The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 92, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 2, 1981 Page: 5 of 36
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CANADIAN. HEMPHILL CO.. TEXAS
THURSDAY 2 JULY 1981
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ounty and City officials working
law enforcement coop plan
new
Growing dissatisfaction with
law enforcement in county and
city came to a head Monday as
the Hemphill County Commis-
sioners Court and the Canadian
City Council, in separate called
meetings Monday afternoon and
evening, agreed in principal on
a plan to reverse the present
contractual law enforcement a-
greement under which the
>unty Sheriff's Department
rovides police coverage for the
ity of Canadian.
Instead the City of Canadian
jrould create a law enforcement
ipartment to provide protec-
>n for city and county, with the
)unty government contributing
financially to its support.
The new department would
be under administrative control
Of the City Council, which would
have the power and responsibil-
ity to hire its director and his
staff of officers. That depart-
ment would also operate the
county jail facilities, under con-
tract with the Commissioners
Court, as well as police radio
communications.
The Sheriff's Department
would be reduced to one or two
deputies, and responsibilities of
that department would be re-
duced to the constitutional and
Statutory duties of a Texas
County Sheriff's office.
The reorganization of the law
enforcement department would
be undertaken under provisions
of a state law enacted a decade
ago but little-used except in
metropolitan areas. The "Inter-
local Subdivision Act", County
Attorney Wm. J. Jackson has
advised both county and city
governing bodies, authorized
sdfeh cooperative administrative
arrangements between political
Subdivisions, including cities
Fast Doltoory
STAMPS
Also
NAME TAGS
DESK PLATES
NOTARY SEALS
323-6461
*7he (Banad¿an
RECORD
and counties in Texas.
Jackson said he had discussed
the provisions of the law with
the state Attorney General's
office.
The County Attorney, County
Judge Bob Gober, and County
Commissioner Gary Minycn
were appointed by the Commis-
authorized by the Commis-
sioners Court, would have to
come out of that budget. The
rest, if needed, could be avail-
able to finance the proposed
new law enforcement depart-
ment.
The proposal calls for hiring
(by the City) of "a good admin-
The new effect of such an
agreement, if worked out on
those terms, would be to relieve
Sheriff C.H. Wright of much of
his law enforcement respon-
sibility and a substantial part of
his staff.
The Sheriff has been author-
ized to employ a staff of seven
By-pass the Sheriff
sioners Court in its meeting
Monday afternoon as a special
committee to represent the
Commissioners Court in Mon-
day night's meeting with the
City Council.
"The Commissioners Court
would like to approach the City
Council about terminating the
present law enforcement con-
tract and get the City Council to
reestablish a City police force."
Judge Gober told the Council,
opening the discussion.
"We would also like to con-
sider working with the city on a
contract for a county-wide law
enforcement agreement," he
added.
"Like we've been working
together?" Mayor Therese A-
braham asked.
"Basically." Judge Gober re-
plied, "but the other way a-
round."
"We would like to work
toward a combined city-county
law enforcement unit." the
County Attorney told the Coun-
cil, "but with the county provid-
ing financial support for the
city. Citizens of the city and
county are not getting the law
enforcement they are paying
for. We are asking the city to
take back law enforcement res-
ponsibilities and the County
would support you. We think a
better job could be done for less
money."
The County proposes to con-
tract with the City to run the jail,
to provide for communications,
and to control the hiring and
firing, and to handle the payroll,
Jackson said.
"Is the County willing to pay
enough to do this?" Councilman
Lonnie Donaldson asked.
"Yes," was the answer.
Jackson pointed out that the
present county budget for law
enforcement is for $272,000 a
year, of which the city's share is
$60,000.
The Sheriffs salary and the
salary of one or two deputies, as
istrator to run the department",
and employment of at least five
deputies for law enforcement in
the city limits.
The Commissioners Court al-
so has the obligation, the City
Council members were told, for
law enforcement throughout the
county...inside and outside the
city limits.
"The County is in financial
position to provide." the county
representatives declared.
"We would like for the City
Council to appoint a committee
to work with the committee
named by the County Commis-
sioners to prepare a working
agreement for both bodies to
approve," County Judge Gober
said.
