The Silsbee Bee (Silsbee, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 28, 1988 Page: 1 of 20
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THE SlLSBEE BEE
VOLUME 70 - NUMBER 26
SlLSBEE, TEXAS 77656, THURSDAY, JULY 28,1988
A-^ Football Shoes To Be
Issued To Varsity
Athletes On Aug. 3
16 PAGES IN 2 SECTIONS
City To Study Six Proposals To Act
A Peace Officer
Hardin County sheriff's
deputies arrested a man July 18
at a Silsbee club after he
allegedly claimed to be a law
enforcement officer and showed
a fake badge, according to H.R.
“Mike” Holzapfel’s reports.
Deputies were called to Club
96 east of Silsbee about 3:80
p.m. to investigate a distur-
bance. Persons at the club said
the man had been ordered to
leave, but he had refused And
had displayed a badge, claiming
to be a law enforcement official,
reports show. The man alleged-
ly told deputies he was in the
area working on a drug traffick-
ing case.
Reports show the man was
found to have a non-official
badge. Arrested on charges of
disorderly conduct and imper-
sonating a public servant-
peace officer was Charles Mich-
ael Havard, 85, of Buna. Justice
of the Peace Cecil Overstreet
set bond at $2,500 on the
impersonation charge and fined
Havard $63.50 on the charge of
disorderly conduct.
Department spokesman Ar-
thur Guy said several area law
enforcement agencies want to
question Havard on similar
charges. Hardin County has
also had similar reports over a
period of time, he said.
Havard at one time was a law
enforcement agent in another
Texas county, but it has been
more than eight years since he
served in that capacity, Guy
said.
In other department action,
Ted R. Kehtel of Silsbee re-
ported someone took three
guns from his residence be-
tween 6 a.m. July 19 and 5:80
p.m. July 21.
Doris Barnett of Lumberton
reported someone took ice
chests and a window screen
from ' er residence during the
night of July 20. Damaged in
the burglary were a back door,
an awning and a chain link
fence gate.
Eight persons were booked
into the county jail recently on
charges of first-offense driving
while intoxicated. Bond was set
at $500 for each person. Charg-
ed with the offense were:
Johnny Howard Martin, 85,
P.O. Box 212, Sour Lake, Joyce
Guinn Fredericksen, 49, 160
Oak Ridge, Cooks Lake Road,
Lumberton; Charlotte Flowers
Wheeler, 35, Rt. 2, Box 890,
Kountze; Travis Dwayne Hare,
24, P.O. Box 695, Kountze;
William David Reeves, 88, Rt.
5, Box 125, Silsbee.
Also, Eugene Hendrix Ak-
ers, 52,8925 Moses, Beaumont;
D.L. Rhodes, 48, Star Rt. 2,
Box 166, Silsbee; and Carlton
Johnson, 31, 788 Highland,
Beaumont.
As Engineers On Community Block Grunt
Silsbee received a number of
proposals from firms vying for
the chance to act as the
consultant or engineer for the
city’s $800,000 Texas Com-
munity Development Block
Grant, but city council mem-
bers Monday night delayed
voting on the proposals until
they can be studied in a work
session.
The city received one admin-
istrative consulting proposal
and six engineering proposals
on the grant, which will be used
with local monies to make
state-mandated renovations of
the city’s south sewage treat-
ment plant.
Mayor Wes Latham said the
proposals will be reviewed in a
work session before council
members vote to select the
consulting and engineering
firms.
In other action, council voted
to call a public hearing for 7
p.m. Aug. 8 on a proposed
zoning change which would
allow a dance studio to operate
on North Seventh Street.
Assistant City Manager Ce-
sar Dominguez said Tim and
Kam Linney asked that the
zoning be changed from a
multiple family dwelling dis-
trict to a specific use permit so
they can locate a dance studio
in an (rid church building at 690
N. Seventh St. The city's
Planning and Zoning Commis-
sion recommended the request
be granted after no one pro-
tested the move at a July 18
public hearing of the com-
mission, Dominguez said.
