of per account and 10 percent of its The commission also opened the floor to the public for comment on how the city should spend in Revenue Sharing Funds for The funds have remained in escrow since a program was A suggestion by local realtor Dar rell Tyner to designate the funds for tidying city roadsides enjoyed support from the audience Yarborough noted that yet another hearing is required before the com mission can make a definite The commission approved a motion by Chrisner to bind WalMart Discount City to the commissions in of an agreement between the company and the city for paving Brooks Street between Milam and WalMart had submitted a proposal to the city to pay the cost of curb and gutter work on the east side of the ap proximately stretch of but said the company had with the Mexia Chamber of Com merce for Civic Center Chamber Executive Vice BUI Parker told the commission that in come from the Mexia Civic Center has increased significantly while the chamber has held the contract The commission approved ding the citys downtown parking or to include an area bounded by the south right of way of the south right of way of the west right of way of Railroad and the east right of way of The commission also agreed to con tribute toward the installation of a railroad signal on Palestine Street The Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation will pay the remainder of the The commission tabled for a workshop session a request by Kemp Geophysical to lease exploration rights to the city Upon Yarboroughs the commission denied a request by Watkins Construction for a sewer project on 39 until the contract garbage removal services within the city limits upon a request by company representative Jack City Manager Gerald Yarbrough said City Attorney Charlie Buenger advised him that the law voids the portion of the citys contract with which grants it an exclusive franchise in The commission voted to permit Ac tion Container Service to operate under the same terms as in proof of and pay for curb and gutter on bom sides of the J with the city paying for pavement Chrisner To a deal is a he The commission authorized the ci ty manager to advertise for bids for a new police car as provided for in the current city budget Police Chief Rodger Cotton said the city currently has three operable patrol cars and one under The commissioners approved renewal of the citys annual contract NEW COMMISSION OFFICERS The Mexia City Commission named Commissioner Pat Fain right mayor and Commissioner Lewis High left mayor pro tern at its regular monthly meeting Fain replaces Danny who surrendered his gavel at the Texas Senate targets runaway grand juries AUSTIN AP A to rein in runaway grand juries and four other measures placing restrictions on grand jurors have been approved with little opposition in the The bills were endorsed by a Carl who There are plenty of pro but most of the problems are cured by the proposals sent to the House on said the bills are not everything I would recommend but I think it goes so far in the right The by would Remove a grand jurys power to indict a person for lying to that A subsequent grand jury would have to issue the Prohibit the prosecutor from divulging evidence presented to a grand Limit the scope of grand jury in to matters presented by the prosecutor and require the pro to inform the grand jury of all subpoenas Glasgow said this would prevent runaway grand juries from in on their own everything in the Withdraw the grand jury foremans authority to issue sub poenas and reserve that authority for the Require that persons called before grand juries as suspects he warned that they are Glasgow and Parker described the bills as compromises between pro and defense Asked if he would have avoided in if the five proposals had been in Parker ab but that grand jury had just been whipped to a frenzy by the cop running it to where they were go ing to indict me for anything they Parker was indicted in November on charges that included wholesale distribution of obscene material and promotion of Those charges were dismissed two months later but Parker was in again in March Those also were thrown and a third grand jury cleared him of Where you have weak or ill motivated prosecutors is where you have problems with poor grand jury because we cant pass enough laws to keep them from be ing But we can pass some laws to not make it so he In other action the Senate tentatively approved a to authorize the Railroad Commission to adopt rules to promote railroad including rules pertaining to hazardous The by Frank DSan would allow the com mission to enter railroad property to enforce agency Another vote was needed to send the to the The Senate approved and sent to the House bills and resolutions which would Prohibit legislators from acting as paid lobbyists while in the sponsor Chet recalled that Ed Howard of Texarkana resigned from the Senate in April 1986 to become an Austin but remained in of fice during a special session because of a state constitutional requirement that he could not vacate his office until his successor was sworn Make it a minor punishable by a fine of up to to lie in completing an application to sell ject is The commission did approve pay ment of presented by Winkler Rice for work performed prior to March The commission awarded a con tract for pounds of street base material to Company for per Yarborough presented to the city commissioners their annual pay checks of The commissioners approved but declined comment on the nature of a settlement to litigation brought against the city two years iden only as Cause The commission rejected a request by John Smith that it overturn a rul ing by the Zoning Com had declined to grant a variance for Smith to place a double wide trailer on his lot The commission its statutes to require enforcement of flood plain violations in county court rather than city court to conform with state insurance The commission authorized Yar borough to advertise for bids for two tractor mowers for park and airport but also agreed to con sider bids for used mowers on the sug gestion of new commissioner The commission approved a final estimate by Winkler Rice for repainting the West 84 water tank of less the cost incurred to paint the hatch As a result of adjustment to the tax roll due to the commission ap proved a total credit of The commission agreed to ammend its contract with city depository First Mexia Bank to accept duplicate copies of certificates rather than When a Mark re quested permission to close an alley bisecting properties he Fain told him the city could not close the but could sell it to him at its ap praised value plus attorney As newly elected Fain ed after the meeting to work with the commission to achieve some of the they have talked about In the and said he anticipates more work sessions and called meetings in the months He said one of the commissions next challenges will be preparations for next years budget which begin in Basically Jm going to be for holding line on many of the ex Fain I dont anticipate our revenues going Were really in pretty good We were expecting to have more expenses in 1987 than We were to bring that in Fain said he does not intend to seek another term after his current term expires In next