Councilman Lonnie Donald-
son offered a motion, unani-
mously approved by the City
Council, to name three Council
members to the study commit-
tee. Mayor Abraham named
herself, Councilman Guy Folley,
and Councilman Lonnie Donald-
son to the committee.
Council member Pat Waters,
pointing out that speed is of
essence, called for the commit-
tees to get to work without
delay.
The proposed contract would
authorize the Canadian City
Council to form a law enforce-
ment unit to provide for police
protection county-wide, to hire a
director and approve the ap-
pointment of experienced of-
ficers to staff the department,
with the County contributing
substantially toward its annual
budget in return for an agree-
ment for the new department to
provide county-wide law en-
forcement.
Included in the agreement,
the negotiators indicated, could
be provisions for at least some
of the equipment now owned by
the county to be turned over to
the new unit, along with the use
of the county jail and radio
communication facilities.
deputies to provide adequate
law enforcement in both city and
county, and substantial in-
creases in pay were autfepr-
ized last September when the
Sheriff s salary was set at $1500
per month, an increase of
almost 30 percent, and salaries
of deputies were also increased
substantially. A Chief Deputy is
authorized a salary of $1400 a
month, a Deputy Captain up to
$1300. and other deputies up to
$1200.
Although the new salary
schedules became effective last
October 1, the department has
never been fully-staffed and
has, at times, been as low as two
deputies. Four deputies were on
the staff early this week.
Salaries were boosted last fall
under public pressure to bring
the law enforcement depart-
ment to full strength after it was
discovered last July, when De-
puty Sheriff Corky Guthrie was
murdered when he responded
alone to an early-morning bur-
glar alarm at Lad's Pharmacy,
that Guthrie was at that time the
only deputy on the staff.
Sheriff Wright at that time
cited low pay authorized in this
county as the reason for his
inability to maintain a staff of
officers.
Unrest about the adequacy of
law enforcement has been
spurred recently by a continuing
rash of oilfield thefts (one
problem was solved a few days
ago by one oil company which
brought in two private investi-
gators who needed just two days
to solve that company's pro-
blem) by a continuing rash of
night-time harassments of lone
women in Canadian homes, and
other apparently related inci-
dents involving pornography
and window peeping; lack of
traffic enforcement, and other
incidents.
Monday's called meetings by-
official bodies were an effort to
find an answer to the problem.
City Council approves
revised water charges
In addition to discussing law
enforcement problems at its
Monday night called meeting,
the Canadian City Council also
took initial action on two new
city ordinances concerning wa-
ter service.
The Council ordered or-
dinances prepared setting a
"connect" and "disconnect"
charge for city water service at
$10, instead of the $2 currently
charged; and setting a minimum
charge of $5 per month for city
water users "whether they have
individual meters or not."
The connection fee of 52
which the city has been charg-
ing for connecting or discon-
necting meters does not cover
the cost to the city of sending an
employee out to do the job,
Council members were told. The
proposed $10 fee (which will
affect those customers who
move frequently) is $5 lower
than the fee which High Plains
Natural Gas Company proposes
to charge its customers for such
services.
Councilman Guy Folley made
the motion to set the fee at $10,
and approval was unanimous.
Approval was also unanimous
for a proposed ordinance to
apply the $5 minimum (covering
the first 2.000 gallons of water
used in any month) to all water
users, whether they have an
individual meter or not. City
Manager Vernie Farrington ad-
vised the Council that many
mobile home parks are served
by a single meter subject to only
one minimum...and pointed out
that other city residences where
water meters are installed pay
the minimum (for 2,000 gallons)
whether they use that much or
not. Everybody is charged for
trash services, but many do not
pay for water, Farrington said.
City Attorney Joe Hayes was
instructed to draw up the two
ordinances for Council action at
the next meeting (on July 20).
The Council also approved a
resolution authorizing the May-
or to seek advice from a repre-
sentative of the State Park and
Recreation Department, who is
to be in Canadian today, in
regard to planning for city
parks.
i *
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Ezzell, Ben & Ezzell, Nancy. The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 92, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 2, 1981, newspaper, July 2, 1981; Canadian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth184229/m1/5/: accessed June 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hemphill County Library.