Council voted to adopt an
ordinance which designates an
area on Highway 327 in front of
the new Laura Reeves Ele-
mentary School as a school
speed zone. The ordinance will
drop the speed limit in the
O. 14-mile zone to 25 mph at
approved times.
Council also voted to hire the
accounting firm of Eppes and
Underhill to make the city's
1987-88 annual audit.
Council members asked city
officials to contact the person
responsible for the Jack Minter
property on South Third Street
to determine what is planned
for the property, which has
fallen into a state of disrepair.
“It could be a hazard to any
child who got in there,” Coun-
cilman Marvin Littlepage said,
adding he had envisioned the
area along with adjoining lots
as a neighborhood park. He
questioned how the city could
acquire the property.
City Attorney Roger Ratliff
said the guardian of the proper-
ty would have to be determined
and contacted to see whether
the property could be bought.
The piece of land could also be
condemned since city taxes
have not been kept up to date,
Ratliff said.
“I think we need to establish
that there's a park needed
there before we proceed,” La-
tham said. Littlepage and other
council members agreed the
city’s first priority is to get the
property cleaned up and re-
move any health hazards.
Council directed dty ad-
ministrators to contact the
guardian of the property and to
report to the council at a later
meeting.
In the section of the meeting
reserved for the hearing of
visitors, Mrs. R.E. Phillips
appealed to council members
for help with a zoning problem.
In the late 1970s, Phillips was
granted a zoning variance
which allowed her to place a
mobile home on a five-acre
tract of land on Gentry Road in
order for her to take care of her
father. Though the variance
was supposed to be granted on
a year-to-year basis, Phillips
said she did not hear from the
city again for six years.
Phillips was granted two
additional variances, but this
year the city’s Zoning Board of
Adjustments and Appeals ruled
she would not be given another
variance.
Phillips said she cannot af-
ford to move the double-wide
trailer from the property .
“I don't see any way in the
world I can move that trailer
out," she said. “I don't know
what I can do.”
City council was not able to
take action on Phillips' request
for help because the board of
appeals is an independent
board and its actions cannot be
appealed to the council, Latham
said. Ratliff said an appeal can
only be made to a district court.
Football season can't be far
away, with the installation of
improved lighting at Kirby
Stadium and the announcement
this week by Head football
Coach Charlie Woodard that all
boys in grades 9-12 who are
interested in playing football
should report to the high school
fieldhouse on August 3 so that
shoes can be issued to them.
Student athletes may go to
the fieldhouse any time be-
tween 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on
August 3.
Two-a-day workouts will be
gin on August 8 at 9 a.m. and 5
p.m.
Athletes changing school
campuses will be required to
undergo a physical examina
tion, and others are required to
complete updated forms,
Woodard said.
Fans will get a preview when
the Bridge City Cardinals come
to Kirby Stadium for a scrim-
mage on August 19. On August
26 the Tigers go to Beaumont
for a scrimmage against Cen-
tral High School.
Silsbee will open the 1968
season against the Vidor Pir-
ates in Vidor on Sept. 2 at 7:80
p.m.
17-AAAA
1988
Silsbee High School
Varsity Football
Schedule
DATE OPPONENT PLACE
Sept. 2 Vidor Away
Sept. 9 PN-G Home
Sept. 16 Nederland Away
Sept. 23 LaGrange, La. Home
Sept. 30 ‘Dayton Away
Oct. 7 “Lumberton Home
Oct. 14 BYE
Oct. 21 ‘Liberty Away
Oct. 28 ‘Cleveland Home
Nov. 4 ‘Jasper Away
Nov, 11 ‘Livingston Home
• Denotes District Games
“ Denotes Homecoming
Ail Games Begin At 7:30 P.M.
Commissioners Hear Request
To Repair Millholland Road
Hardin County commission-
ers accepted a petition asking
that a Precinct 8 road be
repaired and agreed to purch-
ase the materials needed to
Property In State Was Appraised
At 95% Of Its Value In 1987
AUSTIN-Taxable wealth in
the state’s school districts has
declined for the second year in
a row, accc^ding to the final
results of a study by the State
Property Tax Board (SPTB).
The agency’s 1987 Property
Value Study estimated the total
value of the 1987 school district
tax base at $668.7 billion-over
$23 billion lower than the 1986
total. This 3.4 percent decline
in values follows a 1.5 percent
drop that occurred the year
before,
On the other hand, the study
showed that on a statewide
basis the property appraisals
performed by county appraisal
districts were more accurate in
1987 than the year before.
"According to our study, the
typical property in the state
was valued at 95 percent of its
actual market value for the
1987 tax year, compared to a 93
percent level in 1986," said Ron
Patterson, the SPTB's execu-
tive director. "However, the
study also shows that apprai-
sals of individual properties
were less uniform for 1967 than
for the year before.”
State law requires the SPTB
to annually estimate the tax-
able value of all property in
each school district and evalu-
ate the appraised values that
appraisal districts provide to
local taxing units.
“The Texas Education
Agency will use our taxable
value estimates to distribute
state education rid to school
districts for the 1988-89 school
year," explained Patterson.
"Our analysis of tax appraisals
indicate whether county ap-
praisal districts are appraising
property at its market value
and how equally and uniformly
they appraise the different
types of property."
The study shows that taxable
values declined in dose to
two-thirds of the state's 1,058
school districts between Janu-
ary 1, 1986, and January 1,
1967. These districts had an
Negotiations Start At Temple-Eastex;
Kirby Union Faces Expiration Date
While unions at one local
plant have entered negotiations
for a new contract, another
local union will cease to exist
when its contract expires Sun-
day night.
United Paperworkers Inter-
national Union Locals 801 and
825 and the International Bro-
therhood of Electrical Workers
Local 390 began contract ne-
gotiations Monday with Tem-
ple-Eastex Inc. m preparation
for the expiration of their
current two-year contracts
Aug. 1, according to Herbert
George, director of human re-
sources and spokesman for
Temple-Eastex.
George said Tuesday the
talks were still in their early
stages and it was too soon to
give any details about negoti-
ation points.
The unions involved in the
negotiations represent about
750 of the plant's 1,060 em-
ployees, he said.
Meanwhile, members of Kir-
by Forest Industries’ Wood-
workers Local 5-114 will no
longer have a union to belong to
after the union's contract with
the company expires at mid-
night Sunday.
Charles Campbell, executive
vice president of the inter-
national union, said Wednesday
that the union will no longer
exist after the contract expires.
Louisiana-Pacific Carp.,
of Kirby, notified the union
earlier this year that its con-
tract would not be renewed.
"Our certification there will
terminate when the contract
terminates," Campbell said.
The union’s pension plan will
be paid out in accordance with
pension plan rules and federal
law, Campbell said. Several
methods of payment, including
such options as early and
normal retirement and lump
sum payment of benefits, are
listed in the pension rules.
Campbell said the inter-
national is presently preparing
a letter to send to Silsbee
employees that will allow any
employee who wants a lump
sum pension payment to re-
quest one from the trustees of
the plan. Campbell said he is
not sure who the trustees are
and that it is not known
whether employees will be
(See Union Sec. I.PepeS)
Six Persons Plead Guilty
In 356th District Court
Six persons pleaded guilty to
a variety of charges including
one of aggravated assault with
a deadly weapon on July 21 in
separate 866th district court
cases, according to the records
of District Attorney R.F. “Bo”
Horka and District Judge Britt
Plunk.
Patrick Mondez Stubbs, 28,
880 Kirby St., Silsbee. pleaded
guilty to a charge of aggravated
assault with a deadly weapon in
connection with the December
1984 stabbing of Dwight Fobbs
of Silsbee. Stubbs was placed
on six years of unadjudicated
probation and was ordered to
pay court costs and $487.20 in
restitution.
Michael Ezra Hooks, 28, Star
Rt. 2. Box 700, Silsbee pleaded
guilty to a charge of felony
driving while intoxicated. He
was fined $500, plus court
costs, and was sentenced to 120
days in the county jail. His
driver’s license was suspended
for 180 days and he was given
credit for nine days served in
jail.
Dennis Merrle Presley, 25,
P.O. Box 818, Kountze, pleaded
guilty to a charge of indecency
with a child. He was placed on
five years of unadjudicated
(See Ptoes Soc. I.PefsS)
average decrease of 10 percent
in taxable value.
In 94 districts there were
value decreases in 20 percent or
more. “Many of these districts
are located in the Permian
Basin, the northern Panhandle,
deep East Texas, and South
Texas, where oil and gas reser-
ves are an important com-
ponent of the tax base," said
Patterson.
He noted that, statewide, the
taxable value of mineral re-
serves including oil and gas
dropped by almost $16 billion,
or a fourth, from their level at
the start of 1986. “1986 was the
year oil prices dropped from
$27 a barrel in January to as
low as $10 before rebounding to
$16.50 a barrel by the end of
the year,” Patterson said.
Industrial personal property,
which includes machinery,
manufacturing equipment and
factory inventories, showed a
12.5 percent value loss during
1986. Multifamily residential
property fell in value by close
to nine percent.
Single-parent residential
property, the largest property
Six Art Named
To Area Block
Grant Review Board
AUSTIN-Governor Bill
Clements has announced his
selections to the South East
Texas Regional Review Com-
mittee, one of 24 appointed
across Texas to review appli-
cations for federal block grants.
“These review committee*
are vital because they bring a
sense of local control to the
federal budget process.” Clem-
ents said.
The Mock grants typically
are used to finance public
facilities and provide housing
assistance.
The South East Texas region
serves three counties-Hardin,
Jefferson and Orange.
Named by the governor to
the South East Texas panel
were Milton “Pete” McKinney,
Hardin County Judge; B.F.
Cummings, Pinehurst City
Councilman; Billy Wayne
Doornboo. Nederland City
Councilman; Larry Woodall.
Lumberton Mayor; Tom
Crowe, Lumberton City Coon
cilman; and David Shows. Sib
bee City Councilman.
Members will serve through
Jan. 1.1990.
The regional review commit-
tees examine requests for fed-
eral Community Development
Block Grant funds appropriated
to smaller Texas dtba and
counties that are not direct
recipients of federal money.
category in the school tax base,
lost one percent of its value
during the same period. The
1987 study was the first to
show a value loss for singte-
family residential property.
Utility property showed the
largest increase in value in the
1987 study-6.2 percent. Com-
mercial personal property grew
by four percent in value.
“The statewide median ap-
praisal level of 96 percent is the
highest since the SPTB began
analyzing appraisal district val-
ues in 1983," Patterson pointed
out. “The higher appraisal lev-
els may indicate better proper-
ty appraisals in some cases,
while in others it may be that
market values dropped closer
to the appraised values on the
local tax rolls.”
Statewide appraisal levels
for the individual property
categories were all at least 92
percent of market value or
higher. Both single-family and
multifamily residential proper-
ties showed appraisal levels of
96 percent, according to the
study. However, the typical
mineral reserve was appraised
at 110 percent of its market
value lor the 1967 tax year.
The 1987 Property Value
Study indicates that 15 of the
state's 253 appraisal districts
were at exactly 100 percent of
market value in their 1967 tax
appraisals, and another 174
districts had appraisal levels
between 90 and 99 percent of
market value. The typical ap-
praisals in 11 districts exceeded
the 100 percent level. Appraisal
levels were between 80 and 89
percent in 39 districts, between
70 and 79 percent in 11 districts
and were between 62 and 66
percent in the remaining three
districts.
Despite the improvement in
appraisal levels, the study
showed that tax appraisals
were not as uniform for 1987 as
they were a year earlier. "In
other words,” said Patterson,
“properties with similar values
in the marketplace were less
likely to have similar values on
the local appraisal roll."
“The appraisal level com-
ponent of the Property Value
Study provides appraisal dis-
tricts. taxing units and tax
payers a way of measuring the
appraisal district’s perform
ance." explained Patterson.
“The Property Tax Code re-
quires taxable property to be
appraised equally, uniformly
ana at market value."
The code gives property
owners the right to protest the
appraised value of their proper
ty if the value is greater than
tin imhin lavol of ipppijMli
of other property in the qp-
(SeeTeaSec. I.Poget)
repair three bridges in Precinct
2 in a meeting Monday.
County Judge M.R. “Pete"
McKinney said about 50 resi-
dents signed a petition dated
June 27 requesting the repair
of Millholland Road. The peti-
tion stated the approximately
3-mile-long road is heavily tra-
velled and that an excessive
amount of dust created by the
traffic poses a serious health
problem for residents.
Suzette Lee and Corrine
Russell, residents of the rood
who were present at the meet-
ing, said the road is in better
shape as far as potholes are
concerned since Precinct 3
Commissioner Ronnie Douglas
took office, but said the dust
problem is unbearable.
Commissioners voted to ac-
cept the petition, though Doug-
las has no money available
under the current budget to
repair the road. McKinney said
commissioners will work to try
to alleviate the situation if
possible, especially if the road
is becoming a hazard to resi-
dents' health.
The court also agreed to ask
County Attorney Bevil Wright
to investigate whether the
county can repay Russell $450
she spent to have one-tenth of a
mile of the road sprayed with
1,000 gallons of road oil in June.
Rusaell said she was forced to
take the action because of the
dust problem and she believed
the county should reimburse
her since the action aided the
public using and living on the
road.
McKinney said he was not
sure how to handle the request,
since the court could not allow
everyone in the county to make
road repairs and bill the county
for them, but added later that
he had no objections to re-
imbursing Russell if Wright
says the action would be legal
since the materials were used
ob a county road.
In other action, commission
ere authorized Precinct 2 Com-
missioner John Golden to buy
five railroad tank cars for a
total of $9,000 to be used to
repair three bridges in the
precinct.
Since the county began par-
ticipating in the off-state sys-
tem bridge rehabilitation and
replacement program, the
State Highway Department in-
spects county bridges every
two years, McKinney said. The
department recently informed
the county that the three
bridges had to be closed or
repaired.
The tank cars needed to
replace the bridges, which are
located on Cravens Camp Road,
Harrison Road and Franklin
Lake Road, will cost a total of
about $9,000, Golden said. The
cars will be purchased from the
Price Company of Cumby.
The Cravens Camp Road
bridge repiacawnt is already
complete, while the Harrison
Read bridge- the only one of
the three that has been cloeed-
shouid be finished by the end of
next week, Golden said.
Commissionars defeated 2-3
a motion to raise the salary of
the county health department s
secretary, with McKinney,
Douglas ami Precinct 4 Com
J.D. Brown voting
against the measure.
Dr. H.A. Hooks, director of
the department, requested the
raise for the secretary, who
was hired in May at a minimum
clerk salary level. Hooks asked
commissioners to raise the sec-
retary’s salary from $850 a
month to $1,050, the amount
budgeted for the position.
McKinney said he believed
the time to ask for the raise is
at upcoming 1988-89 budget
workshop sessions when all
department heads will get a
chance to discuss their budget
requests. The hearings could
start as early as Monday, he
said.
Commissioners voted to ac
c*pt 10 roads into the aunty
road system. The roads accept-
ed were, in Precinct 1, Land-
ers, Bluebonnet Circle, Love-
lady, Jackson and Kirchoff; and
in Prednct 2, Tommy’a Trailer
Repair Road, Mullins. Jasper
Lane, Aaron Acres and King
Lane. Commissioners said the
county has been maintaining
the roads for a long period of
time.
The court authorized the
purchase of a $12,503 vehicle
from the Sour Lake Motor Co.
for Sheriff H.R. "Mike" Hoizap
fel, who wrecked his car July
12. Holxapfel said State Farm
Insurance has agreed to pay
$6,200 for the wrecked vehicle,
plus the costs of moving his
radio into the new car nd
repairing radio components
damaged in the accident.
Commissioners voted to hire
a part-time employee in the
county clerk's office and agreed
to go out for bids for a
hospitalization insurance policy
for county employees. The
court also signed a resolution
proclaiming August as WIC
month in the county
In other court action. Me
Kinney swore Kountze attar
ney Dwayne Overstreet into
office to act as county judge
Tuesday and preside over the
county court docket in McKin-
ney's absence. McKinney plan
nod to attend a Deep East
Texas County Commissioners
and County Judges conference
in WoodviUe.
The court recessed the meet
ing until 10 a.m. today Thurs-
day). Commissioners will dis-
cuss proposals received for the
administration and the archi-
tectural and/or engineering
work for a $298,244 Texas
Community Development Block
Grant awarded earlier this year
to the county. In Monday's
meeting, commissioners auth-
orised McKinney to execute the
block grant contract with the
state. The grant will be used to
improve the roof, air condition-
ing and parking at the court
house annex.
Also delayed until today's
meeting was action on the
donation of a van with a
wheelchair lift to be used to
transport indigent medical pa-
tients to health care facilities
such as John Sealy Hospital in
Galveston.
Dr. Ron McMurrv. director
of the Jasper-Newton County
Kinney in a July 19 letter that
Caro
to
allow some of its unused funds
to fund the purchase of a van
for Hardin County.
Under such an agreement,
the letter stated, the Jasper-
Newton health department
would purchase a passenger
van with a wheelchair lift and
assign it to Hardin County for
use as a nonemergency medical
transportation vehicle for per-
sons eligible to participate in
the Primary Care Program.
The Jasper Newton depart-
ment would provide salary and
benefits for a full-time driver
and funds for maintenance of
the van, as well as technical
assistance for eligibility de-
termination.
in the letter, McMurry said
eligible participants are resi-
dents of the state with income
less than 150 percent of the
federal proverty index.
The driver's salary has been
approved through Aug 31 and
it expected to be extended for
three additional years, he said.
Hardin County would be
required to accept the title to
the van and to provide near
ance equal to that of ocher
county owned vehicles Tito
county would have to pay fe?
gasoline and oil and select the
iriver after screening. It would
have to designate a local super
visor and dispatcher far the
driver, as well as som*
complete activity repai • .: be
used for program jeroust
ability to the state.
Hardin County would alas be
asked to provide transportation
assistance to eligible reside r*g
of Jasper and Newton countie:
if the use would not conflict
with Hardin County transpor
cation requirements. Hardin
County would be reimbursed
for gasoline used to transport
residents from the other coun-
ties.
The county is in need of such
transportation for the indigent,
who have been taken to facili-
ties recently by the Program
for Human Services or have
been given gas or bus money
for the trip. McKinney said.
The county has spent about
$2,500 during the current bud
get year for indigent tnusapor
cation.
McKinney recommended the
court delay action on the van
until today to give him time to
investigate insurance costs and
determine whether the coun-
ty's indigent health care de-
partment could handle the add-
ed responsibility. He also said
he would like to ask the county
attorney to review the egaiity
of the count’ entering a con-
tract with uauidwi county's
health dt artmeni.
Lamar-Pt. Arthur
To Give SAT Test
Friday, August 12
The last Scholastic Aptitude
Teat (SAT) before Fail
ter wiU be given at
University-Port uthur Fri-
day, August 12. The toot, an
emergency, institutional SAT
for use only in the Lamar
University System, begins at
12:89 p,m.
nuv ceil The
(tee SAT Sec. 1.
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Read, R. L. The Silsbee Bee (Silsbee, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 28, 1988, newspaper, July 28, 1988; Silsbee, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth820051/m1/1/: accessed June 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Silsbee Public Library.